Maria Constantinou

Church School Primary Headteacher. DSL. Mum of 2. Passionate about inclusion and getting it right in class for all learners. #LFC fan. Views: my own.

[Maria Constantinou @MariaConst_]

Preparing to hand over to a brilliant colleague who’ll be SENCO from September as I take the leap into headship... My top two reads for #leadership of #send by @NataliePacker and @DavidBartram_

[Maria Constantinou @MariaConst_]

@llewelyn20 I’m saying nothing…..Apart from the fact that you need to get some proper olives please.

[Maria Constantinou @MariaConst_]

@dsprimed Be prepared for the blood….. 🫣

[Rob Halls @robhalls]

The #SIAMS Inspection list for 2026/27 has now been published by @NSforEducation. These are the inspections that are likely to be carried out. A school's presence on the list is not a guarantee of inspection.
#SIAMSinspection @DrMJ93 @CofE_Education

https://t.co/96ZVuoDZdr

[Maria Constantinou @MariaConst_]

@llewelyn20 @dsprimed Having met both of you, I think you’ll get on very well!

[Maria Constantinou @MariaConst_]

@DDEDuncan

[Maria Constantinou @MariaConst_]

@llewelyn20 This is so true - an excellent blog. 👏 I’m also lucky enough to have seen this in action at your lovely school.

[Maria Constantinou @MariaConst_]

@jon_severs Totally. Many of our parents of children with SEND will be really concerned and will no doubt be in contact to ask what this all means. Our SENCOs will be panicking at how on earth they will be able to meet even more demand. More paperwork = less direct support.

[Maria Constantinou @MariaConst_]

@llewelyn20 I had exactly the same thought. There is a definite hint that more work and pressure will rest with schools. Many settings are already at breaking point. But we don’t know yet - all speculation at this stage. Let’s see what happens…

[Maria Constantinou @MariaConst_]

@jpembroke @InsightHQ Yes please. Are you coming to North London/ Herts?

[Maria Constantinou @MariaConst_]

What a brilliant summary - parallels drawn between 2 seemingly different worlds. I’ve been referring to this book for years and teasing out what we can relate to school leadership. Thank you for sharing @LeeWoods0722

[Lee Woods @LeeWoods0722]

Most school leaders are not chasing perfection.
They are chasing progress.

Quietly. Relentlessly. Under pressure.

That is why Better by Atul Gawande resonates so deeply with leadership in schools.

It is not about brilliance.
It is about systems, habits and the discipline of improvement.

In surgery, failure costs lives.
In education, it costs opportunity.

The lesson is the same in both fields:
Care is not enough. Systems matter.

That simple truth sits at the heart of Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance by Atul Gawande. Although written through the lens of medicine, it may be one of the most quietly powerful leadership books a leader can read.

Because it strips performance back to its essentials.
Not vision statements. Not slogans.
But habits, systems, humility and the relentless pursuit of improvement.

In schools, as in surgery, we often celebrate individual excellence.
The outstanding teacher. The inspirational leader. The charismatic head.

Gawande dismantles this myth with precision.

He shows that even the most talented professionals fail without:
•Clear systems
•Consistent routines
•Feedback that is acted upon
•A culture that allows challenge and learning

The lesson is uncomfortable but necessary. Performance does not improve because people care more. It improves because systems make the right actions more likely and the wrong ones harder to repeat.

One of Gawande’s central arguments is that improvement rarely comes from dramatic breakthroughs. It comes from marginal gains applied consistently.

This is profoundly relevant to school leadership.

Better attendance rarely comes from one assembly.
Better behaviour rarely comes from one policy rewrite.
Better teaching rarely comes from one INSET day.

It comes from leaders who:
•Clarify expectations
•Remove ambiguity
•Build routines that survive pressure
•Accept that good intentions are not enough

In Gawande’s world, checklists save lives.
In ours, systems save learning time.

Perhaps the most striking section of Better is Gawande’s exploration of coaching. Even elite surgeons, at the top of their profession, actively seek feedback from others who can see what they cannot.

This is where leadership in schools is often tested.

Senior leaders are expected to have answers.
Yet the most effective leaders are those who remain open to scrutiny.

The parallel is clear. Schools improve fastest when leaders:

Invite challenge rather than defend practice
Use evidence to refine decisions
Model learning rather than certainty

Leadership is not diminished by coaching. It is strengthened by it.

What makes Better resonate so strongly with education is its realism.

Gawande does not argue that failure can be eliminated. He argues that it can be reduced. He does not promise excellence overnight. He commits to progress, relentlessly pursued.

This mirrors the reality of schools.

We work in complex systems, serving diverse communities, under constant pressure. Improvement is rarely neat. But it is possible.

The leaders who make the biggest difference are those who ask, repeatedly:

What worked today?
What did not?
What one thing can we do better tomorrow?

That mindset is not glamorous.
It is transformative.

Better is not a book about medicine.
It is a book about responsibility.

Responsibility to design systems that protect people.
Responsibility to reflect honestly on performance.
Responsibility to keep improving even when progress feels slow.

For school leaders, that message could not be more relevant.

Because the work is not about being flawless.
It is about being better.

Every day.

[Lee Woods @LeeWoods0722]

Most school leaders are not chasing perfection.
They are chasing progress.

Quietly. Relentlessly. Under pressure.

That is why Better by Atul Gawande resonates so deeply with leadership in schools.

It is not about brilliance.
It is about systems, habits and the discipline of improvement.

In surgery, failure costs lives.
In education, it costs opportunity.

The lesson is the same in both fields:
Care is not enough. Systems matter.

That simple truth sits at the heart of Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance by Atul Gawande. Although written through the lens of medicine, it may be one of the most quietly powerful leadership books a leader can read.

Because it strips performance back to its essentials.
Not vision statements. Not slogans.
But habits, systems, humility and the relentless pursuit of improvement.

In schools, as in surgery, we often celebrate individual excellence.
The outstanding teacher. The inspirational leader. The charismatic head.

Gawande dismantles this myth with precision.

He shows that even the most talented professionals fail without:
•Clear systems
•Consistent routines
•Feedback that is acted upon
•A culture that allows challenge and learning

The lesson is uncomfortable but necessary. Performance does not improve because people care more. It improves because systems make the right actions more likely and the wrong ones harder to repeat.

One of Gawande’s central arguments is that improvement rarely comes from dramatic breakthroughs. It comes from marginal gains applied consistently.

This is profoundly relevant to school leadership.

Better attendance rarely comes from one assembly.
Better behaviour rarely comes from one policy rewrite.
Better teaching rarely comes from one INSET day.

It comes from leaders who:
•Clarify expectations
•Remove ambiguity
•Build routines that survive pressure
•Accept that good intentions are not enough

In Gawande’s world, checklists save lives.
In ours, systems save learning time.

Perhaps the most striking section of Better is Gawande’s exploration of coaching. Even elite surgeons, at the top of their profession, actively seek feedback from others who can see what they cannot.

This is where leadership in schools is often tested.

Senior leaders are expected to have answers.
Yet the most effective leaders are those who remain open to scrutiny.

The parallel is clear. Schools improve fastest when leaders:

Invite challenge rather than defend practice
Use evidence to refine decisions
Model learning rather than certainty

Leadership is not diminished by coaching. It is strengthened by it.

What makes Better resonate so strongly with education is its realism.

Gawande does not argue that failure can be eliminated. He argues that it can be reduced. He does not promise excellence overnight. He commits to progress, relentlessly pursued.

This mirrors the reality of schools.

We work in complex systems, serving diverse communities, under constant pressure. Improvement is rarely neat. But it is possible.

The leaders who make the biggest difference are those who ask, repeatedly:

What worked today?
What did not?
What one thing can we do better tomorrow?

That mindset is not glamorous.
It is transformative.

Better is not a book about medicine.
It is a book about responsibility.

Responsibility to design systems that protect people.
Responsibility to reflect honestly on performance.
Responsibility to keep improving even when progress feels slow.

For school leaders, that message could not be more relevant.

Because the work is not about being flawless.
It is about being better.

Every day.

[Maria Constantinou @MariaConst_]

@OhLottie

[Maria Constantinou @MariaConst_]

@OhLottie can we expect a Global Nativity post tomorrow….?? Pretty please… 🌍🌟

[Jon Severs @jon_severs]

Are EHCPs driving the SEND crisis or a symptom of it? Is SEND demand in 2025 any larger than it was in 2010? Will scrapping EHCPs actually achieve anything productive?

One of the best analyses of the SEND crisis I have read from @MargaretMulhol2

https://t.co/8Vhm5ZnZuK

[Maria Constantinou @MariaConst_]

@LGfL Staff mail seems to be down - server errors across school. Forbidden: access denied error messages. Please address ASAP!

[Maria Constantinou @MariaConst_]

@DeputyGrocott I absolutely loved the piano video. So beautiful and moving!

[Maria Constantinou @MariaConst_]

@DavidBartram_ 8 for the amazing illusion and 2 for creativity and fun 🎃 Always an October highlight. Well done to you all!

[Maria Constantinou @MariaConst_]

@nourishworkplce @Headteacherchat Love this. So important! Easy to take for granted and there are so many rewards to be gained when we explicitly share kindness and examples among staff.

[Maria Constantinou @MariaConst_]

@DDEDuncan @BarnetFoodbank @habcentre Complete with the words of our vision statement in the background. Gifts - because we really do care and hope this makes a difference.

[Maria Constantinou @MariaConst_]

Our #harvest gifts collected for @BarnetFoodbank and @habcentre Thank you for the amazing work you do to support some of the most vulnerable people in our community 💚