The publication of the government’s new schools white paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, charts a long‑term vision for the English education system that emphasises inclusion, leadership development, and structural reform to deliver better outcomes for all pupils. Central to this agenda is the expectation that every school will be part of a trust or collaborative arrangement, with clearly defined roles, greater shared accountability, and an expanded vision for inclusion and support.
While the policy headlines focus on pupil outcomes and improvements to SEND provision, the structural implications for school and trust leadership – particularly in operations – deserve equal attention. This is because the success of these reforms hinges not just on vision but on execution: the way trusts organise, lead, resource, and sustain complex operations across settings.
Ensuring a proportionate focus on operational leadership
The white paper signals an ongoing shift towards a trust‑led system, where collaboration, shared infrastructure, and consistency of practice across multiple settings are expected components of success. Yet for trusts to scale and operate effectively in this environment, leaders must be equipped not only with strategic vision but with the capability to manage increasingly complex operational ecosystems.
This goes beyond traditional leadership development. It means building confidence and competence in:
Leading multi‑layered operational functions (finance, HR, estates, procurement, compliance) across multiple sites.
Designing and implementing efficient, trusted systems and processes that support consistency and adaptability.
Deploying technology and data not as add‑ons, but as core enablers of high‑quality, integrated service delivery.
Without strong operational leadership capability at executive and cross‑trust levels, these reforms risk being well‑intentioned but under‑delivered.
Centralisation is a means, not an end
Centralisation, particularly in larger trusts, should never be about adding bureaucratic layers; it should always focus minds on coherence, resilience, and shared capacity.
As trusts grow in size and scope, central coordination of key operational functions enables:
Standardised processes that reduce duplication and inconsistency.
Improved data visibility and governance across organisational boundaries.
Greater capacity for strategic planning and risk management.
At the same time, centralisation must be proportionate and designed to support local autonomy where it adds value, especially in response to diverse community and pupil needs. This balance between central direction and local flexibility is one of the key organisational tensions trusts must navigate if local schools and central leadership are to exist harmoniously.
Achieving operational capacity gains is a key enabler for inclusive practice
Equally significant in the white paper is the emphasis on a more inclusive system, where mainstream settings play a greater role in supporting a wider range of needs. This ambition places new demands on schools and trusts, both in terms of skill sets and operational capacity. Creating the headroom required to deliver quality inclusion depends on having effective systems and appropriately skilled staff.
Operational leaders will be at the heart of planning, implementing, and sustaining these changes.
Leadership development must include operational capability
The planned focus on leadership development in the sector is welcome, but it must be holistic. Developing classroom or organisational leaders without building operational competence will leave trusts exposed when facing complex, multisite challenges.
ISBL’s recent reflections on nearly a decade of work with the School Business Leadership Professional Standards underline why this matters. Operational effectiveness, good people, strong leadership, quality systems, and a culture of continuous improvement sit at the heart of organisational success.
These are the beams that support our OpEx for Education™ framework. We are already seeing strong evidence of the benefits of adopting a codified approach through our OpEx training and diagnostic work, both in England and in other international jurisdictions. But we could help so many more groups of schools and trusts if, as a system, we helped leaders adopt new approaches and techniques faster.
These are not peripheral skills, but core capabilities for any trust leader in the white paper era.
The ISBL Professional Standards framework itself sets out clear competency pathways for operational leadership across four tiers, from task‑focused roles to executive leadership. They continue to be referenced and recommended in the Academy trust handbook.
OpEx builds on this, but significantly now at an organisational level, providing a clear blueprint for effectiveness.
The digital environment
The white paper signals investment in digital infrastructure and data connectivity as foundational elements of future system architecture. But technology and data do not deliver value in isolation: they amplify the capability of people and the strength of processes. Operational leaders fluent in digital strategy, data governance, and continuous improvement will unlock the potential of these investments and ensure that data insights translate into educational and organisational impact.
Strong operational leadership will be the bridge between policy ambition and successful delivery
In an education system moving towards more collaborative, trust‑led structures – with heightened expectations for inclusion and digital transformation – paying close attention to how operational leadership is approached is essential. Leadership pipelines must include proportionate training in complex operations. Centralisation must be deliberate and supportive of local autonomy. Capacity gains must be created through excellence in systems, people, and process design. And digital transformation must be strategically planned and led, not just implemented.
If we are serious about delivering the ambitions of the schools white paper and the broader inclusive vision set out across education policy, then developing operational leadership capability cannot be a footnote. It must be a strategic priority.