Education consultancy for schools and trusts

Whatever the problem, the right people to help you solve it

Schools and trusts rarely come to us asking for a consultant. They come because something has happened, something is not working, or they suddenly do not have enough capacity or expertise of their own. The enquiries we receive most often sound like this:

• "We have a school that is struggling."
• "We urgently need some SEND capacity."
• "We have lost a senior leader."
• "We need some additional improvement capacity."
• "Our board needs an independent view of how well it is working."

Behind each one is a problem to solve. We start by understanding it properly, then agree what needs to change, and bring in the expertise that will genuinely address it.

How we support schools and trusts

School improvement

Experienced school improvement advisers who act as a school improvement partner to headteachers, boards and trusts. We provide honest external challenge, review the quality of education, support leaders after an inspection, and work alongside staff to raise standards in the classroom. Where a school needs intensive support, we can deploy a small team of specialists who work together on a shared improvement plan.

SEND, behaviour and inclusion

Interim SEND leadership, SEND reviews and specialist capacity for schools and trusts under pressure from rising need and growing demand for support. We also help leaders strengthen behaviour, attendance and inclusion, with practical support that makes a difference to pupils and staff, not just a report.

Governance and strategy

Support for boards and executive leaders on the questions that shape the organisation: external reviews of governance, board effectiveness, CEO appraisal and performance, and readiness for growth. For trust boards, this work sits alongside our multi-academy trust consultancy and executive recruitment services.

Organisational resilience and leadership capacity

Additional capacity when an organisation is stretched, from senior leaders who step in at short notice to fractional specialists in finance, HR, operations and school improvement. Fractional expertise gives schools and trusts access to highly experienced people for one or two days a week, without the cost of a full-time appointment. When a school needs a headteacher at short notice, our interim headteacher service can help.

Why schools and trusts work with Propelo

We understand education

Propelo works only in education, and only with state-funded schools, trusts and local authorities. Our associates are practitioners who have led schools, trusts and services themselves.

We know exceptional people

The Propelo Associate Network brings together more than 500 quality-assured education experts. Many have worked with us repeatedly over a number of years, so we know what they deliver.

We move quickly

A website enquiry overnight can become a conversation the next morning and a set of credible options later that day. When the pressure is on, that speed matters.

When the answer is a new leader

Sometimes the change a school or trust needs is a new permanent leader. Our headteacher recruitment team runs direct searches for headteachers, and our executive recruitment team appoints MAT chief executives, finance and operations leaders and trustees. Because both sit within Propelo, the advice you receive and the people you appoint are joined up.