👋 Sam Fitzpatrick
@sam-fitzpatrick.bsky.social
Work stuff here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samfitzpatrick89
Thoughtful stuff here: https://samfitzpatrick.substack.com/
Silly stuff here.
Thoughtful stuff here: https://samfitzpatrick.substack.com/
Silly stuff here.
Pinned
My favourite new substack is Beyond the Frame, from my incredibly talented colleague and friend @sam-fitzpatrick.bsky.social
Sam offers genuinely unique perspectives on so many aspects of education and leadership.
First up: narrating the story 👇🏽
samfitzpatrick.substack.com/p/whats-the-...
Sam offers genuinely unique perspectives on so many aspects of education and leadership.
First up: narrating the story 👇🏽
samfitzpatrick.substack.com/p/whats-the-...
What’s the story?
How school leaders can shape the rhythm of the year to inspire focus, connection, and purpose
samfitzpatrick.substack.com
👋 One of my goals for 2025 is to write more—or, to write differently; ‘as me’.
For years, I’ve worked in education alongside *extraordinary* people tackling complex challenges.
But I’ve realised how rarely I stop to step back, reflect, and sit with ideas without trying to solve them immediately.
For years, I’ve worked in education alongside *extraordinary* people tackling complex challenges.
But I’ve realised how rarely I stop to step back, reflect, and sit with ideas without trying to solve them immediately.
Reposted by 👋 Sam Fitzpatrick
#️⃣2️⃣5️⃣ is about rugby, systems change, and stories. It's aggressively on-brand for me.
open.substack.com/pub/samfitzp...
open.substack.com/pub/samfitzp...
We can't [...] until [...]
Two weeks of rewrites. Some stories hold us together. Others hold us back.
open.substack.com
May 14, 2025 at 9:50 AM
#️⃣2️⃣5️⃣ is about rugby, systems change, and stories. It's aggressively on-brand for me.
open.substack.com/pub/samfitzp...
open.substack.com/pub/samfitzp...
If I were advising the government, these are the sorts of swat teams I'd be promoting.
www.instagram.com/reel/DG1YWSW...
www.instagram.com/reel/DG1YWSW...
Login • Instagram
Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.
www.instagram.com
April 19, 2025 at 8:44 AM
If I were advising the government, these are the sorts of swat teams I'd be promoting.
www.instagram.com/reel/DG1YWSW...
www.instagram.com/reel/DG1YWSW...
Reposted by 👋 Sam Fitzpatrick
This piece is part provocation, part blueprint.
It’s an argument against inheritance and habit—and a call for coherence, imagination, and purposeful trust design.
open.substack.com/pub/samfitzp...
It’s an argument against inheritance and habit—and a call for coherence, imagination, and purposeful trust design.
open.substack.com/pub/samfitzp...
Re-designing school trusts from first principles
Deliberately structured to remove friction, unlock potential, and make it easier for the people closest to children to do their best work.
open.substack.com
March 22, 2025 at 7:02 PM
This piece is part provocation, part blueprint.
It’s an argument against inheritance and habit—and a call for coherence, imagination, and purposeful trust design.
open.substack.com/pub/samfitzp...
It’s an argument against inheritance and habit—and a call for coherence, imagination, and purposeful trust design.
open.substack.com/pub/samfitzp...
Reposted by 👋 Sam Fitzpatrick
#️⃣1️⃣8️⃣ is about my plan for the next three articles. I want to explore how trusts can better support schools (*if* we accept the proposition that schools aren't linear, predictable machines but, rather, complex, adaptive ecosystems).
open.substack.com/pub/samfitzp...
open.substack.com/pub/samfitzp...
Preface: Beyond The Blueprint
Schools are complex, adaptive systems yet we manage them as if they were machines. This series explores how trust structures can evolve—moving from control to enablement, from compliance to coherence.
open.substack.com
February 26, 2025 at 11:45 AM
#️⃣1️⃣8️⃣ is about my plan for the next three articles. I want to explore how trusts can better support schools (*if* we accept the proposition that schools aren't linear, predictable machines but, rather, complex, adaptive ecosystems).
open.substack.com/pub/samfitzp...
open.substack.com/pub/samfitzp...
Reposted by 👋 Sam Fitzpatrick
What would parents' evening look like if we designed it for the people who weren't there?
open.substack.com/pub/samfitzp...
open.substack.com/pub/samfitzp...
A service designer, a behavioural economist and a mediator walk into Parents’ Evening…
What would Parents' Evening look like if we designed for the edges?
open.substack.com
February 20, 2025 at 8:50 AM
What would parents' evening look like if we designed it for the people who weren't there?
open.substack.com/pub/samfitzp...
open.substack.com/pub/samfitzp...
What would parents' evening look like if we designed it for the people who weren't there?
open.substack.com/pub/samfitzp...
open.substack.com/pub/samfitzp...
A service designer, a behavioural economist and a mediator walk into Parents’ Evening…
What would Parents' Evening look like if we designed for the edges?
open.substack.com
February 20, 2025 at 8:50 AM
What would parents' evening look like if we designed it for the people who weren't there?
open.substack.com/pub/samfitzp...
open.substack.com/pub/samfitzp...
Reposted by 👋 Sam Fitzpatrick
💬 Picture this: you’ve just taken over a school where the brand—if it can be called that—is toxic. Morale is low, parents are whispering, and students are disengaged.
Plus, Tim Messenger from The Sandford Citizen is on your back.
Plus, Tim Messenger from The Sandford Citizen is on your back.
What can we learn from 'toxic' brands?
Change alone isn’t enough—how leaders tell the story of that change determines whether it succeeds and sustains, or not.
buff.ly
January 24, 2025 at 7:41 AM
💬 Picture this: you’ve just taken over a school where the brand—if it can be called that—is toxic. Morale is low, parents are whispering, and students are disengaged.
Plus, Tim Messenger from The Sandford Citizen is on your back.
Plus, Tim Messenger from The Sandford Citizen is on your back.
💬 Picture this: you’ve just taken over a school where the brand—if it can be called that—is toxic. Morale is low, parents are whispering, and students are disengaged.
Plus, Tim Messenger from The Sandford Citizen is on your back.
Plus, Tim Messenger from The Sandford Citizen is on your back.
What can we learn from 'toxic' brands?
Change alone isn’t enough—how leaders tell the story of that change determines whether it succeeds and sustains, or not.
buff.ly
January 24, 2025 at 7:41 AM
💬 Picture this: you’ve just taken over a school where the brand—if it can be called that—is toxic. Morale is low, parents are whispering, and students are disengaged.
Plus, Tim Messenger from The Sandford Citizen is on your back.
Plus, Tim Messenger from The Sandford Citizen is on your back.
Reposted by 👋 Sam Fitzpatrick
🤨 In one of the most delicious of ironies, branding has a branding problem…
In this post, I try to unpack why I think school leaders should embrace it as a part of their toolkit to better connect with the communities they serve.
👉 https://buff.ly/3W2Dnhr
In this post, I try to unpack why I think school leaders should embrace it as a part of their toolkit to better connect with the communities they serve.
👉 https://buff.ly/3W2Dnhr
Rebranding branding
Branding has a branding problem—especially within education. But I believe in its power to establish the trust-building clarity every school leader strives for.
buff.ly
January 14, 2025 at 4:28 PM
🤨 In one of the most delicious of ironies, branding has a branding problem…
In this post, I try to unpack why I think school leaders should embrace it as a part of their toolkit to better connect with the communities they serve.
👉 https://buff.ly/3W2Dnhr
In this post, I try to unpack why I think school leaders should embrace it as a part of their toolkit to better connect with the communities they serve.
👉 https://buff.ly/3W2Dnhr
Reposted by 👋 Sam Fitzpatrick
🚨 The Cover Issue 🚨
Every school leader knows the feeling: the dreaded 7am text announcing more staff absence. It’s a daily reminder of the fragility of a system that demands the impossible—getting the best teachers in front of children every lesson while operating on a shoestring budget.
Every school leader knows the feeling: the dreaded 7am text announcing more staff absence. It’s a daily reminder of the fragility of a system that demands the impossible—getting the best teachers in front of children every lesson while operating on a shoestring budget.
January 9, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Reposted by 👋 Sam Fitzpatrick
It was wonderful to talk to some fantastic leaders working in the east of England yesterday.
We have another info webinar tonight at 18:00.
Please do share with your networks in the east of England!
We have another info webinar tonight at 18:00.
Please do share with your networks in the east of England!
Do you know someone in the East of England who would make a great headteacher?
Do they want to join a growing network committed to eradicating educational disadvantage?
Would they benefit from an intensive year of development with a cohort of leaders?
Ask them to join our info webinar TOMORROW
Do they want to join a growing network committed to eradicating educational disadvantage?
Would they benefit from an intensive year of development with a cohort of leaders?
Ask them to join our info webinar TOMORROW
January 9, 2025 at 9:07 AM
It was wonderful to talk to some fantastic leaders working in the east of England yesterday.
We have another info webinar tonight at 18:00.
Please do share with your networks in the east of England!
We have another info webinar tonight at 18:00.
Please do share with your networks in the east of England!
🚨 The Cover Issue 🚨
Every school leader knows the feeling: the dreaded 7am text announcing more staff absence. It’s a daily reminder of the fragility of a system that demands the impossible—getting the best teachers in front of children every lesson while operating on a shoestring budget.
Every school leader knows the feeling: the dreaded 7am text announcing more staff absence. It’s a daily reminder of the fragility of a system that demands the impossible—getting the best teachers in front of children every lesson while operating on a shoestring budget.
January 9, 2025 at 8:02 AM
🚨 The Cover Issue 🚨
Every school leader knows the feeling: the dreaded 7am text announcing more staff absence. It’s a daily reminder of the fragility of a system that demands the impossible—getting the best teachers in front of children every lesson while operating on a shoestring budget.
Every school leader knows the feeling: the dreaded 7am text announcing more staff absence. It’s a daily reminder of the fragility of a system that demands the impossible—getting the best teachers in front of children every lesson while operating on a shoestring budget.
🪂 Unusually, albeit encouragingly, this follow up post didn’t take as long to write as I thought it might.
Risky business
Risk is often sensibly avoided in education, but it’s hard to progress without it. This post explores how we can mitigate strategic risks different to unlock creativity and drive meaningful change.
buff.ly
January 3, 2025 at 8:19 AM
🪂 Unusually, albeit encouragingly, this follow up post didn’t take as long to write as I thought it might.
💭 I think we need to talk about how we talk about "the system"...
In education, we often talk about “the system” as though it’s a fixed, monolithic entity. But what if that language is holding us back?
👉
In education, we often talk about “the system” as though it’s a fixed, monolithic entity. But what if that language is holding us back?
👉
We need to talk about how we talk about 'the system'
In education, we often talk about “the system” as though it’s a fixed, monolithic entity. But what if that language is holding us back?
buff.ly
January 2, 2025 at 7:53 AM
💭 I think we need to talk about how we talk about "the system"...
In education, we often talk about “the system” as though it’s a fixed, monolithic entity. But what if that language is holding us back?
👉
In education, we often talk about “the system” as though it’s a fixed, monolithic entity. But what if that language is holding us back?
👉
Reposted by 👋 Sam Fitzpatrick
If you’re thinking that 2025 might be the year for something a bit different, have a look at these roles:
Regional Director
Director of Transformation
Managing Director of a new HEI
We’re a small team that works with others to have a big impact.
Please do share with great people!
Regional Director
Director of Transformation
Managing Director of a new HEI
We’re a small team that works with others to have a big impact.
Please do share with great people!
We’re looking for great people to join our team and help ensure that all children can enjoy lives of choice and opportunity.
You’ll get the chance to work with brilliant people in a region to improve the coherence of support families and kids receive.
Have a look!
www.reachfoundation.uk/join
You’ll get the chance to work with brilliant people in a region to improve the coherence of support families and kids receive.
Have a look!
www.reachfoundation.uk/join
Join us — The Reach Foundation
www.reachfoundation.uk
January 1, 2025 at 6:50 PM
If you’re thinking that 2025 might be the year for something a bit different, have a look at these roles:
Regional Director
Director of Transformation
Managing Director of a new HEI
We’re a small team that works with others to have a big impact.
Please do share with great people!
Regional Director
Director of Transformation
Managing Director of a new HEI
We’re a small team that works with others to have a big impact.
Please do share with great people!
👋 One of my goals for 2025 is to write more—or, to write differently; ‘as me’.
For years, I’ve worked in education alongside *extraordinary* people tackling complex challenges.
But I’ve realised how rarely I stop to step back, reflect, and sit with ideas without trying to solve them immediately.
For years, I’ve worked in education alongside *extraordinary* people tackling complex challenges.
But I’ve realised how rarely I stop to step back, reflect, and sit with ideas without trying to solve them immediately.
My favourite new substack is Beyond the Frame, from my incredibly talented colleague and friend @sam-fitzpatrick.bsky.social
Sam offers genuinely unique perspectives on so many aspects of education and leadership.
First up: narrating the story 👇🏽
samfitzpatrick.substack.com/p/whats-the-...
Sam offers genuinely unique perspectives on so many aspects of education and leadership.
First up: narrating the story 👇🏽
samfitzpatrick.substack.com/p/whats-the-...
What’s the story?
How school leaders can shape the rhythm of the year to inspire focus, connection, and purpose
samfitzpatrick.substack.com
December 29, 2024 at 7:44 PM
👋 One of my goals for 2025 is to write more—or, to write differently; ‘as me’.
For years, I’ve worked in education alongside *extraordinary* people tackling complex challenges.
But I’ve realised how rarely I stop to step back, reflect, and sit with ideas without trying to solve them immediately.
For years, I’ve worked in education alongside *extraordinary* people tackling complex challenges.
But I’ve realised how rarely I stop to step back, reflect, and sit with ideas without trying to solve them immediately.
Reposted by 👋 Sam Fitzpatrick
🔦 This month, we wanted to shine a light on one of the most impressive 'cradle-to-career' projects on the planet to highlight:
🅰️ its humble beginnings and
🅱️ some of the principles underpinning its continued success.
www.reachfoundation.uk/insights/sys...
🅰️ its humble beginnings and
🅱️ some of the principles underpinning its continued success.
www.reachfoundation.uk/insights/sys...
Spotlight on: Harchester Children’s Initiative — The Reach Foundation
Harchester Children's Initiative started as a small, single-town pilot a
few miles east of Tamworth. Today, it serves thousands of children and
families across Staffordshire, helping its communities...
www.reachfoundation.uk
August 16, 2024 at 2:14 PM
🔦 This month, we wanted to shine a light on one of the most impressive 'cradle-to-career' projects on the planet to highlight:
🅰️ its humble beginnings and
🅱️ some of the principles underpinning its continued success.
www.reachfoundation.uk/insights/sys...
🅰️ its humble beginnings and
🅱️ some of the principles underpinning its continued success.
www.reachfoundation.uk/insights/sys...