Leadership Advisory and Innovation Consultancy
Great schools stand out. In navigating an increasingly complex and competitive education landscape, leadership matters more than ever in setting your organisation apart. So, whether you're looking to embed a culture of developing 'meta-learners' or positioning your school as a leader in innovation, we offer consultancy services that are grounded in evidence, implementation science, pedagogical credibility, commercial insight, and decades of experience turning visions into reality.
Leadership Advisory Support
We offer leadership advisory support through an outstanding team of former school and trust senior leaders who have typically led their own organisations in becoming Exeter University accredited Thinking Schools. Our consultants work with you, either online or in person, taking time to understand your organisation’s individual situation and offering advice, based on implementation science, on embedding and measuring the impact of a whole school approach to developing metacognition and self-regulation within your organisation. Our leadership advisory support is typically focussed on the Vision components of our ‘Temple Menu’
Hover over each of the elements below:
Innovation Strategy Consultancy
In an increasingly competitive and AI-influenced education landscape, school leaders are asking a critical strategic question: “what sets us apart and how do we prove it?”
Our innovation consultancy supports school leaders and Heads of Innovation that want to:
- Establish a reputation as innovation-led
- Shape a future-focused learning vision grounded in metacognition & self-regulated learning
- Position themselves distinctively to parents, pupils, and inspection bodies
Whether you’re developing an innovation lab (as an internal team or physical space), or fostering a culture of future-ready, evidence-informed learning, we bring deep expertise to support your next steps.
Led by our CEO Alisdair Wade, whose background spans education innovation, product-market fit, and scaling implementation, this consultancy service draws on 20 years of pioneering pedagogical work and the practical experience of building meta-learning cultures across hundreds of schools.
We help you:
- Develop a future-facing vision that energises your community
- Build leadership and staff capacity to lead innovation
- Design CPD that embeds AI-resilient, metacognitive pedagogies
- Communicate your innovation strategy confidently to stakeholders
Whether you’re aiming to foster a culture of innovation or position your school as a centre of learning innovation (even without a formal lab), we help you turn aspiration into credibility, and vision into impact.
Ready to explore your school’s innovation edge?
Common Vision
Introduction to Metacognition and Self-Regulation: This 90-minute online workshop is designed to engage with whole staff teams to explore the meaning of metacognition and its benefits and to consider how students may be supported as they plan, monitor and evaluate. Some key metacognitive tools and strategies which can be utilised across the whole school will be demonstrated. The workshop aims to inform as well as engage participants in interactive activities, giving a deeper understanding of metacognition and how to adopt a metacognitive approach across the whole school.
Self-Evaluation of Whole School Metacognition: The Thinking Matters Self-Evaluation Audit Tool reflects the EEF’s recommendations and The University of Exeter’s ‘Thinking School’ accreditation criteria. It can provide a quick and efficient way for schools to inform their understanding of what is working well, what could be improved and where there may be potential gaps in terms of developing metacognition at a whole school level. This can provide a useful baseline helping identification of the next steps to be taken on the journey to developing metacognitive, self-regulating learners. Guidance and advice on use of the tool and on consideration of next steps can also be provided by an experienced Thinking Matters consultant.
Planning for effective whole-school implementation: Bespoke consultancy support can be provided to Headteachers and SLTs on how best to implement an impactful, sustainable approach to embedding metacognition in a practical way across a whole school. Based on a robust analysis of implementation science and school improvement literature, our consultants will take time to understand each school’s individual contexts and offer advice on how to embed and measure impact. This may include guidance on effective prioritisation in the school’s SIP, defining the ‘meta-learner vision’, aligning the approach with inspectorate requirements, guidance on selecting and empowering a ‘Drive Team’ and on governor, parent and community engagement.
Clarifying your ‘Meta’ Learner Vision: This 90-minute workshop may be facilitated with a SLT, Drive Team or whole staff team and is designed to facilitate consideration of the school’s vision for their students as ‘meta-learners’ (i.e. independent learners who demonstrate capacities to be metacognitive and to self-regulate). Based on the Thinking Matters concept of the meta-learner as an archer, the workshop prompts participants to create a visual ‘target’ which defines the school’s vision by identifying specific cognitive capabilities and intelligent learning behaviours which are priorities for their learners. Use of the TM Meta-Mirror software may also be considered if a school opts to use it.
Developing a Thinking School for the Drive Team: This one-day course seeks to support the school’s Drive Team in their role in leading implementation of whole school implementation. The content provides information, and also engages the team in interactive activities and discussion as they explore the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ of the Thinking School approach, clarify the school’s vision for their ‘meta-learners’ and consider the SPARE model as a framework for effective implementation. Team members also have the opportunity to receive their individual Motivational Map report and to consider their role as agents of change in the school.
Guidance on The University of Exeter’s Accreditation Process: The University of Exeter offers a process whereby schools may gain accreditation as a Thinking School. Accredited schools have used this process as an opportunity to demonstrate and affirm their commitment to the principles of becoming a Thinking School and to build an enduring culture of reflective practice. TM can provide bespoke consultancy guidance and advice to schools as they prepare for accreditation with the University. We also offer accreditation software which enables schools to gather and store evidence against the University’s criteria and to monitor progress in relation to achieving the official Thinking School status.