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Global Implementation That Works: From Slide Deck to Classroom

Win on behaviours, artefacts and calendars—not on slogans.

Challenge

Groups launched initiatives that read well on paper but stalled in rooms across diverse contexts.

Result

Short operating systems, rehearsal time and artefact reviews turned plans into practice from EYFS to Sixth Form.

Outcome

Faster, more reliable implementation and better pupil experience across sites.

Innovation

A two‑page operating system, fortnightly five‑minute visits, and a central bank of models and prompts tied to the live curriculum.

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Brief overview

Implementation fails when it asks people to remember everything. We published decision rights, rehearsed the first moves and reviewed artefacts, not intentions.

Mechanisms that move practice

Leaders named the non‑negotiables, protected rehearsal and sampled rooms fortnightly. Sites adapted examples but kept the moves.

Human moments that matter

A principal modelled the first five minutes, not a speech. A new campus taught the start on day one and felt part of the network.

Keeping workload net zero

One OS replaced many documents. Shared models ended reinvention. Reviews were short and useful.

Evidence and alignment

We looked for movement in rooms within two weeks and collected artefacts that showed it. Sites reported the same simple signals.

Impact

Implementation sped up and stuck. Pupils felt coherence and confidence grew in staff teams.

Lessons for leaders and investors

  • Publish decision rights.
  • Fund rehearsal time.
  • Review artefacts, not rhetoric.
  • Measure the same simple signals everywhere.

Full Article

Networks often produce elegant strategy decks. The hard part is turning a vision into practice that survives turnover and distance. We learned to win on behaviours and artefacts. The question at every review was blunt. What changed in rooms. The answer had to live in shared routines, model banks and calendars, not in adjectives.

We published a short operating system. It named who does what by when—decision rights for curriculum, assessment, behaviour and communication. The OS fitted on two pages so people could remember it. Leaders taught it live and linked each principle to an observable behaviour. Sites then translated the same OS into local language and calendars.

Rehearsal time was protected. Rather than long launches, we practised the moves that matter: the start of a lesson, the first worked example, the handover, the five‑minute visit. Staff rehearsed using next week’s materials so practice transferred. The choreography felt respectful because it saved time and reduced avoidable variation.

Five‑minute visits happened fortnightly. Leaders watched one slice—the start or the model—and left one keep and one try. The note included a date to revisit. The frequency, not the volume, produced momentum. Staff engaged because feedback was specific, brief and humane. Improvement became rhythmic rather than episodic.

Artefacts sat at the centre of review. Instead of long write‑ups, sites uploaded short videos of starts, snapshots of models and samples of pupil work. Central teams curated the best exemplars and placed them in a bank tied to the live curriculum. New colleagues taught well on day one because the material was there and familiar.

Adaptation was expected. Contexts differ. What held steady were the moves and measures; what flexed were examples and language. A campus in Africa used bilingual parent guides; a campus in Europe adjusted model banks to match exam board conventions. The OS made these choices explicit so drift did not...

What this means for school leaders and investors

Back the OS, rehearsal time and artefact reviews. Expect movement in rooms in two weeks and insist on the same simple signals across sites.

Full narrative expansion

Because the moves are simple and observable, scale increases reliability rather than diluting it.

What changed in practice

Two‑page OS; protected rehearsal; fortnightly five‑minute visits; central exemplar bank; artefact‑based reviews.

Human moments that built culture

Teachers felt supported; leaders felt confident; pupils experienced coherence across classrooms and campuses.

Results we saw

  • Faster implementation.
  • Greater reliability across sites.
  • Better pupil experience.

How we kept workload net‑zero

Short OS, shared banks and brief reviews replaced long policy docs and bespoke slide decks.

Evidence and UK alignment

Aligned with EEF implementation guidance and inspection frameworks that look for curriculum enacted in rooms.

Lessons for leaders and investors

  • Name decision rights.
  • Protect rehearsal.
  • Review artefacts.
  • Measure simple signals together.

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