Episode Overview
In this episode of the Education Business Podcast, Claire speaks with former head teacher and chair of governors Craig McKee about his journey from school leadership to building a portfolio of successful education tools.

Craig shares how stepping away from headship in 2021 led him to experiment with building simple online solutions for schools — starting with safeguarding training and growing into services like website audits, policy management tools and AI-powered support for senior leaders.

The conversation explores how lived experience in schools helped Craig identify real problems worth solving, the importance of launching a minimum viable product (MVP), and the lessons he learned about pricing, marketing and validating ideas with customers.

Craig also talks candidly about the realities of building an education business — from early uncertainty and learning the basics of self-employment, to scaling a subscription product and navigating marketing challenges in the education sector.

This episode is packed with practical insights for education founders, teachers considering starting a business, and anyone looking to turn classroom experience into impactful products for schools.

 

00:00 – Introduction to the Education Business Podcast
01:10 – Craig’s career in teaching and school leadership
02:30 – Leaving headship and the unexpected start of a business
04:00 – Building the first product: safeguarding training
05:30 – Pricing your work and valuing your time
06:20 – Solving real school problems through lived experience
07:30 – Ideas that didn’t work and lessons learned
08:00 – The development of SLT AI
09:30 – Building products with feedback from school leaders
12:00 – Lived experience vs market feedback
14:10 – When the business started to feel financially real
16:30 – Marketing challenges in the education sector
18:00 – Social media, timing and organic growth
19:30 – Marketing experiments and what didn’t work
20:30 – Networking and building trust in the sector
22:00 – Managing expectations in marketing
24:00 – Lessons about running a business
25:00 – Systems, automation and starting as a sole trader
26:00 – Final advice for education founders

 

All About Craig:
Craig McKee - former Head Teacher and former Chair of Governors

With over 20 years’ experience in education, Craig has demonstrated exceptional leadership at every level. His track record includes serving as Deputy Head and contributing to a school’s journey from “Good” to “Outstanding” in their Ofsted inspection, and achieving National Teaching School status. As a former Chair of Governors, he has again supported a school’s transformation to “Outstanding” in their 2023 inspection.

Throughout his career as a Deputy Head Teacher in a Teaching School and Head Teacher within an Academy Trust, Craig has championed school improvement through:

- Designing and delivering impactful CPD programmes
- Conducting peer reviews to support school self-evaluation
- Collaborating with the Department for Education (DfE) on National Curriculum exemplification materials (2014)
- Participating in expert groups at the Standards and Testing Agency (STA) to develop SATs assessments

Craig has designed, and now manages, a number of websites designed to support school leaders to increase their capacity and enable them to spend more time out of their office working with their staff, pupils and families.

Website: https://sltai.co.uk https://headlite.co.uk https://schoolpolicytracker.co.uk https://schoolwebsiteaudits.co.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-mckee-486597239/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567749426322

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