What happens when a young person wants to learn — but the traditional school environment simply isn't working for them?

In this episode of Headship After Hours, Paul Collin is joined by Hugh Viney, founder and CEO of Minerva Virtual Academy (MVA), to explore online and hybrid education, school attendance, SEND, emotionally based school avoidance and what happens when we begin designing education around the needs of the child.

Hugh shares the story behind Minerva Virtual Academy and why growing numbers of families began looking for alternatives when their children were struggling with anxiety, neurodivergence or the demands of mainstream education.

The conversation explores:

• Why some pupils thrive outside a traditional classroom

• SEND, anxiety and barriers to school attendance

• Emotionally based school avoidance

• The four barriers some children experience in mainstream education

• Making the school fit the child rather than forcing the child to fit the school

• Online, asynchronous and flipped learning

• The role of one-to-one mentoring and pastoral support

• Using engagement data to identify when pupils need help

• Maintaining academic expectations alongside wellbeing

• How schools and local authorities can use alternative provision

• Whether hybrid schooling could become a mainstream option

• Why online education doesn't necessarily mean isolation

Hugh also challenges one of the biggest assumptions surrounding virtual education: that learning online automatically means less community, fewer friendships and weaker outcomes.

For some young people, he argues, removing barriers associated with the physical environment can actually allow them to engage, build relationships and rediscover confidence in learning.

About Minerva Virtual Academy

This episode is supported by Minerva Virtual Academy (MVA), a DfE-accredited online school working with young people for whom traditional school attendance may not currently be working.

MVA works with families, schools and local authorities to provide an online educational pathway, including live teaching, independent learning, mentoring and pastoral support.

For school leaders considering alternative or complementary provision for a young person, further information about Minerva Virtual Academy can be found at:

Minerva Virtual Academy: www.minervavirtual.com

About Hugh Viney

Hugh Viney is the founder and CEO of Minerva Virtual Academy. After founding Minerva Tutors, Hugh launched MVA in 2021 as an alternative educational model for young people who may not thrive within traditional mainstream schooling.

In this conversation, Hugh shares his perspective on the future of virtual and hybrid education and why he believes alternative models should increasingly be viewed as a genuine educational choice rather than simply a last resort.

Connect with Hugh Viney on LinkedIn.

🎧 Headship After Hours — honest conversations about the realities of school leadership, education and building better systems for young people.

00:00 – Why Some Children Thrive Outside Mainstream School
01:50 – About Minerva Virtual Academy
02:10 – Introducing Hugh Viney
08:19 – Why Minerva Virtual Academy Grew So Quickly
11:38 – SEND, Attendance & School Avoidance
13:09 – Why Families Look Beyond Mainstream School
15:22 – What COVID Revealed About How Children Learn
18:57 – Making the School Fit the Child
19:52 – The Four Barriers to Mainstream School
24:20 – The Power of One-to-One Mentoring
27:19 – Technology, Learning & Human Connection
33:18 – What School Leaders Can Learn From MVA
34:44 – Can Online School Lead Pupils Back to Mainstream?
37:22 – The Future of Hybrid Schooling
39:12 – The Biggest Myth About Online School
41:10 – Belonging, Happiness & High Expectations

What really changes a school?

After more than 26 years in education, including 10 years as a headteacher, Paul Collin reflects on the leadership lessons that shaped his career and why sustainable school improvement always begins with people.

Most heads aren't short on effort when it comes to attendance.

The harder truth: so much of it often rests on one or two people — and when that's the case, it never feels steady, however hard everyone works.

That's the work I do. I run a funded Senior Attendance & Leadership Resilience Check for headteachers and trust leaders in complex schools.

It starts with a short strategic assessment. For eligible schools, it opens into a full process:

• On-site school visit
• Detailed, school-specific report
• Follow-up strategy session
• Practical leadership tools for a clear 90-day plan

Typically valued at £1,000 — currently funded for eligible schools.

Apply here → https://atrejwhi.formester.com/f/hwL9GCyin/

In this conversation, Paul discusses school culture, leadership, behaviour, attendance, relationships, teacher development, school improvement and why young people thrive when they feel genuinely valued.

The discussion explores:

• Why culture matters more than quick fixes
• Building sustainable school improvement
• Relationships before behaviour
• Leadership beyond job titles
• Why attendance starts with belonging
• Developing teachers through coaching rather than pressure
• Why schools must create environments where young people can succeed

Whether you're a headteacher, teacher, trust leader or aspiring leader, this conversation offers practical insights into building schools where both staff and pupils thrive.

00:00 – Why School Culture Changes Everything
01:48 – Introducing Paul Collin
02:40 – Who Is Paul Outside Education?
05:10 – When Headship Becomes Your Identity
06:14 – Work-Life Integration for School Leaders
08:43 – 26 Years in Education & 10 Years in Headship
11:54 – Why Paul Left Headship
14:28 – The Truth About School Improvement Consultancy
17:18 – Leadership, Trusts and Executive Leadership
19:23 – Should CEOs Have Teaching Experience?
23:20 – Why Relationships Matter More Than Behaviour
24:31 – Attendance, Leadership and School Improvement
25:36 – Why Teachers Must Keep Growing
27:40 – Dream-Weaving: The Teachers We Never Forget
29:52 – Behaviour Is an Outcome, Not the Problem
35:21 – Culture Is the Foundation of School Improvement
36:01 – What Excites Paul About Transforming Schools
37:45 – Why You Can't Rush School Improvement
39:32 – The First Thing to Fix in Any School
41:05 – Why Uniform Still Matters
46:30 – Standards, Pride and Professionalism
50:58 – Rethinking 'Disadvantage' in Education
52:30 – Closing the Attainment Gap
57:18 – The Education White Paper
01:01:30 – The Questions We Should Ask Pupils
01:04:25 – Mobile Phones, Schools and Social Media
01:10:00 – What Makes a Great Teacher?
01:20:00 – The Power of Relationships in Schools
01:30:40 – Why Headship After Hours Exists

Nobody prepares you for the emotional switching required in headship.

Most heads aren't short on effort when it comes to attendance.

The harder truth: so much of it often rests on one or two people — and when that's the case, it never feels steady, however hard everyone works.

That's the work I do. I run a funded Senior Attendance & Leadership Resilience Check for headteachers and trust leaders in complex schools.

It starts with a short strategic assessment. For eligible schools, it opens into a full process:

• On-site school visit
• Detailed, school-specific report
• Follow-up strategy session
• Practical leadership tools for a clear 90-day plan

Typically valued at £1,000 — currently funded for eligible schools.

Apply here → https://atrejwhi.formester.com/f/hwL9GCyin/

In this episode of Headship After Hours, Paul Collin explores the hidden emotional labour of being a headteacher — moving from deeply personal or confidential conversations straight into assemblies, meetings, difficult decisions and moments of celebration.

The school doesn't pause while its headteacher processes what they've just heard.

Paul explores the emotional weight created by safeguarding concerns, staff conversations, parental situations and the confidential information school leaders are often required to carry without being able to openly share it.

This episode explores:

• The emotional labour of headship
• Compartmentalisation versus processing
• Confidentiality and isolation in school leadership
• Emotional switching between difficult conversations
• Why headteachers need trusted professional networks
• Creating small resets between high-pressure moments
• Recognising when carrying too much starts changing your leadership
• How to care deeply without disappearing beneath the weight

Headship needs humanity.

The goal isn't to stop caring. It's learning how to care without disappearing under everything you carry.

00:00 – Nobody Warns You About This Part of Headship
00:24 – Why Headship After Hours Exists
01:23 – The Invisible Pressure of Headship
01:39 – Emotional Switching Between Conversations
02:19 – The School Doesn't Pause for the Headteacher
02:55 – Becoming the Holder of Other People's Stories
03:35 – Compartmentalisation in School Leadership
04:15 – Why Headship Becomes Emotionally Exhausting
04:34 – Attendance & Leadership Resilience
05:43 – The Internal Processing Nobody Sees
06:24 – When the Emotional Weight Hits You
06:46 – Emotional Labour in Headship
07:06 – Caring Without Losing Yourself
07:22 – Resetting After Difficult Conversations
07:58 – Confidentiality Doesn't Mean Silence
08:32 – Every Headteacher Needs a Safe Network
09:04 – When Emotional Switching Starts Changing You
09:41 – The Holder of Stories and Confidences
10:01 – Care Without Disappearing Under the Weight
10:22 – Leadership Shouldn't Be Carried in Silence
10:40 – Attendance & Leadership Resilience Check

In this episode of Headship After Hours, Paul Collin is joined by Jack Mallaby, assistant headteacher and SENCO, for an honest conversation about SEND, neurodiversity, emotionally based school avoidance and attendance.

Most heads aren't short on effort when it comes to attendance.

The harder truth: so much of it often rests on one or two people — and when that's the case, it never feels steady, however hard everyone works.

That's the work I do. I run a funded Senior Attendance & Leadership Resilience Check for headteachers and trust leaders in complex schools.

It starts with a short strategic assessment. For eligible schools, it opens into a full process:

• On-site school visit
• Detailed, school-specific report
• Follow-up strategy session
• Practical leadership tools for a clear 90-day plan

Typically valued at £1,000 — currently funded for eligible schools.

Apply here → https://atrejwhi.formester.com/f/hwL9GCyin/

Jack reflects on his own experiences of ADHD and dyslexia, his journey from mainstream education into specialist provision, and why inclusion must sit at the centre of school culture rather than being treated as an additional intervention.

Together, they explore why many neurodiverse pupils experience anxiety around school, how educational trauma can shape attendance, and why relationships with young people and families are essential when attendance becomes fragile.

This episode discusses:

• SEND leadership in mainstream and specialist schools
• Emotionally based school avoidance
• Neurodiversity, anxiety and attendance
• Why relational practice matters
• The importance of primary-to-secondary transition
• Child-centred attendance strategies
• Preparing young people for adulthood
• Why schools should adapt systems around pupils

Jack’s central message is clear:

It should not be about making young people fit the system. It should be about making the system work for them.

00:00 – Educational Trauma and School Avoidance
01:21 – Introducing Jack Mallaby
02:20 – Jack’s Role in Specialist SEND Provision
03:12 – Growing Up With ADHD and Dyslexia
05:00 – Why Jack Moved Into SEND Leadership
07:05 – Leaving Mainstream for Specialist Education
08:10 – Inclusion as Culture, Not a Bolt-On
09:28 – Relationships and Consistency in Specialist Schools
12:07 – What Is Emotionally Based School Avoidance?
12:53 – Educational Trauma and Distrust
13:26 – How COVID Affected Neurodiverse Learners
14:25 – Why Attendance Systems Respond Too Late
15:31 – Identify, Stabilise and Restore Attendance
16:40 – Relationships With Pupils and Families
17:37 – Supporting Anxiety Without Labelling the Child
18:50 – Preparing Neurodiverse Pupils for Adulthood
20:08 – Compassion, Consistency and Capacity
21:34 – What Schools Still Get Wrong
22:36 – Primary-to-Secondary Transition
25:03 – Why One Transition Day Is Not Enough
27:04 – Supporting Complex Attendance Cases
27:41 – A Child-Centred Attendance Strategy
29:55 – Rethinking Educational Success
33:41 – Jack’s Advice for School Leaders
34:00 – Make the System Work for the Child

Sometimes a small number of families shape a large part of your school's attendance picture.

Most heads aren't short on effort when it comes to attendance.

The harder truth: so much of it often rests on one or two people — and when that's the case, it never feels steady, however hard everyone works.

That's the work I do. I run a funded Senior Attendance & Leadership Resilience Check for headteachers and trust leaders in complex schools.

It starts with a short strategic assessment. For eligible schools, it opens into a full process:

• On-site school visit
• Detailed, school-specific report
• Follow-up strategy session
• Practical leadership tools for a clear 90-day plan

Typically valued at £1,000 — currently funded for eligible schools.

Apply here → https://atrejwhi.formester.com/f/hwL9GCyin/

In this episode of Headship After Hours, we explore one of the most emotionally demanding realities of attendance leadership: how a handful of complex cases can disproportionately affect your school's overall attendance figure.

When leaders respond with generic attendance strategies to deeply individual circumstances, progress often stalls. Trauma, mental health, SEND, housing instability, family breakdown and trust all influence attendance in ways that spreadsheets alone cannot explain.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why a small number of pupils often shape headline attendance
• Relational practice over generic interventions
• Accountability versus complexity
• Why attendance leadership requires patience and strategy
• Building confidence through structured attendance systems

Attendance is never just about numbers.

It is about people, relationships and trust.

00:00 – When a Few Families Shape Your Attendance
00:34 – The Hidden Reality Behind Attendance Data
01:18 – Why Generic Attendance Strategies Fail
01:58 – The Human Stories Behind Persistent Absence
02:33 – Attendance Leadership Resilience Check
03:58 – Patience Before Progress
04:17 – Relational Practice Over Generic Responses
05:04 – Case-Based Attendance Strategy
05:26 – Why Hope Matters in Leadership
06:02 – Staying Strategic Without Becoming Cold
06:25 – What Will Adults Do Differently Tomorrow?
06:48 – Attendance Lives in Everyday Practice
07:25 – Build Systems, Not Heroics
07:51 – Strategic Alignment Across Teams
08:40 – Confidence Changes Attendance Leadership
09:15 – Attendance Is Connected to Culture
09:59 – Redesign the Conditions, Not the Effort
10:25 – Complex Cases Need Better Strategy

School culture isn't created by a vision statement. It's created by how leadership feels every day.

Most heads aren't short on effort when it comes to attendance.

The harder truth: so much of it often rests on one or two people — and when that's the case, it never feels steady, however hard everyone works.

That's the work I do. I run a funded Senior Attendance & Leadership Resilience Check for headteachers and trust leaders in complex schools.

It starts with a short strategic assessment. For eligible schools, it opens into a full process:

• On-site school visit
• Detailed, school-specific report
• Follow-up strategy session
• Practical leadership tools for a clear 90-day plan

Typically valued at £1,000 — currently funded for eligible schools.

Apply here → https://atrejwhi.formester.com/f/hwL9GCyin/

In this episode of Headship After Hours, we explore one of the biggest misconceptions in education: that culture can be launched through policies, values or strategic plans.

Real culture is built much more quietly.

It develops through repeated leadership behaviours, emotional consistency, psychological safety and the thousands of small interactions that shape how staff and pupils experience school each day.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why culture is built through repeated experiences
• Leadership behaviours that quietly shape schools
• Emotional safety and psychological trust
• Why systems alone never create strong cultures
• How relational leadership transforms schools

Schools don't remember what leadership intended.

They remember what leadership repeatedly felt like.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Why Schools Don't Build Culture Through Posters
00:35 – Schools Remember Leadership Differently
01:35 – The Biggest Myth About School Culture
01:52 – Culture Is Built Through Repeated Experiences
02:36 – Attendance and Leadership Alignment
03:51 – Systems Don't Create Trust
04:08 – What Real Culture Looks Like
04:38 – Why Micro Moments Matter
05:03 – When Adults Change, Everything Changes
05:43 – Emotional Safety vs Emotional Fragility
06:21 – Why High-Trust Schools Perform Better
06:42 – The Calm Schools That Thrive
07:17 – Accountability and Relationships Together
07:54 – Leadership Is Emotional Modelling
08:30 – Why Culture Slowly Drifts
09:05 – The Emotional Architecture of Schools
09:24 – The Question Every Leader Should Ask
09:48 – Schools Remember How Leadership Feels

Why does opening the attendance dashboard on a Monday morning feel like a verdict rather than information?

Most heads aren't short on effort when it comes to attendance.

The harder truth: so much of it often rests on one or two people — and when that's the case, it never feels steady, however hard everyone works.

That's the work I do. I run a funded Senior Attendance & Leadership Resilience Check for headteachers and trust leaders in complex schools.

It starts with a short strategic assessment. For eligible schools, it opens into a full process:

• On-site school visit
• Detailed, school-specific report
• Follow-up strategy session
• Practical leadership tools for a clear 90-day plan

Typically valued at £1,000 — currently funded for eligible schools.

Apply here → https://atrejwhi.formester.com/f/hwL9GCyin/

In this episode of Headship After Hours, we explore the emotional weight many school leaders attach to attendance data and why a single percentage point can influence confidence, decision-making and school culture.

Attendance matters deeply. But leaders are often held accountable for outcomes they can influence, not fully control. That tension creates pressure, encourages reactive leadership and can lead schools to chase weekly fluctuations instead of long-term improvement.

This episode explores:

• Why Monday morning attendance reviews feel emotionally charged
• Accountability versus control in school leadership
• Reading trends instead of reacting to weekly spikes
• Building confidence through strong attendance systems
• Creating a calmer, more sustainable attendance culture

The strongest attendance leaders don't ignore the numbers.

They learn to read them with clarity, proportion and confidence.

Timestamos

00:00 – Why Monday Morning Attendance Feels Like Judgment
00:59 – When One Percentage Carries Too Much Weight
01:56 – Accountability Without Full Control
02:47 – Stop Chasing Weekly Attendance Spikes
03:06 – Attendance Leadership Resilience Check
04:00 – Reading Data Like a Skilled Clinician
04:49 – Signal vs Noise in Attendance Data
05:27 – Three Questions Every Leader Should Ask
06:09 – Creating a Calm Attendance Culture
06:24 – Replace Dread With Grip
07:07 – Attendance Lives in Everyday Practice
07:42 – Build Systems, Not Heroics
08:10 – Strategic Alignment Across Your Team
08:57 – Confidence Changes Attendance Leadership
09:30 – Attendance Is Really About Culture
10:11 – Redesign the Conditions, Not Just the Response
10:27 – When Data Stops Feeling Like Judgment

Pressure rarely arrives dramatically. It accumulates quietly.

In this episode of Headship After Hours, we explore one of the most overlooked realities of school leadership: pressure changes leaders long before it changes schools.

Most heads aren't short on effort when it comes to attendance.

The harder truth: so much of it often rests on one or two people — and when that's the case, it never feels steady, however hard everyone works.

That's the work I do. I run a funded Senior Attendance & Leadership Resilience Check for headteachers and trust leaders in complex schools.

It starts with a short strategic assessment. For eligible schools, it opens into a full process:

• On-site school visit
• Detailed, school-specific report
• Follow-up strategy session
• Practical leadership tools for a clear 90-day plan

Typically valued at £1,000 — currently funded for eligible schools.

Apply here → https://atrejwhi.formester.com/f/hwL9GCyin/

As accountability, attendance, behaviour, staffing and parental expectations continue to increase, many leaders unknowingly shift from reflective to reactive leadership. Over time, that pressure changes relationships, decision-making, emotional regulation and ultimately the culture of the school.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why leadership pressure quietly reshapes school culture
• Emotional regulation versus emotional suppression
• Psychological safety and staff retention
• Why behaviour and attendance improve when people feel safe
• How leaders can create emotional predictability during challenging times

Schools don't simply respond to strategy.

They respond to emotional climate.

This episode is for headteachers, senior leaders and trust leaders who want to lead sustainably while protecting both themselves and the cultures they are building.

Timestamps

00:00 – Pressure Changes the Leader First
01:03 – Why This Podcast Exists
02:08 – Leadership Behaviour Shapes School Culture
02:52 – When Schools Begin Operating Through Anxiety
03:09 – Attendance and Leadership Alignment
04:12 – The Hidden Weight of Modern Headship
04:59 – How Pressure Changes Leadership Behaviour
05:52 – Why Schools Feel Pressure So Deeply
06:29 – Systems vs Emotional Culture
07:05 – Toughness Is Not the Same as Resilience
07:44 – Psychological Safety in Schools
08:12 – Schools Need Regulated Leaders
08:45 – Emotional Safety Changes Everything
09:07 – Emotional Containment Explained
09:51 – When Leaders Stop Processing Pressure
10:25 – Why Urgency Destroys Culture
11:06 – Leadership Drift Under Pressure
11:43 – The Question Every Leader Should Ask
12:02 – Schools Respond to Emotional Climate

What do schools really know about their readers?

In this episode of Headship After Hours, Paul is joined by Steve Willshaw to explore reading culture, literacy leadership, school transition and the importance of recognising the rich reading histories that pupils bring with them into secondary education.

Most heads aren't short on effort when it comes to attendance.

The harder truth: so much of it often rests on one or two people — and when that's the case, it never feels steady, however hard everyone works.

That's the work I do. I run a funded Senior Attendance & Leadership Resilience Check for headteachers and trust leaders in complex schools.

It starts with a short strategic assessment. For eligible schools, it opens into a full process:

• On-site school visit
• Detailed, school-specific report
• Follow-up strategy session
• Practical leadership tools for a clear 90-day plan

Typically valued at £1,000 — currently funded for eligible schools.

Apply here → https://atrejwhi.formester.com/f/hwL9GCyin/

In this episode, Steve shares the story behind the nationally recognised Rooted in Reading project and explains why reading passports, transition work and intellectual equity matter more than ever in today's schools. Together, they discuss how schools can create stronger reading cultures, support literacy development and ensure that young people are not treated as blank slates when they move between phases of education.

The conversation also explores Steve's four leadership pillars:

• Radical Simplicity
• Intellectual Equity
• Relational Agency
• Professional Craft

Alongside a deep dive into Functional Fluency, coaching, behaviour, relationships and how educators can move from reacting to responding.

This episode is for headteachers, literacy leaders, English teachers, curriculum leaders and anyone passionate about reading, equity and school improvement.

🎧 Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, culture, attendance, behaviour and sustainable school improvement.

00:00 – The Reading Histories Schools Miss
01:12 – Steve Willshaw’s Journey Into Education
03:03 – Inclusivity, Equity and Early Leadership Lessons
05:26 – Keeping Leadership Simple
06:43 – The Four Leadership Pillars
08:32 – The Story Behind Rooted in Reading
12:53 – Reading Passports and Literacy Culture
16:24 – Why Reading Transition Matters
19:30 – Professional Craft and School Context
20:31 – What Is Functional Fluency?
25:11 – Radical Simplicity Explained
26:20 – Intellectual Equity and Ambitious Curriculum
30:41 – Relational Agency in Schools
32:34 – Professional Craft and Teacher Development
36:32 – The Functionally Fluent Teacher
43:31 – Steve’s Advice for School Leaders
46:20 – Respond More, React Less

#HeadshipAfterHours #Literacy #SchoolLeadership #ReadingForPleasure #EducationPodcast

#SchoolImprovement #Curriculum #ReadingCulture #Transition #SteveWillshaw

Before attendance drops, before behaviour shifts, before staff morale declines, the school already knows.

I am currently offering a funded £1,000 Senior Attendance & Leadership Review for headteachers navigating attendance pressure.

It begins with a short strategic assessment.

If eligible, this leads to a full review process including:

• On-site school visit
• Detailed, school-specific report
• Follow-up strategy session
• Practical leadership tools

Apply now – https://atrejwhi.formester.com/f/hwL9GCyin/

In this episode of Headship After Hours, we explore one of the most overlooked aspects of school leadership: emotional climate.

Schools are highly sensitive environments. Students, staff and families respond not only to systems and policies, but to leadership presence, consistency and emotional regulation.

This episode explores why leadership is not just strategic — it is atmospheric.

We discuss:

• How schools absorb leadership emotionally
• Why culture changes before leaders notice
• The role of trust, consistency and psychological safety
• Why behaviour and attendance often reflect emotional climate
• How leaders unintentionally transmit pressure

Sustainable school improvement is not just about systems.

It is about creating a culture where trust, stability and emotional consistency can thrive.

Timestamps

00:00 – Before the School Tells You, It Knows
02:43 – Schools Are Emotionally Sensitive Systems
03:20 – Leadership Presence vs Leadership Strategy
03:57 – The Signals Leaders Transmit
04:42 – How Culture Changes Quietly
04:58 – Why Trust Starts to Erode
05:15 – Emotional Problems vs Operational Problems
05:33 – Systems Are Interpreted Through Culture
05:57 – Children Experience Systems Through Relationships
06:17 – Students Detect Inconsistency Fast
06:55 – Leadership Is Atmospheric
07:14 – What Pressure Does to Leaders
07:32 – When the Weather Changes in a School
07:48 – Why Psychological Safety Matters
08:28 – Leadership Is More Than Formal Moments
08:48 – The Power of Micro Interactions
09:25 – Schools Stabilise Through Predictable Leadership
09:44 – The School Always Knows
10:20 – What Emotional Climate Are You Creating?