Likhon Muhammad is director of secondary improvement at King’s Group Academies, a role that involves working with 15 schools in the group at both primary and secondary phase.
He began his career as a physics teacher before becoming headteacher of a failing school in the E-ACT multi-academy trust and helping to transform it. This led him to become headteacher at E-ACT’s largest school.
He then joined Star Academies as a trust leader before moving to King’s Group Academies in January 2024. Here he tells Tes what a typical week in his role involves.
Visiting schools
In my role I work with 15 schools across the group, which means collaborating with headteachers and senior leaders on a regular basis, often on developing strategies for whole-trust improvement projects.
As such, I usually spend three or four days a week in schools and a day or two at home working on those projects and what schools require. These visits often involve discussions with staff, where we celebrate successes and identify opportunities for improvement.
During these visits I will often conduct learning walks, mentor leaders or offer subject-specific support to ensure that schools are progressing - sometimes it’s just about those marginal gains that can make the difference, rather than big projects.
Occasionally I will convene all the leaders together, too, such as we did in January for a Raising Standards Leaders (RSLs) meeting. This enables us not just to share ideas but to form relationships and share ideas.
The visits are organised based on the specific needs of each academy, whether weekly, fortnightly or otherwise.
Our aim is to ensure that all academies benefit from equity of opportunity, enabling students to make the strongest progress possible. I often spend a full day in one academy, though at times I may visit two or three nearby academies, depending on the agreed focus with the principal.
School improvement
If a new school joins the trust, I will often ensure that I give them focused support at the start. This will mean going in for a day or two to meet not just the head and senior leaders but also pupils to really understand what is going on and where support is needed.
This helps me work with them on a rapid improvement plan and establish accountability measures that we can use as a trust to track progress and generally support them as required.
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Sometimes, though, it’s about going into a school to help develop a specific area of focus, such as behaviour. This involves close coaching and mentoring to help them create and implement a system that tackles the issue they are facing.
Using data to analyse an issue and then check progress is a big driver on this. Indeed, at one school the focus on using data to monitor and improve behaviour was noted during an Ofsted visit, which was very satisfying.
Preparing for Ofsted
I also prepare schools for external scrutiny, leveraging my experience as an Ofsted inspector.
Through co-evaluating every aspect of the framework, conducting mock inspections and RAG rating criteria, I help headteachers truly understand their schools and develop robust improvement plans.
These activities not only build readiness [for inspections] but also foster confidence and clarity among school leaders.
Meetings and progress
While I don’t visit each school in a week, I do host weekly one-to-one meetings with headteachers to ensure a steady focus on priorities, reflecting school visits and improvement goals.
These meetings often include moments of celebration, where we acknowledge progress, alongside honest conversations about challenges.
I also chair certain trust-wide forums, collaborate with our academy improvement team and join executive meetings with the CEO and directors. Whether online or in person, these forums foster innovation and cohesion, underpinned by the trust’s values and our shared ambition.
Is there anything you’d like to do more or less of in your role?
I would like to spend more time developing courageous leaders and engaging with big questions in education through deeper thinking and meaningful discussions. On the other hand, spending less time tidying up notes and emails would certainly be a welcome change!
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