EdSafe

When Schools Call Me

Let’s talk

Schools typically contact me when a decision cannot be deferred, delegated, or absorbed quietly into existing processes.

These are moments where leadership judgement is required — and where the consequences of getting it wrong are reputational, regulatory, or relational.

Typically, engagement happens when …

  • A new platform, system, or AI capability is being proposed, and responsibility and accountability are unclear,

  • Safeguarding, wellbeing, or digital practice intersects with data protection expectations,

  • A decision feels reasonable but is difficult to evidence or defend,

  • Internal views differ, and leadership accountability is exposed,

  • External scrutiny (parents, boards, regulators, inspectors) is anticipated or already present.

What these situations have in common

In each case, the issue is not a lack of policy or process.

The challenge is deciding what actually needs governing, who is accountable, and what level of evidence is proportionate to the consequence of the decision.

Often, schools are not looking for

  • More documentation

  • Blanket risk elimination

  • Retrospective justification

  • Generic compliance frameworks

What schools are seeking instead

  • Independent, context-aware judgement,

  • Help distinguishing signal from noise,

  • Confidence that decisions are defensible if later questioned,

  • Support that strengthens leadership authority rather than replacing it,

  • Clarity and confidence, at the point where leadership responsibility sits.

This support is unlikely to be appropriate where

  • The primary need is operational delivery or system implementation,

  • Ongoing compliance management or DPO coverage is required,

  • Decisions have already been made and simply need endorsement,

  • The goal is reassurance without accountability.

In these cases, other forms of support are usually more effective.

where everything quietly converges

When schools reach out, the first conversation is used to understand what decision is actually being made, where accountability sits, and whether focused advisory support is appropriate.

Where it is, engagement is scoped proportionately and deliberately, with clarity on boundaries from the outset.

Not every moment requires external involvement, but some moments benefit from it.