Staff induction plans for middle and senior leaders in schools

August 23, 2025

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When new staff join a school, most leaders are confident they’ve got induction covered.

• Safeguarding? Tick
• Health and safety? Tick
• Policies? Tick

But when it comes to inducting middle and senior leaders, this standard process often falls short. These roles carry wider accountability, responsibility, and influence, and therefore deserve an induction that sets the right expectations from day one.

In this article, we look at 5 essentials when inducting a middle or senior leader to your team, with a focus on inclusion- of course!

Jump ahead to:

Why are inductions important for middle and senior leaders?

5 essentials for a middle and senior leader induction plan

Involving middle leaders in inclusion monitoring

The risk of missing this crucial step

How IQM can help

 

Why are inductions important for middle and senior leaders?

Consider how often leadership appointments come from within the school.

A classroom teacher may progress to become the head of department or an assistant headteacher. They already know the school well, so a full induction can feel unnecessary. But familiarity can breed assumption.

Without a school induction plan, new leaders can slip into old patterns, never fully understanding their new accountability. Particularly regarding whole-school inclusion.

For example:

• A long-standing teacher steps into a phase leader role, but no one clarifies how they should now monitor teaching consistency beyond their own lessons.
• A subject lead is promoted to senior leadership, but receives no guidance on managing budgets or challenging practices that may exclude certain pupils.
• An assistant head joins from outside the school and gets the same “tick-box” induction as an Early Careers Teacher (ECT).

In each case, the school risks missing opportunities to embed inclusion across its leadership structure.

School induction plans should be about shaping culture, priorities, and confidence for those who now influence the whole school.

5 essentials for a middle and senior leader induction plan

To avoid these pitfalls, schools should design induction plans tailored specifically to leadership roles.

Here are five core elements to include, each with a direct link to inclusion:

1. Clear expectations for accountability

New leaders must understand how inclusion is everyone’s responsibility, not just the remit of the SENDCo or pastoral team.

This means being explicit about what they are expected to:

• Monitor in their area
• Champion in meetings, like highlighting pupils who may otherwise be overlooked
• Question in decision-making

Clarity removes guesswork. When leaders understand that inclusion is part of their job, they approach decisions with the right perspective.

2. Structured CPD and training pathways

Middle and senior leaders need development opportunities tailored to leadership, not just classroom practice. Similarly, they must now recognise when other colleagues could benefit from additional Continuous Professional Development (CPD), and how to facilitate this.

This includes:

• Training on interpreting data with an eye for inclusion, like attendance gaps, attainment patterns, exclusion trends
• Sessions on adaptive leadership, looking at how to model and support inclusive practice across teams
• Opportunities to learn about legislative frameworks Equality Act, SEND Code of Practice and how these affect everyday decisions

Making this part of your school induction plan ensures inclusive practice becomes embedded rather than bolted on.

3. Mentoring and coaching support

Even experienced staff benefit from guidance when stepping up into new job roles, or acting in those positions until permanent appointments are made.

Assigning a senior leader mentor helps new leaders:

• Navigate accountability structures
• Learn how to challenge colleagues constructively
• Build confidence to lead inclusion conversations with governors, parents, and staff

Coaching also provides a safe space for reflecting on difficult decisions or situations where staff are not yet demonstrating total buy-in for the school’s inclusive ethos.

4. Resource allocation and budget awareness

Middle and senior leaders often influence spending decisions. Whether for curriculum resources, interventions, or extra-curricular opportunities.

School induction plan should include:

• A clear explanation of how budgets are set and monitored
• Expectations around equitable resource allocation
• Guidance on prioritising investment where it will have the most inclusive impact

When leaders understand how funding links to strategic inclusion goals, they make better, fairer decisions using confidence and initiative.

5. Opportunities to shadow and observe

Practical experience cements theory. Many of your newly appointed middle or senior leaders may have completed their NPQML or NPQSL (National Professional Qualification for Middle Leadership or Senior Leadership). It is worthwhile considering their opportunities to shadow and learn from more experienced leaders and subject experts.

New leaders should:

• Attend senior leadership meetings early to understand how inclusion is discussed at a strategic level
• Shadow data reviews and pupil progress meetings, noting how vulnerable groups are identified
• Observe how policies are written, reviewed, and evaluated for inclusive impact

This gives context to the expectations set during induction and models how inclusion runs through all aspects of school leadership.

Involving middle leaders in inclusion monitoring

Induction should prepare middle leaders to take an active role in monitoring inclusion, even when their main area of focus isn’t SEND or personal development.

Whether responsible for assessment, curriculum quality, or subject-specific, leaders need to ask: What does this mean for inclusion?

Including leaders in inclusion policy reviews is particularly valuable. This isn’t just for compliance, it’s professional development.

By participating in the creation, review, and evaluation of policies, from curriculum design to staff recruitment, they learn how every decision can either strengthen or weaken a school’s inclusive ethos.

When inclusion monitoring becomes part of every leader’s role, it stops being seen as a “SEND issue” and becomes embedded in the school’s culture.

The risk of missing this crucial step

Schools that fail to provide tailored inductions for middle and senior leaders miss more than just a few practical details. They miss opportunities to embed inclusion at every level of leadership.

Staff may continue seeing inclusion as the responsibility of a single team rather than a shared priority. Alongside silos in departments and focus areas, decision-making becomes fragmented, budgets may not align with inclusive aims, and policies risk being disconnected from classroom realities.

Whereas, when leaders are inducted properly, they understand how their decisions, on curriculum, assessment, staffing, or resources, affect every pupil. They are equipped to champion inclusive practice, to monitor it thoughtfully, and to challenge it when standards slip.

How IQM can help

At IQM, we work with schools across the UK, Ireland, and internationally to strengthen leadership accountability for inclusion.

Our evaluative framework has a dedicated section for leadership, management, and accountability. Helping schools identify strengths, address gaps, and embed inclusion strategically.

Through our Inclusive School Award, Centre of Excellence Award, and Flagship School Award, we support leadership teams to:

• Build robust induction and CPD pathways for all leaders
• Align policy and practice to an inclusive ethos
• Ensure that monitoring and resource decisions always consider every pupil

Want to strengthen leadership induction and accountability in your school?

Request your FREE IQM information pack today and see how we can help you build a leadership culture where inclusion is everyone’s responsibility.

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