What is school culture consultancy?

School culture consultancy focuses on strengthening the relational foundations of a school or trust. It supports leaders to align values, behaviour, systems and leadership practice so that culture is lived consistently across the organisation.

Who do you work with?

I work with headteachers, senior leadership teams, multi-academy trusts, and charitable foundations. The work often spans individual coaching, team development and wider organisational strategy.

What does your work focus on?

The work focuses on relational culture, leadership identity, belonging and inclusion. It explores how organisational clarity and relational capacity align to create the conditions where people can lead with integrity and where culture becomes consistent and sustainable.

What does school culture consultancy involve?

School culture consultancy typically involves working alongside leaders to understand the current culture, identify where values and lived experience diverge, and support alignment across leadership, systems and day-to-day practice. This may include coaching, facilitated sessions and strategic design.

How is this different from traditional leadership development?

This work focuses less on frameworks and more on relational practice. It supports leaders to notice how culture is experienced, how decisions are made, and how people feel within the system, rather than focusing solely on performance or compliance.

Culture changes when
relationships do.

Reflective leadership work
for UK schools and multi-academy trusts.

At its heart, this work is about people and the relationships that shape how organisations function.

There genuinely isn’t much like this in the UK
.

Most leadership development for schools and trusts is built around frameworks, models, compliance training, or short bursts of CPD.

What’s harder to find, almost rare, is the slower, more human, more systemic work. Building cultures that hold people. Helping senior teams feel secure work in the work they do together – authentically, openly and in alignment. Shaping the kind of values across a whole trust that aren’t just statements on a wall.

This is that work.

Ali Durban
Director

Authentic leadership helps people feel secure in themselves. From that security comes psychological safety, self-awareness, and the capacity to do the same for others. Trust deepens. Connections grow. Community forms.

Three Ways to Work Together

Team Coaching
for Culture

A structured group journey supporting leadership teams to develop inclusive, values-led ways of working together.

1:1
Leadership Coaching

Purposeful support to shape a values-led
culture and align your strategy with what matters most.

Strategic
Cross System Consultancy

Research and system-level insight across organisations and sectors.

Ali has supported me hugely in focusing on myself and my needs both professionally and personally, something I had previously not been good at all. Through her superb sessions, I have developed a greater sense of myself in terms of my values, priorities and how to develop my forward thinking much more purposefully. I feel my leadership within my school has improved and that I'm much better at focusing on the bigger picture as well as the busy day to day things which often detract from the why I do what I love and how I can empower and others to develop further. I've loved the reflectiveness of our sessions which have really made my think and process what I do. Ali's professionalism and empathy are superb, she's skilful and gifted in what she does so well.

Steve Phillips, Deputy Headteacher, UTC Swindon

Working with Ali has enabled me to find confidence when facing difficult decisions. In my first year of headship, her guidance helped me navigate complex challenges with clarity and purpose. Ali consistently provided a supportive and reflective environment where I felt listened to and understood. This space allowed me to think deeply about my practice and grow as a leader. Her calm, thoughtful approach strengthened my self-belief during a demanding year. I have felt genuinely supported, empowered, and more confident because of our work together.

Louise Needham, Headteacher Bramley Grange Academy

Steve Phillips, Deputy Headteacher, UTC Swindon

Curious about what might be possible?

Book a discovery call today

Let’s explore how coaching, consultancy or a leadership programme could support the change you are seeking.

Culture changes when relationships do.