Lynsey Blair, Headteacher of Sanderson’s Wynd Primary in East Lothian, joined the first cohort of the QI for Senior Leaders programme in 2025/26 and below shares her experience.
If you had told me a year ago that I’d be confidently using tools like driver diagrams, run charts, and approaches such as Fishbone and Force Field Analysis with both staff and pupils, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. Now, they’ve become a valuable part of how we work to understand and improve our school.
I had initially applied for the QI for Senior Leaders course to put me out of my comfort zone and with the thought that I needed to ‘change’ from being a ‘leader in the moment’ to a more strategic leader. What I gained from this course was so much more than this!
Our data indicated that after good reading attainment in P1 we had a consistent dip in outcomes at P2. As a team we often asked ourselves the question but never came up with answers. This year we used the structure of the QI for Senior Leaders programme to try and find sustainable solutions.
Of course, there were many learning pit moments as I progressed through the course. I felt overwhelmed at times, both with the amount of new learning and tools at my disposal. It was a real learning point for us when a forcefield analysis illustrated that the "forces against" were about how we work not focused on the learners. Carrying out a small test of change under highly scaffolded and supportive conditions helped me to overcome these barriers.
The key learning I have taken from this course is to narrow the focus to widen the impact. In the past, our aspirations as a staff team were massive, but our impact was diluted. Our stretch aim focuses on reading attainment in P2 (not the whole school). Our change theory highlighted broader context too.
For instance, we need to improve how we support and challenge learners, tackle persistent absence and instances of dysregulation to see reading attainment remain on track at P2. To achieve all this we have worked on a number of cascading aims and tracked the impact of our changes using run charts and the Leuven scale.
Ultimately, data needs to be the driver for school improvement, but the culture and conditions we create is the engine. I learned that when staff and pupils feel safe to test an idea, learn from failure and adapt, real school improvement becomes unstoppable and very measurable impact wise!
Reading engagement has increased in the target group by 80% and instances of dysregulation during and after reading have decreased. Teachers know exactly where pupils are with their learning and what their next steps are.
At our last in service day I used the Fishbone diagram with teaching staff. I then tasked the teachers to repeat the same process with their own class. The learners’ views were so insightful and will directly impact on our school improvement agenda.
I am now excitedly planning what other tools I can use with the learners and staff!
