Leadership Development

Research-based. Experience-led.

We design experience-based programs that help leaders at every level build the skills and confidence to lead well through simulations, workshops and coaching focused on the mindset and behaviour shifts that make the biggest difference. Those shifts are captured in our Mindset Map: 30 mindsets drawn from over 150,000 coaching conversations and decades of leadership research.

Explore the Mindset Map

The BTS Spark Mindset Map, showing 30 mindsets grouped under Relate, Be, Think and Inspire

The gaps we see in leadership development

Disconnected from the day job

It's rarely built for the realities of education and not-for-profit work, so it feels disconnected from what leaders face every day.

Too theoretical

It often stays theoretical, leaving leaders unsure how to apply it on the job.

Skills without mindset

It builds new skills without shifting the mindsets underneath them, so the gains don't last.

One size fits all

It treats every leader the same, even though context matters.

We close these gaps by designing every experience to be contextual, practical, personalised, and built for change that lasts.

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A leader in a one-to-one coaching session

For individuals

Development for every leader

Leadership development works best when it fits the leader, not the other way around. We offer individual leaders a range of options, from personalised sessions with an accredited coach to on-demand tools and structured programs, designed to work around real roles, real schedules and what matters most right now. Whether someone is stepping into a new role, navigating a stretch of change, or building on strengths they already have, the format adjusts to them. The goal is structured learning that fits into a leader's week, not one more thing added to it.

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For groups

Group learning with peers

No one leads alone, even when it feels that way. We bring together leaders who face similar challenges, so they can build relationships that last well past the leadership development journey.

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Leaders connecting across an organisation

For organisations

System and culture change

Organisations that invest in leadership at every level build something that lasts. We work with schools, post-secondary education, and not-for-profits to develop leadership capability across whole systems, co-designing programs around strategic priorities, leaders at all levels and the outcomes that matter most.

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We can help you with

We work with leadership teams to strengthen how they work together, communicate, and stay focused on what matters most, inside the team and across the organisation they serve.

Our coaches work with leaders at every level, providing just in time, personalised, on demand learning.

We work with organisations to build leadership capability at every level, so the next leader is ready before a role opens, not found after.

Our leadership assessments help leaders and organisations understand their strengths, discover their blind spots and identify where focused development will have the greatest impact.

Our workshops, conversation simulations and AI-powered practice tools help leaders rethink how they work, practise difficult conversations and embed new learning.

Our simulation-based experiences put leaders inside realistic scenarios from their own world, so they can practise making decisions and leading change before they face them for real.

Case studies & examples

Post-Secondary Education

Coaching for student success in higher education with Anglia Ruskin University

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Post-Secondary Education

Coaching leaders as they step into multi-school executive roles in partnership with University College London Institute of Education

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Schools & Systems

Building the skills and confidence of middle leaders in partnership with Villiers High School

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Testimonials

“Through thoughtful guidance and structured sessions, I was able to explore new perspectives, refine my leadership approach, and gain greater clarity in navigating challenges. The programme provided a supportive space to think critically, grow in confidence, and apply practical strategies that have had a lasting impact on my role.”

Lorna McGregor

Principal, Wallbrook Primary Academy

"The program offered an opportunity for reflective practice and toolkits for school support... I believe our team is now more confident and equipped to support school leaders in their clusters."

Roselynn Awili

Program Director, Dignitas, Kenya

"The residential was by far one of the most powerfully affecting events I've attended... The workshop facilitators were exceptionally skilled at creating a safe space in which we could all explore deep introspection - we got so much out of the two days as a result."

James Higham

CEO, Transforming Lives Educational Trust

"I always come out of my coaching sessions feeling optimistic, confident, capable, buoyant, and reacquainted with my love of education - because sometimes that disappears with the stress of the job... I come out feeling optimistic and that I can carry on doing the job I'm doing."

Christopher Lamb

Headteacher, Enfield Grammar School

"A key component of the UCL NPQEL programme is executive coaching and this has been delivered very effectively by BTS Spark. It regularly ranks highly in the feedback provided by participants as they comment on its transformative impact on their understanding of themselves and the demanding role they undertake."

Steve Welding

Programme Leader NPQ, UCL Centre for Educational Leadership

Who we help

Built around your context

We work with leaders across schools and systems, post-secondary education, and not-for-profits who want to develop their leadership and extend their impact.