Step 6: Impactful Quality Assurance - A School Leadership Podcast with Lianne Lomas

The No Silver Bullets Podcast — Series 2: The Nine Steps to Executive HeadshipHow do executive leaders really know what’s happening in their schools when they’re not there? In this episode, Paul Ainsworth speaks with Lianne Lomas, Director of School Improvement at the Mater Christi Trust, to explore Step 6: Impactful Quality Assurance.Lianne leads improvement across 18 Catholic schools in Cumbria and North Lancashire. She shares practical, honest insights into building trust‑wide quality assurance that is coherent, developmental and grounded in collective responsibility.You’ll hear:How QA becomes an organisational act, not an individual taskWhy shared language and codified practice reduce variation across schoolsHow cluster‑based peer review strengthens accuracy and belongingThe trust’s Quality Development Review CycleThe balance between monitoring and development — “weighing the pig vs growing the pig”How geography, time and capacity shape QA in rural MATsWhy QA must be systematic, low‑stakes and improvement‑focusedIf you’re an executive head, CEO or aspiring system leader, this episode offers clear principles and practical tools for building quality assurance across multiple schools.About the Series Part of the Nine Steps to Executive Headship series, supporting Paul’s forthcoming book:📘 Nine Steps to Executive Headship — Routledge, Autumn 2026.Next episode: Step 7 — Effective Data Usage, featuring James Pembroke and Richard Selfridge from Insight Inform.ConnectFollow Paul on LinkedIn: Paul K. Ainsworth | LinkedInFollow Paul on Instagram: Paul K Ainsworth (@paulkainsworth) • Instagram photos and videosFollow Lianne on LinkedIn: Lianne Lomas | LinkedInRead the companion blog: Blog – Day in, day out, school improvement.