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Headship After Hours

Jack Mallaby: Stop Making Pupils Fit the System

Yesterday · 35 min · Season 1 · Episode 38 · 34.6 MB
0:00-35:41

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In this episode of Headship After Hours, Paul Collin is joined by Jack Mallaby, assistant headteacher and SENCO, for an honest conversation about SEND, neurodiversity, emotionally based school avoidance and attendance.


Most heads aren't short on effort when it comes to attendance.


The harder truth: so much of it often rests on one or two people — and when that's the case, it never feels steady, however hard everyone works.


That's the work I do. I run a funded Senior Attendance & Leadership Resilience Check for headteachers and trust leaders in complex schools.


It starts with a short strategic assessment. For eligible schools, it opens into a full process:

  • On-site school visit
  • Detailed, school-specific report
  • Follow-up strategy session
  • Practical leadership tools for a clear 90-day plan


Typically valued at £1,000 — currently funded for eligible schools.


Apply here → https://atrejwhi.formester.com/f/hwL9GCyin/


Jack reflects on his own experiences of ADHD and dyslexia, his journey from mainstream education into specialist provision, and why inclusion must sit at the centre of school culture rather than being treated as an additional intervention.

Together, they explore why many neurodiverse pupils experience anxiety around school, how educational trauma can shape attendance, and why relationships with young people and families are essential when attendance becomes fragile.

This episode discusses:

  • SEND leadership in mainstream and specialist schools
  • Emotionally based school avoidance
  • Neurodiversity, anxiety and attendance
  • Why relational practice matters
  • The importance of primary-to-secondary transition
  • Child-centred attendance strategies
  • Preparing young people for adulthood
  • Why schools should adapt systems around pupils

Jack’s central message is clear:

It should not be about making young people fit the system. It should be about making the system work for them.



00:00 – Educational Trauma and School Avoidance
01:21 – Introducing Jack Mallaby
02:20 – Jack’s Role in Specialist SEND Provision
03:12 – Growing Up With ADHD and Dyslexia
05:00 – Why Jack Moved Into SEND Leadership
07:05 – Leaving Mainstream for Specialist Education
08:10 – Inclusion as Culture, Not a Bolt-On
09:28 – Relationships and Consistency in Specialist Schools
12:07 – What Is Emotionally Based School Avoidance?
12:53 – Educational Trauma and Distrust
13:26 – How COVID Affected Neurodiverse Learners
14:25 – Why Attendance Systems Respond Too Late
15:31 – Identify, Stabilise and Restore Attendance
16:40 – Relationships With Pupils and Families
17:37 – Supporting Anxiety Without Labelling the Child
18:50 – Preparing Neurodiverse Pupils for Adulthood
20:08 – Compassion, Consistency and Capacity
21:34 – What Schools Still Get Wrong
22:36 – Primary-to-Secondary Transition
25:03 – Why One Transition Day Is Not Enough
27:04 – Supporting Complex Attendance Cases
27:41 – A Child-Centred Attendance Strategy
29:55 – Rethinking Educational Success
33:41 – Jack’s Advice for School Leaders
34:00 – Make the System Work for the Child