Welcome to Heads Talks. In Series 1, we speak with senior school headteachers about their vision for education, the strategic priorities guiding their schools, and the personal values that drive them. These conversations offer rare insight into how today’s leaders are shaping the future of education, fostering innovation, and addressing the evolving needs of young people.
Series 2 turns the spotlight onto the early years and primary education. Too often seen as a warm-up act to the 'real thing,' these early stages are in fact the main event. We explore why the first years of school are critical for shaping long-term development, academic success and emotional wellbeing. Our guests include Headteachers, sector leaders and educational thinkers who explain how high-quality early education builds strong foundations, and why investment at this stage pays lifelong dividends.
Whether you’re a parent choosing a school, an educator reflecting on your practice, or someone simply passionate about education, Heads Talks opens up the thinking behind the leadership that is shaping young lives.
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Welcome to Heads Talks. In Series 1, we speak with senior school headteachers about their vision for education, the strategic priorities guiding their schools, and the personal values that drive them. These conversations offer rare insight into how today’s leaders are shaping the future of education, fostering innovation, and addressing the evolving needs of young people.
Series 2 turns the spotlight onto the early years and primary education. Too often seen as a warm-up act to the 'real thing,' these early stages are in fact the main event. We explore why the first years of school are critical for shaping long-term development, academic success and emotional wellbeing. Our guests include Headteachers, sector leaders and educational thinkers who explain how high-quality early education builds strong foundations, and why investment at this stage pays lifelong dividends.
Whether you’re a parent choosing a school, an educator reflecting on your practice, or someone simply passionate about education, Heads Talks opens up the thinking behind the leadership that is shaping young lives.
Series 3 - Episode 1 - Thomas's College - Will Le Fleming
Heads Talks
42 minutes 16 seconds
1 month ago
Series 3 - Episode 1 - Thomas's College - Will Le Fleming
Today we welcome Will le Fleming who is the Founding Master of Thomas’s College in Richmond, an 11–18 day and boarding school rethinking the secondary journey with a three-year Sixth Form that begins in Year 11 and a hybrid pathway that blends GCSEs with Thomas’s Qualifications; Years 12 and 13 are reshaped to deepen scholarship, independence and readiness for life beyond school.
Educated at Eton and Clare College, Cambridge, Will worked as a journalist and author before moving into teaching. He began at St Paul’s School, becoming Undermaster, then served as Deputy Head at St Paul’s Girls’ School. He went on to lead Fulham School as Headmaster and later became Head of The Abbey School in Reading, before his appointment to Thomas’s College. Alongside teaching, he is a published novelist.
Will’s leadership blends rigorous scholarship with wellbeing, pupil agency and creative endeavour, fostering confident, curious and principled young people who achieve outstanding outcomes.
In this conversation, Simon and Will discuss the innovative educational approaches at Thomas's College, emphasising the importance of a diverse school culture, student agency, and personal development. They explore the challenges of navigating academic choices and assessments, the need for reform in the current education system, and the role of technology in preparing students for an uncertain future. The conversation highlights the significance of kindness, confidence, and hope in education, advocating for a more holistic approach to learning.
Heads Talks
Welcome to Heads Talks. In Series 1, we speak with senior school headteachers about their vision for education, the strategic priorities guiding their schools, and the personal values that drive them. These conversations offer rare insight into how today’s leaders are shaping the future of education, fostering innovation, and addressing the evolving needs of young people.
Series 2 turns the spotlight onto the early years and primary education. Too often seen as a warm-up act to the 'real thing,' these early stages are in fact the main event. We explore why the first years of school are critical for shaping long-term development, academic success and emotional wellbeing. Our guests include Headteachers, sector leaders and educational thinkers who explain how high-quality early education builds strong foundations, and why investment at this stage pays lifelong dividends.
Whether you’re a parent choosing a school, an educator reflecting on your practice, or someone simply passionate about education, Heads Talks opens up the thinking behind the leadership that is shaping young lives.
