Published: January 2026
Welcome to the first edition of Independent School Management Plus magazine for 2026. As the UK Covid inquiry is expected to conclude this spring, we look back at the pandemic and what schools, their leaders and managers learnt from the disruption, upheaval, trauma and tragedy of the era.
Leading articles inside include:
- An overview of the educated-related themes emerging from the ongoing UK Covid inquiry
- Former MP Andrew Lewer recalls life in Westminster during the pandemic, and the battles he fought for independent education at the time
- Dr Helen Wright explores what school leaders have learnt from the “lockdown years”
- Housemaster Sindre Vandvik tells Zoe MacDougall about how Canford School weathered the Covid-19 storm
- Christina Astin looks at how the pandemic acted as a catalyst for cross-sector partnerships
- Richard Harman discusses how Covid-19 underlined the need for “agile governance” when dealing with a crisis
- Emily Hargest looks at how schools rewrote the admissions rulebook during the pandemic
- Louise Bennett and Alexa Broad explore Abingdon School’s development journey through the pandemic and beyond
- “Secret headmaster” George Bailey highlights some of the more humorous moments that occurred while leading a school through the Covid crisis.
- Louise Brenlund continues her expert column looking at upcoming changes to the rules covering unfair dismissal