How Do We Lead for Belonging? With Laura McPhee | In This Together

In this episode, host Becky Dawson is joined by Laura McPhee, Director of Education for the University Schools Trust and author of Empowering Teachers, Improving Schools: Belonging, Psychological Safety and School Improvement. Together, they explore how fostering psychological safety and a genuine sense of belonging forms the foundation for effective school leadership, staff retention, and overall school improvement. Laura shares insights on how leaders bring their personal lived experiences and attachment styles into the workplace, and how adult wellbeing directly impacts pupil engagement and success. The discussion highlights practical, evidence-based approaches to building cognitively diverse teams, navigating workplace power dynamics, and shifting school culture from rigid compliance to psychological safety. 

Takeaways

• Understanding attachment in leadership: Personal lived experiences and early attachment styles shape how school leaders handle feedback, navigate conflict, and connect with their teams.
• Psychological safety as a foundation for belonging: True belonging cannot occur without psychological safety, which allows staff to take interpersonal risks, share ideas, and learn from mistakes without fear of reprisal.
• The adult-to-pupil wellbeing link: Staff engagement and adult psychological safety directly influence pupil experiences, making staff support a key driver for student success.
• Embracing cognitive diversity: High-performing educational teams thrive by actively inviting diverse perspectives, professional backgrounds, and thinking styles to solve complex operational and strategic challenges.
• Navigating power dynamics: Leaders must remain conscious of positional, expert, and demographic power gradients to ensure every team member feels safe to question and challenge the status quo.

Chapters

1. 00:00 - Introduction - Becky Dawson introduces host goals and welcomes guest Laura McPhee, Director of Education for University Schools Trust.
2. 01:03 - Career Journey and Inspiration - Laura outlines her non-linear path into teaching, early experiences of psychological safety, and what inspired her book.
3. 02:37 - Attachment Theory in the Workplace - Exploring how early caregiver bonds shape adult workplace behaviors, feedback handling, and leadership archetypes.
4. 07:05 - Defining Belonging in Education - A deep dive into the definition of belonging, avoiding tokenistic approaches, and establishing a shared vernacular.
5. 09:34 - What is Psychological Safety? - Unpacking Amy Edmondson’s research, balancing accountability with safety, and breaking down obstacles leaders face.
6. 12:12 - The Six C's of Inclusive Leadership - Laura outlines the Deloitte research framework for inclusive leadership traits, from commitment and curiosity to courage.
7. 15:58 - Psychological Safety as a Driver for Improvement - How psychological safety improves staff retention, productivity, and outcomes across ten core school practices.
8. 17:09 - Harnessing Cognitive Diversity - The importance of building monoculture-resistant teams that offer supportive challenge when solving complex problems.
9. 19:40 - Power Dynamics and Empowering Staff to Question - Examining power gradients in schools, overcoming the "Paradox of Power," and empowering early career teachers.
10. 22:52 - Takeaway for Tomorrow - Laura’s core advice for school leaders on holding views lightly and expanding their zone of influence.
11. 24:02 - Closing and Announcements - Final thoughts, resource links, and podcast subscription details.

Join the Conversation

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Find more Leader’s Resources here

Resource on Leadership Styles here

Resource on Managing Loneliness in Senior Leadership here

Here are the resources that Laura referred to in the episode:

1. Kuttner, 2023 Kuttner, P. J. (2023) ‘The right to belong in school: A critical, transdisciplinary conceptualization of school belonging’, AERA Open, 9. 
2. Jerrim, 2025 Jerrim, J. (2025) A national study of pupil engagement in England’s schools publication.(pp. 1–102).London: ImpactEd Group and the Research Commission on Engagement and Lead Indicators.
3. Dillon and Bourke, 2016 Dillon, B. and Bourke, J. (2016) The six signature traits of inclusive leadership. Available at:https://www.deloitte.com/content/dam/assets-zone1/au/en/docs/services/consulting/2023/deloitte-au-hc-six-signature-traits-inclusive-leadership-020516.pdf
4. The Relationship of School Belonging and Friends' Values to Academic Motivation among Urban Adolescent Students
5. Carol Goodenow and Kathleen E. Grady https://www.jstor.org/stable/20152398

Find out more about Laura's work and resources here:

Laura McPhee's Book: Empowering Teachers, Improving Schools: Belonging, Psychological Safety and School Improvement

You can buy Laura’s book here

Website https://substack.com/@lauramcphee/posts

Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/laura-mcphee-b8b4ba181