SPOTLIGHT: LEADERSHIP school at Sandhurst.
He maintained his link with schools through his role as Commandant of Lancashire Army Cadets (about 1000 cadets and staff), and as Trustee of the Michelle Jurd Memorial Trust, which promotes adventure training and arts activities for children and supporting military charities. He adds: “Around 40% of army cadets are pupils who get free school meals, a massive indicator of poverty.
“It bothered me that there would be families who couldn’t afford to finance equipment or camps away or foreign travel, so I set up a charity to raise funds to enable all cadets to have the same opportunities.
“There is always a solution if you have the right, positive attitude and this underscores what I hope to achieve with all those who undertake my leadership courses in schools. “Teachers are good at teaching, delivering what is mandated by the system. When people think beyond the system, that is a form of leadership.
the
systems...because people are key in any organisation. Great people make a school great.” Another client of Leader-Connect is Dallam School in Milnthorpe, Cumbria, where headteacher Steve Henneberry took over in summer 2025.
Leader-Connect is running an Institute of Leadership-accredited course for the top 20 leaders in the school.
The course includes a copy of the book, access to the online learning site, two training days, and two one-to-one coaching sessions per teacher. A survey of the school’s 100 staff showed a 26% improvement rating for leadership rating 3-months into a 9-month programme. Mr Henneberry said: “Strong schools are built on strong leadership. If we want students to feel they belong, learn and thrive, then the adults in the building have to feel that same sense of purpose and confidence in their work. “The programme with Neil Jurd and Leader- Connect has given our leadership team the opportunity to step back, reflect and grow together.
“It has helped our leaders think more deeply about how they support colleagues, how they build trust and how they create the conditions where great teaching can flourish. “What I have valued most is the difference it has made to the way our leaders work with their teams.
“Conversations are now more thoughtful, more developmental and more focused on helping people be their best. Staff feel more supported and more connected to our vision as a school community.
“When leadership becomes more purposeful and aligned, it changes the culture of the whole organisation, and ultimately that is what allows our students to truly belong here, learn here and thrive here.”
The training days are conducted both in classrooms and outside, weather permitting. The teachers are encouraged to practice leadership in a series of tasks which are designed to be challenging and fun.
Training day tutors include former head Glyn Potts, MBE and FCCT, and former deputy head teacher Vicki Maguire, MCCT, who hosts the We Lead Well podcast.
Mr Jurd’s business evolved from the tragic June 2026
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circumstances around the death of his first wife, Michelle, back in 2009. She died after her car collided with an articulated lorry while taking her children home to Grange over Sands from swimming lessons at Kendal Leisure Centre. After Michelle’s death, Mr Jurd, quit his job as head of logistics for British Sugar to work from home so he could bring up his daughters, Matilda, then four and Elsa, just two. The two girls are now students at Sheffield University. He started coaching in leadership with Cumbria and Lancaster University lecturers and the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. He has also run programmes for international pharmaceutical and investment companies. He ran on-line courses for teachers through the Oldham Learning Organisation and for five years was director of the Initial Officer Training with the Army Cadet Force.
He has also delivered leadership training to dozens of middle-ranked leaders at Sheffield University: his sixth year of intake from the Marketing, Admissions, Recruitment and Communications department starting this September.
Neil was in the army from 1992 to 2009, then served with the Army Reserve, retiring in 2013 as a Lieutenant Colonel. After active service across the globe, Mr Jurd taught at the army training
“We teach them the skills required to make things better, how to be creative about how they go about thinking about solutions.” When asked about how schools can cope with ever tighter budgets, Mr Jurd added: “Almost anything can be cheaper, or even free, with imagination. What we do transforms their way of thinking.”
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