Welcome to this issue of Education Business magazine, where we interview James Eldon, Principal of Manchester Academy, who won our very first EB Leadership accolade at the Education Business Awards this summer. James tells us about his approach to improving outcomes at the school – which went from ‘inadequate’ in 2012 to ‘good’ three years later.

The magazine also delves further into the issue of unsafe concrete in schools, examining the latest RAAC guidance, as well looking at how some schools are handling the disruption.

Elsewhere, Alex Green, Head of the Let’s Go Zero campaign, discusses how schools can get a helping hand on their decarbonisation journey, and Emma Hollis from the National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers, examines how the teacher recruitment crisis can be tackled longer term.

On the topic of education technology, Al Kingsley, chair of Hamptons Academies Trust, discusses the importance of putting the needs of learners and staff at the heart of a school's digital strategy, and we also look ahead to Bett 2024 to see what inspirational speakers and content have been confirmed.

Angela Pisanu, editor