About us

The Key is an information and support service for leaders of schools and colleges in England and Wales. All our articles are answers to questions from our members.

We are the UK’s fastest and most up-to-date support service for school leaders, and frequently cited as the first port of call when school leaders need support or guidance tailored to their role.

• The Key provides a safe forum for asking questions on any aspect of school leadership and management
• We aim to provide answers (in the form of articles on our website) within three working days, often sooner – we have one of the fastest response times in the sector
• With new content being added daily to our website, The Key shares knowledge and best practice among school leaders, so they don’t have to keep re-inventing the wheel
• We provide accurate, time-saving answers that free school leaders up to focus on higher value tasks
• We offer concise, practical information that is researched by experts and rigorously quality assured

From pilot to nationwide service

The Key is run by Ten Group – a leading provider of intelligent support services.

The pilot service for The Key was developed between 2005 and 2008 by Ten Group in partnership with the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) and the National College for School Leadership (NCSL).

In 2009, The Key became an independent, nationwide membership service.