TrustED Leadership Consultancy
Strengthening leadership capability, building relational trust, and achieving sustainable improvement for school leaders across the UAE.
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Welcome to TrustED Leadership Consultancy
TrustED supports school leaders across the UAE to strengthen leadership capability, build relational trust, and achieve sustainable improvement. Our work is grounded in the Five Facets of Trust, NPQH standards, and ADEK's Leadership and Management Framework.
What We Do
Leadership coaching and mentoring
Distributed leadership development
School improvement planning
Research-informed CPD programmes
Self-paced leadership modules for CPD compliance
Inspection-aligned leadership training (ADEK/MoE)
Our Promise
We help leaders build cultures of trust, competence, and continuous improvement.
About Us
Who We Are
TrustED Leadership Consultancy was founded by Dr. Matthew Nicholls, an experienced educator with 15+ years global experience in education with a Masters in Educational Leadership, NPQH qualification, and a PhD focused on how principals build and sustain high-trust relationships in education.
Our Purpose
We support schools and leaders in navigating the evolving UAE improvement and compliance landscape through ethical, evidence-informed, and trust-centred leadership support.
Vision
To see every UAE school led by leaders who enact trust as an approach to sustain improvement and collective efficacy.
Mission
We empower leaders through research-informed CPD, coaching, and distributed leadership practices, aligning all support with each school's School Development Plan (SDP), Self-Evaluation Framework (SEF), and inspection recommendations.
Services
Leadership Coaching
One-to-one or team-based coaching for principals, vice principals, middle leaders, and emerging leaders. Aligned fully with ADEK Leadership and Management Standards and NPQH leadership behaviours.
50-Hour Leadership Development Pathway
A blended development pathway for schools wanting sustained improvement. Includes:
  • Evidence-informed modules
  • Distributed leadership tools
  • The Five Facets of Trust model
  • Practical leadership tasks aligned to ADEK inspection focus
Self-Paced Leadership Modules
Flexible online modules mapped to CPD requirements and the TrustED Leadership Model. Ideal for leaders needing to complete CPD hours or deepen trust-based practice.
Inspection-Driven CPD Frameworks
Bespoke CPD solutions mapped to:
  • ADEK inspection reports
  • School recommendations
  • SEF and SDP alignment
  • Leadership and culture priorities
These frameworks turn inspection findings into actionable leadership capacity programmes.
School Improvement Consultancy
Targeted support for leadership teams in:
  • Strategic planning
  • SEF writing
  • Evidence alignment for inspection
  • Designing culture and trust frameworks
Government & Regulatory Partnerships
Consultancy support for ADEK, MoE, or higher education providers to design leadership CPD, school improvement frameworks, and national leadership capacity initiatives.
Our Leadership Framework
The TrustED Leadership Model
Our model is grounded in the Five Facets of Trust (Hoy & Tschannen-Moran, 1999):
Benevolence
Leading with care and moral purpose
Honesty
Ethical, fair, and transparent leadership
Openness
Clear communication and shared dialogue
Reliability
Consistent actions and follow-through
Competence
Leading with skill, confidence, and judgement
TrustED Leadership Pillars
  1. Trust
  1. Distributed Leadership
  1. Integrity
  1. Evidence-Informed Practice
  1. Sustainability
These principles underpin all coaching, CPD, and consultancy services.
Why Choose TrustED
Research-informed leadership grounded in PhD expertise
Deep alignment with ADEK inspection and SEF/SDP requirements
Practical tools leaders can use immediately
Ethical and trust-centred approach
Specialist expertise in distributed leadership and credibility building
Scalable CPD solutions for schools and groups
Suitable for K–12 schools, school networks, and government entities
Contact
TrustED Leadership Consultancy
📍 UAE
📞 Phone: +971 (562207292)
🌐 Website: trustedleadership.org