Pepe Di鈥橧asio wants to kick off his tenure as general secretary on an optimistic note. But when your own school has buckets under leaking ceilings and a 拢500,000 SEND funding black hole, it鈥檚 tricky to remain upbeat. The head of Wales High School in Rotherham will take over from Geoff Barton next month 鈥 and he鈥檚 got his work cut out. The government has signalled teachers will get a miserly pay rise in September and two teaching unions are already holding preliminary strike ballots. Could Di鈥橧asio, who himself voted to strike in last year鈥檚 historic ballot, envisage ASCL calling another vote? 鈥楾he signs are not good鈥 鈥淚鈥檇 really hope not. But the signs are not good, are they?鈥 he says. 鈥淪trike action is the very last thing we’d want to do. “But when you鈥檝e got a workforce that is unable to recruit and retain the staff that it needs, and when you add all the cuts that are going to need to take place in order to make ends meet, it鈥檚 hard to see how members will feel positive looking at the year ahead.鈥 He adds: 鈥淲hat we want is a fair and reasonable settlement. But if that isn’t there, there’s a democratic process that would come into play.鈥 Last week, in evidence to the School Teachers鈥 Review Body, the Department for Education called for a 鈥渕ore sustainable鈥 rise than those seen in the last two years. And government analysis suggests schools only have enough headroom in budgets next year to cover a two per cent increase. Di鈥橧asio read the evidence with 鈥渄isappointment鈥. He says: 鈥淚 think given the way the country is right now and the cost of living right now, it would be a strange situation for the government to suggest that the teaching profession should take a pay cut next year.鈥 Leaders doing 鈥榖loody good job鈥 Despite a desperate situation on funding and pay, Di鈥橧asio remains 鈥渙ptimistic about the future鈥 and wants heads, who have an 鈥渁wful lot to be proud of鈥, to take greater credit for their hard work. He pointed to ministers鈥 boasts about last year’s PISA results and the improving Ofsted grade profile of schools. Leaders, he says, 鈥渘eed to accept 鈥 and sometimes we鈥檙e not always good [at accepting] 鈥 that we’re doing a bloody good job鈥. He takes the reins at a critical moment. ASCL鈥檚 membership has grown by almost a third to 22,400 since Barton took office in 2017. Covid, and last year鈥檚 strike ballot 鈥 the first in ASCL鈥檚 history 鈥 raised the union鈥檚 profile. We meet in his office at Wales, a sprawling 1970s-built secondary which caters for more than 1,800 pupils. A West Wing box-set adorns his windowsill, and a model of the Tardis from Doctor Who 鈥 a student DT project 鈥 sits by his desk. He jokes about Barton鈥檚 upcoming 鈥渞egeneration鈥 and pays tribute to his predecessor鈥檚 鈥渋ncredible job鈥 leading the organisation for the past seven years. Di鈥橧asio says it would be 鈥渆asy to focus on the lack of funding and lack of investment鈥 in schools. 鈥淎ctually, there are things now happening in the country that make me think this is a moment where the stars are aligning. This has the potential to be a new era for education. And I’m incredibly optimistic about that.鈥 鈥楾hings are getting better鈥 He welcomed the appointment of new Ofsted chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver and the 鈥渢one he is setting鈥 in response to the death of headteacher Ruth Perry. Oliver will launch a “big listen” consultation at ASCL’s conference today. 鈥淚 think the profession can move forward with some confidence that things are going to get better,” Di’Iasio says. Education secretary Gillian Keegan and schools minister Damian Hinds have also signalled they want to 鈥渨ork with schools鈥, while opposition parties are 鈥渓istening鈥. He has also met civil servants, who he says 鈥渦nderstand the challenges we鈥檙e facing鈥, notably in relation to provision for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. 鈥淚 think we’ve gone from a period where perhaps, sometimes we’ve heard about green papers, white papers that have felt like they’ve been done to the profession. 鈥淎nd what we’re moving into, I think, is a period in which there is an openness [and] an opportunity for people to consult and to give their views.鈥 But despite his optimism, the school funding crisis, crumbling buildings and recruitment and retention challenges are brought up frequently. A day before our interview, he admits his own school had buckets out to catch leaks from ceilings. A planned 拢60 million rebuild 鈥渃an鈥檛 come soon enough鈥. He adds: 鈥淚 heard [Sunak] speak about education being the closest thing we have to a silver bullet. Can you imagine how good that bullet would be if it was funded appropriately?鈥 And he says the failure of chancellor Jeremy Hunt to announce more school funding in this week鈥檚 budget 鈥渟hows a lack of understanding of the pressures on public services right now鈥. Two different Ofsted experiences Born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, Di鈥橧asio鈥檚 father – an Italian immigrant – and mother met in the restaurant trade. He grew up in 鈥渧ery difficult circumstances鈥, with the family surviving on tips. His parents 鈥渕ade sure I took education seriously鈥 and he passed the 11-plus, attending grammar school and sixth form. A keen footballer, he was working as a lifeguard when a friend suggested he become a PE teacher. He trained at what was then Leeds Polytechnic and worked in schools in Doncaster before becoming head of Wales in 2012. Just 29 days into his headship, Ofsted called. The school was rated 鈥榬equires improvement鈥, with poor maths results to blame. Di鈥橧asio had cut his teeth in some 鈥渧ery tough schools鈥 in Doncaster, 鈥渟o the thought of an RI didn鈥檛 worry me at all鈥. 鈥淲e rolled our sleeves up and the staff here pulled together, worked our socks off.鈥 The school was declared 鈥榞ood鈥 within 18 months. Last October, Ofsted called again, this time while Di鈥橧asio was in a packed event at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool to discuss school accountability. He was back at his desk in Rotherham after lunch. The school retained its 鈥榞ood鈥 rating and was praised as 鈥渇riendly and vibrant鈥 with an 鈥渁mbitious curriculum鈥 and 鈥渟kilful support鈥 of pupils with SEND. Di鈥橧asio then praised the 鈥渆xemplary鈥 inspection team, adding he was 鈥渋mpressed with the whole culture and the way in which they approached the inspection鈥. 鈥淚’d have loved them to have recognised the school as 鈥榦utstanding鈥. But the issue that we face, not dissimilar to many schools in the country, is that our vulnerable students, our pupil premium children, haven’t made the progress that we’d want them to.鈥 Vulnerable children will be 鈥榢ey theme鈥 Di鈥橧asio says a lack of support for the most vulnerable children would be a 鈥渒ey theme鈥 while general secretary. His own school faces difficult decisions. Its large on-site special school provision, which specialises in autistic spectrum disorder, runs at a deficit of 拢500,000 a year. Although ministers鈥 proposed SEND reforms 鈥渞esonate with what professionals are looking for鈥, he is critical of the 鈥渟peed at which we’re getting there鈥. Di’Iasio, who was seconded between 2018 and 2020 to Rotherham council as assistant director of education, slams the 鈥渂ureaucracy鈥 involved in obtaining care plans and voices fears for councils鈥 budgets. Safety valve bailouts, meant for 鈥渆xtraordinary situations鈥, are becoming commonplace. Parents have to “fight tooth and nail鈥 to get support, which heads can鈥檛 provide 鈥渂ecause they haven’t got the funds, or the resources, or the specialist staff鈥. 鈥淲e’ve got to move from the model [of] looking at what we can provide with the amount of money we’ve got, to a model that is actually [about] the amount of money we need to do what is right, and what is legally and statutorily appropriate,鈥 he says. Funding for 16 to 19 education is also a 鈥渒ey area鈥 of concern. This week鈥檚 ASCL conference may be Barton鈥檚 swansong, but Di鈥橧asio will interview the education secretary today, and he hopes she will 鈥渞ecognise the great work of leaders鈥.