Leading figures from across the UK education landscape have shared their experiences and insights into meeting the challenges of the global Covid-19 pandemic in a new report, ‘New, Next or Never Normal?’. The report reveals the initial findings from a series of online conferences held during May where education leaders shared responses, challenges and insights into managing through the COVID-19 crisis alongside thinking about scenario planning for 2021 and beyond. Some of the main themes of the report are examined in this article by one of the co-authors.