The 31 May resignation deadline

31 May is closer than you think. It’s resignation season soon. And even if nothing has happened yet, there’s often that little flicker of: “Here we go again…” Before the notices land, there’s one simple shift that makes recruitment season steadier and stronger.

Notice what changed — because of the way you led

There’s a particular kind of tired that only school leaders understand. It’s the tired that comes from holding the impossible — and still creating magic anyway. Every head I’ve spoken to this term has carried some version of the same heartbreak: There isn’t enough funding. There isn’t enough support. There isn’t enough of you to go around. And yet…

What this term proved about your strength, courage and heart

Does it feel uncertain right now?

We live in an age that feels uncertain. Globally, the world order we’ve known seems to be shifting. Nationally, politics feels less certain than it once did. And in schools you’re facing a new Ofsted framework, the White Paper, rising complexity in pupil needs and parents who understandably expect more than ever before. It’s no wonder leadership feels uncertain! Some days it might even make you think about quitting. Or retiring earlier than planned. And yet…

For the head who feels ‘good but stuck’ right now

When you’re in the thick of school life, it’s easy to forget this simple truth: You’re closer to great than you think. I’m reminded of it every time I walk into one of the schools in Outstanding Against the Odds. None of them started in an easy place. Many began where you might be now. And yet they moved.

One small shift that separates good schools from excellent ones

There’s a quiet way school culture erodes — not through big blow-ups, but through tiny tolerances that slip in unnoticed. A missed deadline. A lesson that isn’t quite good enough. A comment that lands a bit too sharply. Have you seen this?

A clear way to protect your biggest investment this year

Welcome back — I know Spring 2 can feel financially tight, emotionally tight, and time tight. So here’s something honest to start the term with. A head said something to me recently that stopped me in my tracks: “I spend £2 million on staff. I’m not going to worry about £60k on CPD.” And she’s right. We talk about CPD like it’s a “nice-to-have”. A luxury. Something to trim when the budget hurts. But when you strip it back, CPD is the thing that protects the biggest investment you make every single year: your people.

Here’s how the best schools turn policies into lived behaviours

School leaders tell me this all the time: “We’ve shared the policy. We’ve explained it in briefing. Everyone nodded. So why aren’t people actually doing it?”

A comforting perspective for the child you carry home in your heart.

Every head has that one child who keeps them awake at night. The one you carry home in your heart. The one you wish you could do more for. I was speaking to Sian recently about Tia — a bright, funny Year 4 girl with learning differences that sometimes spill into frustration.

When funding feels impossible, focus here

There’s a lot you can’t control right now. The funding formula. Energy costs. National pay scales. All set elsewhere — and often without any sense of your reality on the ground. But here’s the hopeful bit: You can’t control the funding. You can control the impact.

Author: Sonia Gill

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