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Do you know how much staff sickness is costing you?

Budgets are tight. And when they are, one of the ways to help combat this is to look at the costs we’re spending and not getting the most out of. Pay is your biggest cost. And it gets eroded from many angles. Perhaps sickness is eroding yours.

What adult behaviour would you like to improve across your school?

You’re a teacher. I’m a teacher. We could get a class of 30 children to listen, to learn, to develop and to behave. So why is it harder with adults?!

What To Do When You Suspect Sickness Isn’t Real

It’s a time of year when sickness can increase. We all get ill. Some more than others, but illness is part of life. And most of the time, it is what it is. People are honest about it. They need time to rest. And you suspect nothing other than honesty. But what about when you don’t? When you have that niggle that they aren’t really ill?

You’re awesome, here’s why

My friend and headteacher Jo recently shared this message with our Heads Up Educational Excellence Mastermind Heads and it really does resonate so I thought you might like too: 5 reasons why being the headteacher is harder than you think - and one reason why it is worth it.

Are you one of the 75% of schools who have this issue?

75% of school leaders say they have a ‘difficult person’ in their team (aka the person you struggle to place when planning classes for next year). That makes a hard job (placing people in year groups) even harder. You might find yourself thinking ‘who’s turn is it?’. It’s not great for you, them, your team […]

This is what 70% of school leaders avoid talking about with their team…

In my Outstanding School Test, I ask the question: Do you talk to your team about their conduct as much as you do their performance? 70% say no. So on the plus side, maybe there is no need to talk about their conduct. On the other hand, maybe we’re not talking about conduct very much at all.

How can you work as hard, but get better results?

I think you and I can agree that: All schools are working hard. No school is ‘coasting’ (I hated that phrase!). Having walked into hundreds of schools I’ve never found a school that isn’t hard working and committed to their children and community, regardless of results or inspection outcome. But what is fascinating is what […]

This is what your environment is telling people about your school

Environment matters. Why? Because it’s constantly communicating your standards and expectations. It’s also one of the easiest ways to promote higher standards. I’m not talking about spending money on painting walls or putting new carpets in. No. These cost money. They are not a reflection of your standards – they are a reflection of your […]

The most common people issue in school is…

Not. Following. Policies. I bet that sounds familiar? There are 5 common difficult conversations in schools and this is always the most common. And it’s wearing to keep going on about it every time a policy isn’t followed. Here’s a tip to help you.

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