Successful difficult conversations

Blog

Exam season is here. SATs, GCSEs & A-levels. So I’d like to wish you, your teams and your pupils the very best. I remember talking to my class about tests and how this was a time to show off what they knew and learn from what they didn’t. It was a time to both shine and learn. [...]

It’s hard in school right now. Falling rolls. Recruitment challenges. Complex needs like we’ve not seen before. I get it.   What can you do about it? There’s only so much in your control. And sadly a lot of aspects that aren’t. I’m always looking for those schools who are achieving above average success, in […]

I know a lot of you are having difficult conversations with parents.  And there seem to be more of these conversations. And they seem to be harder.   Do you have a parent who keeps coming in for a range of issues?   A tip many find useful is to arrange a regular meeting with […]

Welcome back after the Easter holidays.   Summer 1.And we all know this is an important term for resignations. I’m not trying to depress you, I promise.  But we all know May half term is crunch time.   With recruitment more challenging than ever, it’s understandable if you want to hold onto every member of […]

Last week I shared the inspiring story of Jo and the team at Clockhouse and their journey to outstanding. In that story I mention the cultural eco-system. What on earth is the ‘cultural eco-system’? It has 3 elements: Vision Values Strategy And they are critical to creating a high-performing, outstanding, team. But there’s a problem. […]

Jo had a problem that a lot of headteachers will be familiar with.  She had a good team, who worked hard and were mostly fully onboard with her goal of delivering excellence to all her children (though some of them ‘didn’t get it’, most did). They didn’t have the easiest of contexts, being a large […]

Do this with me: Grab a piece of paper. Write down how many people are in your team (the number on payroll, but don’t worry about being exact). Now write down these three headings side by side: Some issues                          Solid        […]

On Wednesday you should have received my top tip about one difficult conversation that keeps coming up: caretakers.   Did you get it? Did you like it?Do you want more?   Remember, if you’d like to keep getting these top tips to help you have more successful difficult conversations then please subscribe here:   Why? […]

You may remember my 2-minute top tips; weekly videos designed to help you tackle tough conversations in school.  And they’re coming back next week! Here’s what to expect: Here’s what happens next:   Next Wednesday 28th February I’ll land in your inbox with a top tip about a difficult conversation that is showing up more […]