Blog
Another half term is done. Well done YOU. Yes YOU! Because I know what you’re like. You look out for everyone else, supporting and encouraging them, but it’s not always given back to you. So follow my instructions VERY carefully now. Put your arm in the air. Bend it back at the elbow. And pat […]
Yes, that time of year is coming when people will hand in their notice. There might be some people for whom you think it’s a good decision (for them and/or for your school). But it would be understandable if your heart sank, because recruitment isn’t easy right now. Here are 3 ways to think about […]
Exam season is upon us and I hope it all goes well for you all 🙂 I remember the first post-pandemic SATs and many of the heads I work with shared how nice it felt to be doing SATs. The week had a different feel to it, not pressured, but happy to be doing something […]
As you know I meet a lot of school leaders and walk into a lot of schools. Something I notice is that there’s a difference between the schools that are spinning plates and those that are creating heartbeats (a phrase I’m sharing from a wonderful outstanding headteacher I’ve been lucky to know for many years). […]
Welcome back! Summer term here we go! You might have heard the saying: you’re the sum of the 5 people you hang out with the most. I think the same is true of schools: You’re the sum of the 5 schools you hang out with the most. So who are you hanging out with? But […]
I don’t know about you but I feel the world is constantly trying to distract me in ways I don’t want. At work, at home, everywhere! I think of distraction as noise. The more of it there is, the noisier it is. And it’s not helpful or nice noise, it’s noise that interferes with whatever […]
Last week we held our annual capability conference: Tackle Under-Performance Quickly, Kindly And Legally Clare Fowler, Employment Solicitor at the charity YESS Law, shared the four most common reactions from people who are unhappy when you start talking to them about improving their performance: It came out of the blue, I wasn’t expecting it. […]
I love the phrase: environment is the third teacher. What is your environment whispering to your children and staff team about your standards? Let’s talk about display boards. They can be a chore. Especially if you have a lot of them. You and your team are busy and working hard. And these really might be […]
I look at school Ofsted history all the time. I know, I know; you don’t do what you do for Ofsted. But I find the majority of Ofsted judgements are accurate. Controversial, I know, and there are exceptions. So if we say 80% of judgements are right then what do we see in a […]