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Old Primary Head

Mistletoe and Whine

I am really tired. It’s Sunday and the Christmas shop is done and I am left with that looming niggle that I have missed someone or something of major importance out (probably my wife or mother). It is an all... Continue Reading →

Keeping Children in Mainstream – In praise of special schools and being inclusive

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Eleanor Roosevelt I am in a unique position. As the head of a large mainstream (600+) and a 28 place special school, all on one site (intermingled... Continue Reading →

Us and Them!

"How does this end? Tell me how this ends!" Phone Booth. Affirmation is something every head teacher needs. Some leaders may think they are at the summit of educational achievement. They may have an aura of power and mystery about them... Continue Reading →

Why We Must Change the Work Culture in Schools

I have been pondering this one for some time. I have no new answers. I do have a perspective and a will to do something about it though. I am in the middle of a wellbeing survey of teachers at... Continue Reading →

Mistakes I Have Made in Leadership: Stress

It has been a tough few weeks. I used to say, "I never get stressed”. I was an idiot. What I should have said was, “I never noticed my stress”. I have allowed the adversities and complications of headship to... Continue Reading →

Autumn Leaves on the Twitter Playground

At times twitter feels like some demonic binary beast. An imaginary world full of traffic flow, night and day, as phantoms pass by catching the odd glance or, every now and then, stopping to take a longer look. As in... Continue Reading →

Crime and Punishment: DFE data inequality.

You're an idealist, and I pity you as I would the village idiot. Stanley Kubrick I am an optimist, an idealist. I am sure that in the future someone will read this blog with a mixture of bewilderment and contempt... Continue Reading →

Why Observation is Critical to Schools Success

There has been a lot of ‘debate’ this week about lesson observations based on the following ‘Starter for Five’ (Advice for new teachers) from mylifeasacynicalteacher. The post advised: Find out what the observers are looking for Give them what they want... Continue Reading →

Mistakes I Have Made in Leadership: The Curse of Knowledge in Education.

The curse of knowledge is insidious, because it conceals not only the contents of our thoughts from us but their very form. When we know something well, we don’t realize how abstractly we think about it. And we forget that... Continue Reading →

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