I have been at breaking point this week. Long hours, emotional lows, staffing complications, the worries that only a head teacher can feel and a busy and complex home life that has left me feeling like it would take just... Continue Reading →
'The most famous octopus anecdotes are tales of escape and thievery' In Other Minds by Peter Godfrey-Smith he also quotes Claudia Aelianus, third century AD, writing about octopus - 'Mischief and craft are plainly seen to be characteristics of this... Continue Reading →
We can be heroes just for one day We can be us just for one day - Bowie I am not a super hero. I am a head teacher. A paid professional working in the education sector (despite recent claims... Continue Reading →
‘Are there enough opportunities for all sides of the education spectrum to come together to discuss education in the spirit of learning rather than opposition?’ Recently, I have found myself questioning my purpose within our education system. There is nothing... Continue Reading →
I was blown away by the National Apprenticeship Awards this year. The 'Bright Future' tag line hit me more than in any other year as being a 'real' alternative to the stale old routes of university. I sat through the... Continue Reading →
Every now and then being a school leader means you have to stand up to, or unwillingly meet, the gaze of heartache and conflict. In school leadership you become part of other peoples battles. No one faces this willingly. These... Continue Reading →
Why is it that Ofsted makes so many head teachers go on the immediate defensive? It seems to me that no matter your standing in the Ofsted hierarchy most head teachers or teachers I meet would, if they could, do... Continue Reading →
I can still remember when I first heard the language of judgement in a classroom. I was teaching on an estate in South Bristol. It was 1996 - Education Education Education just a few months away. I was a youngish... Continue Reading →
Yesterday I was a delegate at The Beach Teaching School Alliance (@theBeachTSA) conference called Understanding the Gap. I have a Jeremy Deller print in the loo (rather than toilet- middle class head teacher alert!) It is a print of a... Continue Reading →
Old Primary Head 