Reflections of an ex-head teacher

So, that was my mission. I was going to create a survival guide for new headteachers. It would contain all the inside information that I had gained over the last twelve years. It would undoubtedly end up on the bookshelf in every headteacher's office around the UK, and maybe even further afield. All I had to do was write it. It was pretty easy to plan the structure of the text. I would start with a couple of chapters on getting a job and then move on to building your team. Following that would be some chapters on school improvement, and I would definitely have to include how to deal with the many challenges that arise when working with parents. Finally, some focus on working with Ofsted inspectors would be of interest. I realised early in the writing process that I needed to establish a manageable writing timetable, as sitting at my desk and writing for six hours a day was not going to work for me. After some experimentation, I settled on a plan of writing for two hours every morni...

It is almost a year to the day since my career as a headteacher came to an end. After seventeen years in senior leadership, including twelve years as head of a primary school, I felt that I had done my time. To be honest, like many other leaders I knew, I was feeling completely burned out by the events of the last few years, so I needed a complete break for a while before seeking a fresh challenge to inspire me. Luckily, I finished in the middle of the cricket season, which meant I had ample opportunities to spend time in my happy place, watching the team I have supported for over forty years. The timing also worked well for a week in the sun, although that was tinged with sadness and the thought that financial restrictions might curtail my love of travel for a while, at least. By September, I was ready to consider my next steps. On reflection, I was not entirely ready, but after thirty years in teaching, the school calendar had become part of my DNA, so it was easier to go with a Sept...

Although I never enjoyed writing reports when I was a class teacher, I must confess that I do miss reading and commenting on them as a head.  I spent a good few evenings doing that every year around this time, though, and whilst I was reading, I would wonder if the vast number of hours each teacher spent on writing them was actually a good use of their time. Early in my leadership career, I decided that it wasn't, but I don't think I got any further than that in terms of devising a better idea. So, with 12 months' distance now from the classroom, I want to revisit that today and see if I can come up with a proposal that would fulfil three criteria. Manageable for teachers in terms of time Useful for parents Fulfils statutory school responsibilities Let's get number three out of the way first, as it is the easiest to cover.  In the guidance for schools on writing statutory end-of-year reports for parents, it states: "By the end of each summer term, headteachers must...

I am soon to go on my first term-time holiday for nearly thirty years. It's okay, I am allowed to, having retired from teaching in September, so there's no need to report me. It still feels a bit naughty, though. There are so many flights now that I don't expect the airport experience is going to be any less stressful, and my experience of planes is that the most challenging passengers tend to be below school age, but we shall see if anything is different. One thing that is definitely not different is the price! I was expecting it to be much cheaper to go in June than in August, but maybe that is down to the fact that we have chosen not to go on a typical family beach-holiday. Out of curiosity, as cost is the reason given by parents 99.9% of the time, let's look at a more 'traditional' foreign holiday to see if there is any difference. Although I love Mallorca, it has some very family-friendly sites, so let's use it as our example. I've picked a mid leve...

In my upcoming book, currently titled ‘The Introverted Headteacher’ I devote a chapter to the importance of ensuring that young people are exposed to potential role models who identify as being introverted. This is particularly important for young people who are introverts themselves, as it helps them understand that it is not just strong, confident extroverts who we should celebrate.  One of the public figures that I focus on is Greta Thunberg, who could be argued as having reached role model status already, but given her ongoing treatment in the media, she certainly deserves all the support that we can give her. This has blown up again in the last few days, after she was prevented from entering Gaza on a boat carrying relief aid for the civilians there who are in such desperate need of help. Now, Greta’s mission, as well as helping to provide aid, is undoubtedly to keep the issue of Palestine in the public eye, so I don’t imagine that she was particularly bothered by the receptio...

Throughout my career as a teacher and then a school leader, one of my primary motivations was to provide the children in my care with as many memorable experiences as possible. As the head of a small rural primary school, I had a teaching commitment, which gave me the chance to scratch that itch firsthand, so to speak. One autumn, I decided to take the children blackberry picking and then ask them to plan and cook something that included the fruit we picked. My teaching slot was on a Friday afternoon, and the September sun was shining on this particular one, so we spent a lovely couple of hours picking blackberries in the fields surrounding the school. I believe that we came back with a hoard of around 3 kilos, just in time for hometime, which were then frozen for the following week. Flash forward to the following July, on another Friday afternoon. The year six teacher had asked me to work with the children on their leavers' speeches. This was a tradition in our school, as I am sur...