I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when the email pinged on my phone. It was lunchtime, and I was sitting with my partner at her dining table, about to tuck into a sandwich. I am not a fan of using phones at the dining table, but I had been receiving a few emails over the past few weeks from publishers thanking me for submitting my manuscript, only to inform me that they would not be publishing my work. Almost all included a sentence about their rejection not being a reflection of the quality of my writing; the first time I read this, I was heartened, but after the third or fourth, I realised it was just something that publishing companies did. This email was different, though. I felt a massive bolt of adrenaline surge through my body when I read the line that said something to the effect of "We loved the book and would like to publish it." As I continued reading, my heart began to sink. This company, which will remain nameless, were not a 'traditional...
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...