Investigations and grievances
Here is the important disclaimer – this is not a guide and should most certainly not be regarded as an authoritative statement of the law. This post is about the dark and gritty side of leadership ad the importance of …
Commitment and respect
As a teacher, I was always looking for inspiring narratives to challenge and inspire young people to be better, braver more determined. I curated a Youtube play list and created a “Challenge and Inspire” page on this blog some five years ago. I am still …
#TLT16 – find something better than PRP
The conversations around #TLT16 have been thriving today. David Fawcett and Jenn Ludgate are fantastic organisers, Southampton University grand hosts and the many presenters that prepare the sessions deserve an honorable mention (I know I enjoyed mine). This year, I …
More hamster wheel than spinning plates
What does it say about my leadership that following the start of the new headship post, it has taken me three weeks before I’ve been out to set aside time to write my first post? (That is not to say that …
SEF checker
Four weeks into the 2016 academic year and the leadership team were finalising amendments to the Self-evaluation framework (SEF). Various senior colleagues had written their leadership contributions with the final draft being knitted together. At the time, I wrote these notes and saved …
Influence more powerful than authority
Influence is not authority. Authority is not leadership. Leadership does not guarantee influence. Though we often use these terms interchangeably, I am confident they are separate entities. These reflections were prompted by three unrelated, serendipitous “nudges” this week and knowledge of that …
Summer read #1
Distributed Leadership in Schools – A Practical Guide for Learning and Improvement – John A. DeFlaminis, Mustafa Abdul-Jabbar and Eric Yoak was the first summer read. Billed as a guide to the best practices and lessons learned in designing and implementing distributed leadership to …
Hard truths
Leading is most certainly an uneven path. Tonight I heard Sam Alladyce and others) outline his readiness for the National job. “Hardened,” was the adjective predetermined and delivered to the sharp toothed journalists. New school leaders such as myself are …