Building trust and overcoming doubt: the first year of headship
Jen Alford, headteacher at Malvern Wells CofE Primary School, speaks candidly about the realities of overcoming imposter syndrome, building strong teams and maintaining work-life balance in the demanding role of headteacher. What was your journey to headship like? I started teaching in Coventry and became a standard leader within 2 years. I never aimed to […]
Dream Catching
Blog post by Helena Marsh. Coaching has the power to catch dreams. It is a powerful tool to recognise, recognise and reflect on thoughts, hopes and worries. As talisman of Native America, dream catchers made of willow hoops and feathers were traditionally used to protect sleepers from nightmares and evil spirits. Native Americans believed that […]
Be flexible when others can’t be
Dear reader Our latest blog is written by an anonymous headteacher. They have withheld their identity to protect the stories of their staff and their own children. I think there is something for every headteacher here about diversity and inclusion. Enjoy! Nadia I’ve pondered over how to write this blog for many months. As someone […]
Empowering All Learners: The Role of AI in Adaptive Teaching
Blog post by Dan James In today’s diverse classrooms, teachers are tasked with ensuring every child, including those with SEND, can access and excel within the classroom environment. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging as a powerful tool in this endeavour, offering adaptive teaching methods that cater to individual needs. This blog will focus on the […]
ADHD Heads: How can we utilise neurodiversity in shaping the future of schools?
Below is what I shared at the ‘Breaking the Mould 2’ in Cambridge on Saturday. I would love to hear from you with your thoughts and reflections on the themes I explore. I am Nadia, founder of Destino Coaching – an organisation that supports Headteachers to remain strategic while tackling the enormous amount of operational […]
Building Effective Teams – Not just in sport!
Blog post by Jen Alford – Head Teacher 14 months into my first headship, I had this ache in my bones that things weren’t where they needed to be. I had hit the ground running 12 months ago; carved out a new vision with values that set the culture, addressed the not-yet-good-enough standards of teaching […]
“When is it my turn?” Pupils as writers in the Reception Year
Blog post by Anna-Mai Armstrong, Headteacher at Westbury-on-Severn CE Primary school In 2014, after five years of teaching in KS1 and 2, I moved to Reception in a one form entry school. I was excited and trepidatious. I had heard many stories about how in Reception pupils “just play” and how the curriculum was “completely […]
Meeting the Needs of Our Most Complex, Anxious Learners
Blog post by Terri Wyse I am the Acting Headteacher of a secondary special school for pupils with Learning and Additional Needs. Since the start of my career I have worked with pupils with SEN in both mainstream and special school. I have been at my current school for the last 14 years. Prior to […]