Things just don’t get done and people become afraid to make bold decisions; for that matter decisions of any kind. Like pouring sand into a clock this will make things slow down, until time just stands still. Almost any plans beyond six months become hypothetical. Yet schools have to be seen to plan three years in advance. Education thrives in the dull, boring, predictable years of national stability and that’s not the times we live in.

Instead therefore of having the kind of long-term plans we see in other jurisdictions around the world, our schools and colleges, their students and teachers are buffeted around in a whirlwind of constant reforms all too often characterized by an oppositional and often uninformed debate from which many teachers and school leaders all too easily feel disenfranchised. Reflecting on 40 years working in the British education system this was the reason behind the question mark in the title of my book ‘Lessons Learned?’ Our entire education system has been bedeviled by a lack of long-term memory for many years. The last year has been incredibly tough. I hope that the new one will give our profession the space and courage to do what they know is right.

Every child should have the opportunity to attend a school that can provide a good education, so there will always be an imperative to bring about improvement as quickly as possible. However, the pressure for this to happen rapidly can have both undesired and undersirable consequences.  We see it in schools ‘gaming’ the exam system, in pupils being ‘off-rolled’ to boost schools’ results, in schools not wanting to take pupils with SEN onto their rolls.  We also see it in the declining recruitment and retention figures.

Of course, school leaders who wish to work together are increasingly finding ways to do so, but it struck me that, as we start the new academic year, all teachers can take steps to improvement by inviting others to review and offer feedback on aspects of their practice. So, as Edna Mode might say, ‘Go, Confront the Challenge!’ And take some tips from Pixar.

For those who continue to deny that there’s a crisis in our schools then the latest workforce survey carried out by the DfE for me says it all. Compared to last year, England’s schools have 5,400 fewer Teachers, 2,800 fewer teaching assistants and 2,600 fewer support staff despite the fact that our schools have 137,000 more pupils to teach.

So, when I return in September, my door will remain open and I will remain compassionate to the daily stresses and strains of teaching in the UK in 2018, as well as to the numerous challenges which simply bringing human brings to my colleagues.

I witness a fair amount of ‘SLT bashing’ on Twitter, which always saddens me.  I fully understand that senior leadership is not about courting popularity, but it should involve the promotion of mutual respect and positive, constructive, working relationships. Remember:

Your working environment is up to you and the others working in your immediate vicinity. So get started changing that. As the leader, the work climate of your team is directly a reflection of your leadership.
Turn “us vs. them” into “we.”

What’s the point of governors? It’s not an easy or simple question to answer. Many countries have effective education systems high in the PISA rankings which don’t have governors. Indeed, very few countries have a model including governance like England and Wales. So why do we bother? The number one reason governors exist is to champion the very best education for every child in school, nothing more.

I have tried to be supportive without micromanaging, whilst still quality assuring what we do as we are setting our own standards in each new task, process and system we create. I also plan to expose them to some of the areas of Headship that you do not experience as a Deputy Headteacher. Why do we have hidden aspects of the role? There are areas of my role I could have been better prepared for had I known what I needed to know. The 3 of us are really different but our experiences, qualities, skill sets and personalities compliment one another well.

Many schools only think about recruitment when vacancies occur, but this approach can often cost more money, time and effort. As schools face rising costs and shrinking budgets, planning well into the future may be the solution to managing some of these challenges. 

Instigating a system of “planned recruitment”, by forecasting likely staff turnover, along with possible changes to the curriculum, can help schools better understand the likelihood of needing to recruit for certain roles. Proactive recruiting is the key.