After faraway adventures, roadtrips to visit friends or making headway through a year-long to-do list, colleagues across the country are now reconvening in their schools for the start of a new journey, 2026-27!

As another academic year draws to a close, colleagues across the country begin their familiar ritual of packing away. Displays come down, cupboards are emptied, books are sorted into neat piles of "keep" and "recycle", and long-forgotten resources finally find their way to the bin. There is something deeply satisfying about clearing physical space, because not everything needs to be carried into a new year.

Welcome back! I hope you enjoyed a good break and allowed the heat wave to slow you down a little. So here we are, entering that unique time of year when the day-to-day pace of working in schools starts to delineate a little: some timetables remain filled with normal responsibilities whilst also becoming adorned with ‘special additions’ such as transition events, sports days, celebration assemblies, planning meetings for next year…

I’m a few days late with my reflections this month because I’ve been busy moving house. We’re now the proud custodians of a 350 year-old farmhouse which has the potential to be beautiful, if we manage to crack on through all the jobs on the list! And it’s got me thinking about the part we each play in shaping history.

And so we find ourselves at the start of the Easter holidays: a moment that many working in education will have been craving for, not just for the ‘break’ but for the chance to finally catch up… on some lingering work, postponed life admin, neglected personal relationships, and muchneeded sleep.

Recently, I've been reflecting on how much working in education requires the ability to wait… Waiting for the White Paper; waiting for Ofsted; waiting to hear about promotions or staff moving on; waiting for exam results; waiting for budget news; waiting for the next meeting to get your item on the agenda… the list goes on. Yet it is still necessary to show up daily with professionalism, confidence and care for others, as you silently carry the weight...

Many people find talking about themselves awkward (many don’t!). If you’re someone who hides away from ‘putting yourself out there’, I hope that this month’s reflections might encourage you to share yourself more openly, and to enjoy the benefits this brings to both yourself and those around you.

Happy New Year! I‘m sure we’ll have all said and heard that phrase countless times by the end of the week. And it is the inspiration for these January reflections…

As the wondering begins about whether we'll see a white Christmas, I encourage us to also be curious about a different type of “snowflake”: younger members of our workforce who are often seen as challenging traditional working ethic expectations.

Education is one of the most judged professions: the behaviour and results of the children; the WhatsApp groups of their parents; the support & challenge of governors; the book scrutinies, lesson observations and classroom drop-ins; staffroom whispers, open days, results days, press reports, social media and of course the inspections, both for schools, and soon for trusts. It is high-stakes, high-pressure, high-profile.

This month, as the whirlwind of the new academic year starts to settle, let’s take a moment to reflect on the culture that remains around us: the knitted fabric of how things work and how people work with each other. This goes beyond vision and policy. It’s rooted in everyday behaviours and long-established assumptions and expectations. At this crucial time of year for setting standards of all sorts, how much attention are you paying to what this culture is, and to the steps

Welcome back! I hope that you were able to make good use of the summer break, enjoying rest, recreation and reconnection in whichever ways work for you. In the same way, transitioning back to our “work self” is a highly personal experience: some will be chomping at the bit to get back into routine and crack on with the fresh challenges and opportunities of the new academic year; others will be reluctant and low, sad to leave their “summer self” behind as they start to feel th

As the summer break approaches, education colleagues across the country will begin that familiar descent into the brief, but essential, pause. Perhaps you have plans to fill it with all the things you don’t normally get time for: things that bring you health, happiness or hedonistic indulgence? With the work you’ve put in this year, you have absolutely earned it! But alongside the pause and the pleasure, we invite you to bring another intention to this summer break: not plann

As the academic year slips towards the post-exam reflection and planning space, many of us will be taking stock of what has worked, what needs refining, and where to focus our energy next. This kind of review is critical, but if we stop at the “what”, we risk missing something vital: the how. How are we making these decisions? How are we making conversations safe and fully participatory? How well are we listening to and showing up for each other? Let’s talk about making the m

As we head into exam season, schools become focused, rightly so, on answers. For students, this is the time when their knowledge, recall and understanding are tested and rewarded. It's a culmination of months, sometimes years, of preparation and learning. Answers matter. Results matter. And in this context, it's easy to believe that answers are all that matter. But this term, while we support students to demonstrate what they know, can we also take the opportunity to pause an

Spring is here, sprinkling dandelion yellow by our feet, blooming soft pink blossom overhead and piercing bright sunshine through the shadows. Nature reminds us to notice beauty, and as we head towards the much-needed Easter break, I’d like to encourage you to notice the magic moments around you, both in the outside world and in your working life. We often hear leaders say, “We’ve made good progress, but there’s still so much to do.” This mindset, while understandable, can be

If I asked you, "How many difficult decisions have you made so far this term?", I guess there would be too many to count, right? Responding to urgent student issues and parental complaints; challenging, appeasing and supporting colleagues; determining long-term strategy and short-term processes; judging the best way to communicate information and expectations to different stakeholders, and of course, allocating finite budget and resource to infinite requirements... the list g

It’s that time of year when line managers traditionally conduct mid-year reviews to assess staff progress against the targets set for...

Meet Hugo. We brought home this 12-week-old Bernedoodle on New Year's Day. Having not lived with a dog before, there’s a lot to learn, with plenty of hard work ahead, no doubt. But we decided as a family that we were prepared to embrace the challenges in order to reap the rewards: extra joy, love, exercise, responsibility and shared adventure for us all. Hopefully we can all continue to stay focused on these positives after the first few weeks of disturbed nights and relentle

Christmas is often described as the most wonderful time of the year, a season of togetherness, celebration, and joy. For many, it is a time of religious reflection and gratitude. However, for those grieving the loss of a loved one, feelings of comfort and joy can be acutely missed. The traditions, music, and gatherings meant to bring happiness may instead magnify the absence, turning festive moments into painful reminders. Regardless of which, if any, winter festivities you o