Tag: Education
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Crossing the Bridge: my first half term as a primary school headteacher
To my shame, I have spent much of my career… not avoiding Year 7 and 8, but certainly not jumping over the trench wall to teach them. I’ve probably spent too much time revelling in being the pre-19th century teacher for A-Level English Literature, and basking in the giddy heights of being involved in KS4…
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9 traits of thriving secondary schools
I’m currently working through the Marvel Infinity Saga with my children, having waited until they are the perfect ages to really take in its splendour. We just finished Black Panther (what a film!), and a quote from tech-whizz Shuri gave me an idea for a blog. More from her later, but fundamentally it made me…
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You Have Made a Difference
This week I attended our Year 13 prom – my last as Deputy Headteacher at my school of five years. It was a wonderful occasion. At 17-18 years old, the students are (mainly!) mature and interested in engaging with staff, and we spent the evening having meaningful conversations, reminiscing, talking about what’s next, and indulging…
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Helping your teams to thrive in autumn term 2
I’m not a huge believer in obvious or cliché claims of cause and effect. Even as a child I found it irritating when someone linked being outside for too long with catching a cold. Sometimes, things just happen! Don’t read too much into it. But, when you run staff surveys throughout the school year, you…
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Team vision: more than a stirring anecdote
Summer events often provide inspirational anecdotes for school leaders when addressing their teams, in September meetings or assemblies. An underdog, against-the-odds story from the Olympics. A holiday anecdote that demonstrates or celebrates different cultural norms. Perhaps, this summer, it will be the resilience and collaboration of communities in the face of riots. To my shame…
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researchED Surrey 2022 – reflections
On Saturday 8th October 2022, the sun shone gloriously across Surrey, thus enabling both a beautiful day for researchED-ers from across the country, and me the chance to open this blog post in clichéd fashion. The sun merely acted as a symbol for the energy and optimism of the hundreds of people who gathered at…
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What Every Teacher Needs to Know, by Jade Pearce
Why I read it I would have bought and read this book regardless, but I was lucky enough to read and give feedback on ‘What Every Teacher Needs to Know’ last autumn. If you have followed Jade, you’ll know that she has spent the last three years on Twitter sharing countless resources. Teaching and Learning…
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Leadership: Being, Knowing, Doing – by Stephen Tierney
Why I read it After reading a series of books on teams, I wanted to return to core school leadership skills and knowledge. A coachee had generously given me a voucher for Christmas, and, being a fan of Stephen Tierney’s previous books, I decided to spend it on his new book on leadership. In summary…
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The Coach’s Guide to Teaching, by Doug Lemov
Why I read it I’ve read Teach Like a Champion many times, although for whatever reason haven’t written a blog post about its brilliance! Doug Lemov is an astute thinker, has invested thousands of hours into what he researches and writes about, and brings precision and clarity to his work. I was delighted to attend…
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Making The Leap, by Dr Jill Berry
Why I read it Aside from the fact that Dr Jill Berry is, I believe the term to be, a legend of the game, I actually won this in a prize draw at the Southern Rocks conference in 2018. I was an Assistant Headteacher in charge of Learning and Teaching, and had brought members of…
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A School Built on Ethos, by James Handscombe
Why I read it When I was Head of Sixth Form, I took assembly most weeks, either for Year 12, Year 13, or both together. I viewed the assembly preparation and delivery as an art form – a chance to consider an important message, and then to work hard to encase it in authenticity, sincerity,…
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Stop Talking About Wellbeing, by Kat Howard
Why I read it: As I’ve mentioned before, I carried out a research project on staff wellbeing in 2019-2020, which was a fantastic opportunity to look at wellbeing with a research-informed eye. During that project, I saw that Kat Howard was writing, and then publishing this book – and knew it would be a vital…
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Understanding How We Learn, by Dr Yana Weinstein, Dr Megan Sumeracki, with Oliver Caviglioli
Why I read it: I’ve always been fascinated by how we learn and the ways in which I can apply that knowledge to my teaching practice. I’ve read several books on these ideas, but this was the first that tied a lot of the evidence together in one place; the addition of Caviglioli’s visuals made…
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The BASIC Coaching Method, by Andy Buck
Why I read it: During the staff wellbeing research project that I conducted in 2019-20, I read many academic papers pointing towards coaching as a tool to improve staff efficacy, autonomy, and so much more. I was intrigued. My experience of ‘coaching’ over the years had been to misunderstand its principles: when I’d spoken to…
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Running the Room, by Tom Bennett
Why I read it: I’ve been in pastoral roles for six years now, and as I said when I reviewed ‘Beyond Wiping Noses’, I felt that I’d always acted on instinct. I engage with research and many voices when it comes to curriculum and pedagogy, but hadn’t necessarily had access to an evidence base or…
Sam Crome 