by | | blog, Why coaching is an essential support mechanism for school leaders
Perhaps one of the most unenviable aspects of becoming a school leader is the fact that from day one, almost everything you either say or do comes under intense public scrutiny. The challenge of being under constant scrutiny for much of your working day is tough! It means that it becomes near impossible for you to find a quiet space where you can still your thoughts and make sense of whatever the day has thrown at you. In the hurly-burly of school life, when faced with challenging circumstances (which often arise on a daily or some-times even minute by minute basis!) you very quickly become adept at responding to events with perceived expertise and aplomb. Responding to stress, responding to crisis, small and large that are not a part of the planned daily routine, soon become an accepted part of your life as a school leader. However, left unchecked, and without time to reflect on causes, their impact and consequences of actions taken, your automatic behaviours can result in you not being fully cognisant of what your new role is really asking of you and the changes that are required to ensure you succeed. That’s why I strongly believe that our new school leaders need conversations that allow them to breathe and make sense of their new emerging identity. Such conversations out of the leadership spotlight are not just as a helpful additions, but rather they are vital as their inclusion supports long-term professional sustainability and success. This is because in private, away from the glare of others, these conversations help new...
by | | blog, Vision and School leadership
Well-being in our schools is currently a hot topic and while there are no shortage of startling newspaper headlines and advice on how to address teacher burnout, reduce workload or minimise stress, there seems to be very little that is concerned with helping teachers regain their sense of agency and power. An effective well-being strategy will not only include practical tips and tools for helping teachers manage the external demands of the role, it will also help them to manage that over which they have the greatest control – themselves! Yes, there are external pressures exerted by the profession, but there are also internal pressures consisting of our thoughts and emotions and teachers need to know how to both understand and respond appropriately to them. As the author Aldous Huxley once said, “You can’t change what’s going on around you, until you learn to change what’s going on inside of you” So where does a school, that wants to develop an effective well-being policy – that addresses both the internal and external pressures of the role, begin? My suggestion is that you begin by doing three key things. 1. Ascertain whether you are all on the same page Before asking staff what an effective well-being strategy would look like for your context, ask; “What does Well-being mean to you and how can a common understanding influence our behaviour and attitudes as educators?” I suggest that you ask this question first because responses will help to lay the foundations for what is to follow. If responses from staff indicate that they have a rather narrow...
by | | blog, Reflections on the pressures of increased accountability for school leaders
This story comes from the Headteacher of Marlborough Primary School, Geraldine Foley. I am the Headteacher of a large school (we have 535 children on role), based quite centrally in Cardiff. It serves a very diverse catchment area; with children coming from predominantly professional/affluent households, alongside a few from deprived backgrounds. When I first heard about Integrity Coaching, I had been a headteacher for twelve years. I was five years into my second headship, and recently undertaken a temporary executive headship of another large primary school. Over the past twelve years as a Head, I had given so much of myself, that it had been to the detriment of looking after my own well-being. While things professionally were going well, I was completely burnt out. I was running on empty. Being a headteacher became everything. I had neglected my friendships, no time or energy for anything else. I had lost sight of who I was as a person, it was though the “real me” had vanished and I had become just a headteacher. I was working increasingly long hours and found myself often still working at 9 o’clock in the evening. Without realising it, it was beginning to undermine my effectiveness as a leader; things started taking me much longer than they used to, e.g. checking e-mails etc. That’s what twelve years of headship had done to me. I became the shadow of the person I used to be. I tried to hide it from everybody, from my family to the people at school. I managed to keep a lid on it, but...
