Overcoming The Challenges of Headship

It’s fair to say that we have all experienced the COVID-19 pandemic differently. Depending on our context, our background, our character, and on the set

This week, whilst it remains open to question as to whether the five tests for easing lockdown have been met, schools have begun to re-admit

It has now been almost two months since the country went into lockdown and now, very tentatively we are seeking to ease our way out.

Teachers and School Leaders have been on the frontline since the very start of this pandemic. Over the past few days, the way in which

Since the global coronavirus pandemic took hold, I have been very selective in the reports that I have read. The ones that I have found

There is an ancient Persian tale about a householder who notices a bump in a rug. Whenever he tries to smooth the rug the bump

“Change is inevitable. Growth is optional” – John Maxwell Change is all around us. It happens every second, every minute of our lives. Yet in

This blog comes from an ex-secondary Headteacher, trainee therapist and Integrity Coaching Associate, Tim Small.    Many things can cause a crisis in a School,

It’s fair to say that even at the best of times being a Head is a stressful job. And now with the rapid outbreak of

In every Headteacher or school leader’s office, there is an invisible bucket of rocks. They may be squirrelled away under their desk near their feet

Every time, I sit with a Headteacher as their coach, I become acutely aware of the amount of energy they expend in seeking to do

I applied for a place on the Integrity Coaching Headteacher programme, funded by the NEU, in 2018 at a time when I was struggling to

With the recent publication of the Leeds Beckett University report into the impact of Leadership coaching in schools, we have undoubtably reached a point where

The term “imposter syndrome” was coined by clinical psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes in 1978, to describe those who live with the fear of

As anyone who has been a Head will tell you; stepping into the role requires a huge amount of steel, resolve and self-confidence. The accompanying

I have been a Headteacher in a North London Primary school for 13 years now. In that time, like most Heads – I’ve had to

You will know, more than most, that sometimes headship can feel like the loneliest job in the world! There will be times, even when you

You would not have reached where you are today if you didn’t know how to harness the power of hope to help you overcome the

In May of this year, a national newspaper headline read, ‘Three in 10 new School leaders quit in the first five years”. For those of

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

As a head teacher, you will know that when the prospect of an OFSTED inspection is looming, you and your staff can easily feel overwhelmed.

I know many a Head who has been there and I have been there myself. The night before test results are due, unable to sleep

It has been well documented that when School Leaders change roles and have to step out of their comfort zones, it can take a while

Our beliefs are assumed truths. They are our inner statements about ourselves in which we are emotionally invested. They have shaped us and probably unbeknown

Every year in early autumn, we gather with a small group of School Leaders for our Leadership Development Retreats in a beautiful part of the

A day in the life of a Headteacher can be very different, depending on your school situation, the way you lead your school and above

I hear this again and again from those I work with — while they are amazingly prepared ‘on paper’ for raising and maintaining school standards,

When I became a Headteacher at 31, I knew little of the emotional and psychological complexities of the role and what I’d have to do

‘’ We are stronger than we think. We have emotional, spiritual and even physical resources at our disposal. We may get knocked down, but we

To be a Headteacher today is not as simple as the title suggests. It’s likely you aren’t the lead learner or the grand exemplar of

“A school leader’s vocational vitality, or capacity to be vital, present and deeply connected …. Is not a fixed, inedible condition, but a state that

For the last three years, I have been the Headteacher at a special needs school. When I first joined the school, it was very much

It is my belief that School Leadership can be one of the most fulfilling and joyful roles but it can also be one of the

  Do you feel you still have the same zest for being a Headteacher as your very first day? Do you wake up in the

    *The author of this blog has asked to remain anonymous and so the name has been change to protect their identity   My