Well-being and Resilience

Being a Headteacher is a demanding role that requires unwavering dedication, and amidst the countless responsibilities and challenges, it’s crucial not to overlook your own

As a school governor, responsible for the strategic direction and educational and financial health of your school, how much value do you place on your

Much is being talked about currently of the need to make staff wellbeing a priority as schools extend their doors to more pupils – and

I think it is fair to say that as a result of the current COVID-19 crisis, the challenge and complexity of the Headteacher role has

After a week of self-isolating and not getting any better, this was very much the case for me. When it was confirmed over the phone,

With news of coronavirus dominating the headlines and increasingly affecting our daily lives, even the most level-headed among us will be feeling worry and anxiety.

Although it’s a long time ago now, I remember vividly what it felt like being a School Leader at this time of year, after the

In the last few years, the teaching profession has made great strides when it comes to wellbeing. The rise of feedback instead of marking has

Maintaining a good work-life balance is difficult in any profession. The wonders of technology have given us endless ways to blur the boundaries, meaning that

Five years ago, in October 2014, over 44,000 teachers responded to the Department for Education’s (DfE) workload challenge survey. As a result of feedback received,

I have worked as a Head for 20 years. I was appointed to my first post of Headteacher in 1998 after covering for a year

One of the things that I love to do at the end of a week, is to find a quiet place; switch off from the

The press, media and study after study tells us that Headteacher recruitment and retention is in crisis, nevertheless there are many things School Leaders can

  Recently, I’ve been pondering one question: How do Headteachers find the time and space to develop the aptitudes necessary to show up as their true

With the increasing pace of change in our schools and heightened levels of public scrutiny and accountability, it takes a great deal of courage and

It’ll probably come as no surprise to many, particularly those that know my story, that when I look back on my years as a Headteacher,

Over the last few years, there’s been a growing understanding that; “talking of a work-life balance is too simplistic” and that we have become “collectively

Wellbeing is a state of positive physical, mental and emotional health which enables a person to live a creative life. My interest started around the

As a Head you are human and just like us all, there will be times when you will make mistakes. Mistakes are not to be

A while back, I attended a well-being conference for School Leaders. An OFSTED inspector was one of the guest speakers. As the School Leaders who

A while back, I wrote a piece on the “7 Habits of Highly Effective Headteachers” . The piece proved to be very popular and appeared

When you are working in a school, engaging day-to-day with children and their families, teachers, support staff, Governors and other adults, you know you will

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

How often have your struggled to get on top of your workload? How often have you promised yourself that you’ll try to put in place

With the ever increasing pace of change in schools today and heightened levels of public scrutiny and accountability, being a School Leader today is hard

Today’s Blog comes from an ex-secondary Headteacher, trainee therapist and Integrity Coaching Associate, Tim Small.  In my experience of working with School Leaders, I’ve observed that

It is my belief that a truly compassionate and humane education system would recognise that every School Leader is on a journey towards, what the

Time is something that we all value. Yet in the life of a School Leader, as precious as it is, you seem to have very

Like all top leadership positions, School Leadership and headship in particular brings with it the type of power that isolates: positional power. The higher up

As you already know, being the Headteacher of a school is tough. It’s often hard to find balance and be a well-rounded human being when

After the end of each term or particularly at the end of every year, I think we can all find ourselves very much in a

Your role as a School Leader requires an endless amount of energy; energy being what the Oxford English dictionary defines as; “The strength and vitality

It is my belief that more Headteachers would remain in the profession if, on appointment, it was made explicit to them the link between school

Before going any further, I must confess to you that I do not write from the authority of having sustained a long period in headship.

The last few years have seen schools place a growing emphasis on pupil well-being. This has in part been due to increasing numbers of teachers

The current recruitment and retention crisis facing the profession is evidence enough, that the system no longer knows how to keep teachers and School Leaders

I know it isn’t easy, when you’re a School Leader to put yourself first. I know because I have been there. The early mornings, the

When you are working in a school, engaging day-to-day with children and their families, teachers, support staff, Governors and other adults, you will know that

You’ve made it! I am sure there have been times this school year, when you thought this day would never come! But here it is.