We feed back to colleagues to help them reflect and improve. It can be positive feedback (acknowledging strengths, efforts and achievements), or critical feedback (what could be improved in their behaviours and actions). Feedback is at the heart of a long-lasting and successful career. Without feedback, we may forever be stuck with the skillset and … Continue reading 10 ways school leaders give feedback that really lands
education
5 principles for better inclusion
Here are five simple principles we are using to help guide our thinking in the way we support our school leaders and SENDCOs around inclusion. Principle 1/ I don’t have to be an expert to play my part Working in SEND can be a lonely place. There is lots of technical and legal detail, and … Continue reading 5 principles for better inclusion
Leadership lessons from planting trees
It's taken us years of having a garden to consider planting a tree. We finally summoned up the courage last spring, partly to hide the gap of the big maples that the neighbours behind us took down a few months ago, and partly because we wanted to experience the joy of watching trees grow, season … Continue reading Leadership lessons from planting trees
Finding your mentor
A mentor is someone who sees more ability within you than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out. Bob Goshen. Who would you call, beyond your family, to share good news or to ask for advice or to share a difficult situation at work? Right now, many of us are writing plans for … Continue reading Finding your mentor
How to write your SEF (reflections on school self-evaluation)
Each year as a HT I would - sometime between May half term and September 1st - pull out my old SEF from a cupboard or laptop folder, and summon up the courage to rewrite it. Yesterday I met with five experienced current and past school leaders and, with a pile of our school’s SEFs … Continue reading How to write your SEF (reflections on school self-evaluation)
The paradoxes of teaching
A paradox is an odd or self-contradictory statement which has about it the ring of truth. (Greek – para = contrary to; doxa = opinion). Maybe it’s the natural cynic in me, but I enjoy looking for paradoxes at work. It offers a sideways look and alternative perspective to the daily grind. What seems at … Continue reading The paradoxes of teaching
Small is beautiful – 10 ways Trusts can support small schools
How do we support and celebrate our smallest schools in challenging times? In our family of schools we have a large number of brilliant small schools. Fourteen of our forty-three members of the Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust educate fewer than 150 pupils. And so, while we definitely don’t pretend to have all the answers, here … Continue reading Small is beautiful – 10 ways Trusts can support small schools
