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From Vision to Vulnerability: What are the Qualities of a Great Leader?

April 10, 2024 / / 0 Comments

What makes a great leader? That’s quite a question, and one that doesn’t have a simple answer, this is highly subjective, views differ, as do contexts. As CEO of Forum Strategy, Alice Gregson explained as I spoke to her recently on Teachers Talk Radio, context is important, and leadership traits, behaviours and skills are not fixed, we are all continually growing and learning as humans and leaders. There are, however, key qualities that make leaders more successful, and that was something I wanted to consider further.  

Why is Leadership Important?

There is strong evidence to show that that effective school leadership is an important condition for successful school improvement. (Day et al 2020). Whilst other factors are also important, and great leadership alone may not be able to change a school, research tells us that leadership is a significant factor in the success of the organisation.

In the business world too, leadership is essential to an organisation’s success. Writing in the Harvard Business School online in 2023, Michael Boyle explains that good leadership motivates team members, 79% of employees will quit due to a lack of appreciation, 69% of employees say they would work harder if they felt their efforts were better recognized by leaders.

Employees who are made to feel that they’re appreciated, and their work is recognized are more engaged and can help the company achieve its goals. Recognizing and appreciating employees is the job of management and other leaders in the organization.

Leaders play a key role in setting direction, they also play a key role in defining the culture of an organisation. Both of have a significant impact on the organisation and its potential success, as well as the lives and wellbeing of those connected with the organisation.

What Makes a Great Leader?

The notion of a great leader is subjective, it is also context dependant, as Alice Gregson explained when I spoke to her. There are varying views on great leadership qualities, The research cited highlights this, much of it is based on opinions of leaders themselves or employees, it may also be linked to retention within the organisation. What defines effective leadership on one context, for example a very challenging and high-pressure context, may differ from another context. Leadership skills, behaviours and traits may also need to change over time. This is important to note.

So, whilst there is no single answer to the question “what makes a great leader”, noting subjectivity, context and that traits, skills and qualities are not fixed, there are some common themes.  Great leaders come in many different forms and are not all the same, there are, however some common skills, behaviours, traits and qualities that I will describe here, I would love to hear what you think too.

Back in 2013, author Jeremy Sutcliffe interviewed a selection of UK’s headteachers to find out what they believed makes a good leader. His book, 8 Qualities of Successful School Leaders: the desert island challenge, published by Bloomsbury sought to answer the question “What are the qualities needed to be a successful school leader?” Based on the BBC radio programme Desert Island Discs, a range of school leaders were asked to imagine they were cast adrift on a desert island with a school full of children in desperate need of a great headteacher.

He asked what eight qualities they would take with them to run the desert island school?

This book is 11 years old now and a lot has changed in the world, but I think the 8 qualities highlighted are still relevant. The 8 qualities listed as coming up most often are vision, courage, passion, emotional intelligence, judgement, resilience, persuasion and curiosity.

More recent reviews of research show similar findings. In a review of a wide range of research into school leadership, entitled “Successful School Leadership”  Day, Sammons & Gorgen, describe professional and policy derived standards and then go on to focus on successful principals, models and practice.

They conclude that there two main models of successful leadership practices:

  • transformational leadership practices,
  • pedagogical/instructional leadership practices,

They also focus on the theory and practices of distributed leadership.

They highlight the important transformational leadership practices of building vision and setting strategic direction, understanding and developing people, (Re)designing the organisation (establishing work conditions which make the most of the motivations, commitments and capacities of employees) and managing the teaching and learning programme by staffing appropriately, providing teaching support, monitoring and buffering staff against distractions from their work.

They go on to describe pedagogical leadership and how this emphasises the importance of establishing clear educational goals, planning the curriculum and evaluating teachers and teaching. It sees the leader’s prime focus as responsible for promoting better outcomes for students, emphasising the importance of teaching and learning and enhancing their quality.

Day et al (2020) describe that whilst distributed leadership is not a ‘model’ in itself, but rather a concept and set of practices, it works hand in hand with transformational and instructional models of leadership. Distributed leadership involves sharing leadership responsibilities and decision making. A  consensus has emerged among leadership researchers that school leadership can have an especially positive influence on school and student outcomes when it is distributed. Studies show that teacher and student morale levels improved where teachers felt more included and involved in decision-making related to the process of school development and change.

Looking through a lens of teacher retention, research by the EEF (Nguyen et al, 2023) draw on a synthesis of evidence from a group of 45 relevant studies, the report highlights three main leadership approaches or areas of leadership behaviour and qualities as beneficial to teacher retention.

First is prioritising teacher development, providing instructional support; professional development opportunities; and cultivating leadership potential in teachers. Secondly, building relational trust, building trusting relationships, individualised consideration for teachers and compassionate leadership characterised as being caring, encouraging, and listening. Thirdly, improving working conditions by supporting professional autonomy, promoting collegiality and inclusive participation in decision-making, shared power and responsibility, reciprocal support, mutual trust, and cooperation, developing an equitable support and recognition system, establishing an effective communication structure and supporting teachers with behaviour of students.

Speaking to Alice Gregson, CEO of Forum Strategy who works with senior leaders in Education, including CEOs of MATs, some really interesting leadership traits were highlighted and discussed.

First, Alice emphasized the subjective nature of the question and also the importance of context. She also emphasized that traits and skills are not fixed. Alice also made a distinction between the “what we have” – or skills of leaders and the “who we are” – or behaviours and traits of leaders. Starting with skills, Alice emphasized the importance of strategic thinking, of having the ability to turn a vision into a workable plan. Next she described the need to be able to articulate purpose clearly and well. Alice also told us that great leaders are also accountable for their decisions, build strong cultures, based on trust and respect, are strong relationship developers, within the organisation and beyond and are excellent communicators, able to tailor their style to a range of audiences, engaging with people and developing trust. She also described the skill of balancing risk, of being able to take some risk whilst mitigating potential impacts.

Alice went on to describe the behaviours and traits of great leaders, of compassion, inclusivity, collaboration, curiosity, courage, being humble and bravery. Next, we discussed vulnerability, that for her, this is about opening up, sharing our stories & facing what might be uncomfortable. It’s about letting people in and showing what makes us who we are. Sometimes vulnerability includes our weaknesses and fears, but it might also include things such as our beliefs, feelings, desires, aspirations and experiences. Vulnerability as a leader is about letting people know you – the full you. It’s so powerful because it gives us points of real connection. I loved the quote Alice shared, from Sir Steve Lancashire, “‘Me being me means you can be you.” If we can celebrate our authentic selves as leaders, we send such a powerful message to those in our organisation. Great leaders model vulnerability, sharing who they are as people, not just as professionals, building trust and creating connection.

Here’s me being me, up a hill in Wales, with friends in January this year.

Great Leaders – A Conclusion

Reflecting on all of this, the research, the conversation, and my good fortune to work alongside and for some great leaders, for me, great leadership is made up of a range of skills and behaviours. Many of which are listed here already. There is no single definition and as we have seen, context is key. For me, great leaders are self-aware enough to make sure that they know their own current strengths and weaknesses, and that they have the courage to build teams around them that compliment these, with diversity, strength and challenge within those teams. A commitment to growth, learning and development of self is also crucial in my opinion.

Communication is key, with listening, curiosity and hearing others as a key part of this. The ability to build relationships, to care, have empathy and to be vulnerable, sharing of yourself as a human, creating connection, relationships and building trust within organisations, where others can feel psychologically safe and can find that risk balance point is crucial too.

A change I have noticed has been increased recognition of vulnerability, of sharing who we are as humans, letting people know who you are. Leaders modelling this, introducing ourselves and delving into who we are as people, who we are, not just our professional role. I also note resilience taking a different position, no longer just pushing through, as leaders however hard and at whatever cost, but noticing this and acknowledging when things are tough. I think this links to vulnerability too, and important for leaders to model.

As a coach, the idea that these skills, behaviours, traits and qualities are not fixed is also fascinating. We often have strong beliefs about what we can and can’t do, who we are and how we are, which may be based on messages we have received through our lives, and past experiences. This brings me onto an idea for a future topic, “Great leaders, born or made?”  What do you think?

I’d love to hear what qualities you think great leaders have – and do you agree that we all have the potential to be great leaders? Are great leaders born or made?

References

Boyles, M., (2023) Organisational Leadership, What it is and why it’s important. Havard Business School Online

Brighouse, T.M. (2007), How Successful Headteachers Survive and Thrive, R.M. Publications.

Day, C., Sammons, P. and Gorgen, K. (2020) Successful School Leadership, Education Development Trust.

DfE (2015 and 2020), National Standards of Excellence for Headteachers.

Fullan, M (2019), Nuance, Why Some Leaders Succeed and Other Fail, Jossey Bass, San Francisco.

Kizier, K (2023) 35+ Powerful leadership statistics: Things all aspiring leaders should know. Zippia: The |Career expert.

Nguyen, D.,  See, B.H., Brown,C.,  Kokotsaki, D. (2023) Reviewing the evidence base on school leadership, culture, climate and structure for teacher retention. Rapid Evidence Assessment  (Education Endowment Fund)

Woods, D (2020) The Nine Pillars of Great Leadership

A Career of Many Jobs

January 30, 2024 / / 0 Comments

A much-publicised DfE survey found that 40,000 teachers left teaching before retirement in the 2021-2022 academic year. This represents 9% of the workforce and I was one of them.

After 26 years as a teacher and school leader and presuming that I would be a teacher until retirement at 67, leaving was a huge step for me. I had, however become increasingly aware that there are more and more people changing jobs multiple times, and whose careers had made significant twists and turns. They, like me had also found that experience gathered along the way was invaluable in subsequent roles, I certainly know that the experience my career has brough it very relevant to the work I do now and provides knowledge, expertise and understanding highly relevant in coaching and consulting. Making the change has been great for me, but an important first step was the realisation that a job is no longer for life.

Thinking back to the statistics around teachers leaving, I was prompted to look again at the 40,000 leavers (9%) statistic. I wanted to se how this compared to other professions, I also wanted to look at how transferable skills are relevant and valuable and finally to consider what someone considering a change in direction should bear in mind and how they can be supported in their decision making.

Leaving the Profession – is it Just Teaching?

There is no doubt that teaching is a tough job and that teachers and school leaders, particularly in the last few years faced significant challenges. Workload, the political landscape, pay, performance targets, behaviour or pupils and relationships with parents and high stakes accountability form Ofsted are real concerns for those in the teaching profession and frequently, and quite understandably cited as reasons for leaving. But are teachers the only professionals looking to move on? It would seem not.

Career change has become increasingly common in recent years, and not just in education. Across the UK and indeed globally, a traditional “job for life” from school, college or university followed until retirement is no longer the norm and hasn’t been for some time.

In 2022. Open Study College, in a survey of 2000 UK workers found that those aged 25-34 have, on average, already worked in six different roles whilst older adults approaching retirement, had only worked in an average of seven jobs during their entire working life.

The survey found the most common reason behind changing jobs was the desire for a higher wage, followed by moving for better career progression and finding work in a new location. Others also opted to change jobs to either take on a bigger challenge, move to something less stressful, or go somewhere with better training opportunities.

When I was at university, the other career I considered was accountancy, which prompted me to investigate career change statistics for those in this profession. In June 2023, The Account Online published an article stating that over a third of accountants of 250 surveyed were considering leaving the profession in the next 5 years. Reasons cited for planning to leave included poor work life balance, particularly in the 25 to 44 age bracket.  Whilst 90% overall said they enjoy their role, and 56% said they were prompted to want to leave due to spending too much time completing manual tasks.

In 2022, Alight, a major company supporting companies in payroll & HR carried out an “International workforce and wellbeing mindset study”. They surveyed 10,000 UK employees working full or part time in companies with more than 100 employees. Respondents represented multiple age groups, across a broad array of industries and in a variety of work setups (including fully remote, in the office and hybrids of the two). Roughly half of UK employees (49%) said their employee experience “met their expectations” while another 25% say it is below their expectations and only 26% say it exceeded expectations. More than one in (27%) said they dread going to work or starting their workday and only 21% say they are likely to recommend their company as an employer. According to this study, only 35% of UK employees rate their professional or career wellbeing highly and almost three-quarters (71%) reported suffering from moderate to high levels of stress.

Significant figures here showing dissatisfaction and stress evident through these surveys across a variety of industries. No surprise therefore that many are seeking change of career.

Changing Jobs Made Easier

The study by Alight also showed that people were able to start to plan for a future career and that other paths are also emerging for those planning a change. 28% of those polled said they have a “side hustle”, such as an emerging coaching business, sales income or other small money-making enterprise, with 86% saying this side venture is completely different to their current career. One in four of those with a job on the side began doing it to build up additional skills and contacts, which they can then hopefully turn into a job.

A survey of 2,000 professionals by Robert Walters HR found many people are ‘career cushioning’, which refers to someone setting the groundwork to leave a role because of uneasiness about their current position. This survey showed more than a third (37%) of workers are taking steps to look for a new job. When asked what they had done in preparation to move, two thirds (66 %) said they had monitored the job market and almost half (43 per cent) had updated their CVs, while a third (33 %) were actively applying for jobs. The top reasons for preparing to move were: lack of job security (72 %); turbulent economic conditions (55 %); internal changes within their business (45 %); and low job satisfaction (33 %).

The Open College research showed that people were more able to change jobs due to a wide variety of options available to support people switching careers. For example, it is now easier to access training through distance learning, meaning people can retrain and change their career path even while they are already in a full-time role.

So, it seems that there are many changes across careers going on and that this is due to challenging conditions in roles as well as the availability of options to train.

For those going into teaching, options are very varied. These include apprenticeships and other ways to work and be paid during training. Child care costs can also be supported, which is a huge benefit. Financial support in the form of a parent learning allowance & a childcare grant which covers 85% cost and up to £323 for someone with two children.

Transferable Skills

So, in this world where careers include many jobs – what skills do we need? The World Economic forum “Future of Jobs report” May 2023 is a fascinating read. It includes data from 803 companies, collectively employing more than 11.3 million workers across 27 industry clusters and 45 economies from all world regions.

The fastest-growing roles relative to their size today are driven by technology, digitalization, and sustainability. Most of the fastest growing roles are technology related roles with AI and Machine Learning Specialists top the list of fast-growing jobs, followed by Sustainability Specialists, Business Intelligence Analysts and Information Security Analysts. Renewable Energy Engineers, and Solar Energy Installation and System Engineers are relatively fast-growing roles, as economies shift towards renewable energy.

Looking to the future – over the next 10 to 15 years, large-scale job growth is expected in education, agriculture and digital commerce and trade. Jobs in the Education industry are expected to grow by about 10%, leading to 3 million additional jobs for Vocational Education Teachers and University and Higher education Teachers. Jobs for agricultural professionals, especially Agricultural Equipment Operators, are expected to see an increase of around 30%, leading to an additional 3 million jobs. Growth is forecast in approximately 4 million digitally enabled roles, such as E-Commerce Specialists, Digital Transformation Specialists, and Digital Marketing and Strategy Specialists.

As for the skills that will be needed and are values by companies, the top 10 are:

  • Analytical Thinking (a cognitive skill)
  • Creative thinking (another cognitive skill),
  • Resilience (a self-efficacy skill)
  • Flexibility, and agility (self-efficacy skills)
  • motivation and self-awareness (further self-efficacy skills)
  • Curiosity and lifelong learning. (a further self-efficacy skill)
  • Dependability and attention to detail
  • Technological literacy
  • Empathy and active listening and leadership and social influence (attitudes relating to working with others)
  • Quality control.

Quality control is an example of a skill particularly important to a limited cohort of businesses. Interestingly, management skills, engagement skills, technology skills, ethics and physical abilities are generally considered to be less important than cognition, self-efficacy, and working with others. The whole nature of management is said to be changing, with the growth of coaching styles of leadership.

Should I Stay or Should I go?

Know that you are not alone if you are considering a change or job. A career of many jobs is very much the norm. If you’re a deciding what to do, you may want to start by asking if it is possible for you to stay in your current role and to thrive. Are there any changes you can make in your current role, or that you can be supported with that will enable you to return to enjoying it – presuming you once did, and that there was a good reason for your choice to pursue that role in the first place.

How can I stay and thrive?

What would you need to change? How could this be done? If you’re saying its not possible, what might you be assuming? Have a look at the expectations. Are these real or perceived? Are they your own, extremely high expectations? How do you feel about this?

What about boundaries? Could you set some working boundaries if work/life balance is your issue? Key phrases, like “Don’t let Monday steal your Sunday” and looking at your own mindset may help.

Is it time for a Change?

Apart from asking yourself these questions, it can be useful top talk to someone independent, outside work. Someone neutral, so not a family member who will often, through very best intentions give advice that comes from a place of care but may come with some assumptions as well as being as they see you, through their lens. They may see your current role as part of your identity. They may also worry about you.

Someone totally independent, maybe someone you know from a while back or separate to your work. Alternatively, a coach can help you by listening closely to what you are (and maybe aren’t) saying, by noticing any body language and by asking some inciteful questions that will spark deeper thinking and discovery.

Next Steps

The brilliant part of many of our jobs, and this is particularly true of teaching, is that many professionals have such a superb range of transferable skills. Anyone in teaching will, for example, recognise many of the skills listed in the top 10 above in themselves. These are great transferable skills that are learned and enhanced in teaching, making teaching a valuable profession in my opinion, whilst teaching is rewarding in its own sake, bringing a strong sense of purpose, it also provides growth in a vast range of transferrable skills desired by a range of industries.

Finding what you want to do can be exciting and terrifying. Have a think about the type of work you want to do. How much structure do you like? How much responsibility?

Go back and ask, what is your dream job?

Ultimately, you are looking for the balance between four things:

  • What you love and what brings you joy,
  • What the world needs,
  • What you’re good at and
  • what you can earn from.

If a job scores highly in one and not at all in the others, you are unlikely to be satisfied. It can be a trade-off, something very well paid but brings you no joy. Similarly, loving a role but earning little or nothing may not be an option. It can be helpful to decide where you sit with each of these and where you want the balance to be.

Again, that conversation, with yourself and someone who offers no judgement can be helpful.

So, what will you do? Is it time for a change? I’d love to hear from you.

Rest and Recuperation: The Key to Effective Leadership

January 19, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Research shows that leaders perform better when they take time to rest properly and don’t ruminate over work related matters after hours. This may seem obvious, but rest is so often neglected or undervalued and seen as a luxury rather than a necessity. The reality is that it is actually a benefit for the organisations that leaders serve if those leaders get quality rest and recuperation.

The Importance of Leader Recovery

The Harvard Business Review article Want to Be a Better Leader? Stop Thinking About Work After Hours, is based on research by the authors, Remy E. Jennings, Allison S. Gabriel, and Klodiana Lanaj titled “The importance of leader recovery for leader identity and behaviour” published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, in 2023. A 10-day diary study involving 73 leaders and a “matched follower” (employee they line managed, showed that when leaders “detached” from their work in the evenings, they felt more recharged the next day, which helped them to “identify” more strongly with their leader role. Conversely, on days when leaders ruminated about work in the evening, they felt more drained the next morning, hindering their ability to identify as a leader.

A small group of business professionals sit around a table as they meet to brainstorm some ideas for the future of the company. They are each dressed professionally and have papers scattered out in front of them as they work together. The focus is on a woman of African decent who is pitching an idea to the group.

The idea of “identifying” emphasizes leadership as a way of “being” rather than “doing”, leadership is so much more than having a list of tasks to complete, it is about inspiring and engaging others. Characteristics of great leaders, such as authenticity, curiosity, analytical skills, adaptability, creativity, comfort with ambiguity, resilience and empathy require a leader to be feeling energised. These characteristics are less likely to show up if a leader is feeling exhausted. I believe that the same is true for teachers as the leaders in their classrooms.

The research also found that the “followers” considered the leaders to be more effective too after rest, rating them as more “powerful” and “transformational” than those who had ruminated the night before. Interestingly, the research showed that rest (or lack of it) affected newer leaders more than those who had been in leadership roles for longer. When we are new in roles, everything takes a little more effort until we have built those pathways and strong habits to support us.

This research highlights a clear link between rest and recuperation and the ability to lead. There is, however, another equally serious consideration, as the absence of rest also increases the likelihood of a leader suffering from “burnout.”

Beyond Being your Best – the Increased Risk of Burnout

‘Burnout’ is recognised by the World Health, defined as a “state of physical and emotional exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress”. Though it’s most often caused by problems at work, burnout can also be linked toother areas of life, such as parenting, caretaking, or relationships.

Common signs of burnout include:

  • Feeling tired or drained most of the time.
  • Feeling helpless, trapped and/or defeated.
  • Feeling detached/alone in the world.
  • Having a cynical/negative outlook.
  • Self-doubt.
  • Procrastinating and taking longer to get things done.
  • Feeling overwhelmed.

Burnout is not simply a result of working long hours, juggling too many tasks, and not taking time to rest, though those both play a role. Other causes can include not feeling in control of how a job is carried out, being required to complete tasks that conflicts with your values, working towards a goal that doesn’t resonate, or when lacking support.

If responsibilities don’t match a leader’s true purpose or if they have lost sight of this, and if they don’t take a break occasionally, they increase their risk of facing burnout, as well as the risk of developing many of the other mental and physical health problems that often come along with it, including headaches, fatigue, heartburn, and other gastrointestinal symptoms, as well as increased potential for alcohol, drug, or food misuse.

One of the common signs or stages of burnout is a tendency to over work. This can be linked to self-doubt and a perceived need to work more to be successful. Presenteeism and excessive working become greater in many people beginning to suffer from burnout.

Given the importance of rest, it seems paradoxical for it to be so common for teachers and leaders not to prioritise this important rest, to continue to work and/or think about work well after the official work day has ended. So what stops teachers and leaders from taking that much needed rest and recuperation?

Rest: What’s Getting in the Way?

The authors of the article state’ “The high demands of a leadership role lead some to perceive that the only way to perform well is to work around the clock. As a result, many may find themselves ruminating about an issue with an employee, trying to think of a solution to a client problem, or creating a mental to-do list long after they have left the office for the day or turned off their computer.”

Culture and Perception

Interesting that the article suggests part of this could be linked to a perception. As a coach, this makes me curious to find out more. How much of this is a belief or assumption that to perform well we need to work long hours and how much is the sheer quantity of work? Beliefs like this may seem like reality. These beliefs can go back to childhood, many of us will recall being praised for working hard as children and will also have been told that hard work was the route to success. We probably find ourselves sharing this praise and advice too and it is, of course true to an extent, but an over emphasis on this can cause us to believe that we need to work harder or longer than is necessary to be a success at whatever we do. Leaders may also feel that the higher pay they receive means they should work longer and harder than those they lead rather than the higher pay being a reflection of their responsibility, experience, and skills. It may be the norm in an organisation to work long and late. Positive comments made to and about those sending or responding to early and late emails (or whose cars are seen to arrive early and leave the car park late) compared to any judgement of those who do not may link to organisational culture. Some may feel positive about themselves for working these long hours.

Julie Mason on the website weareteachers.com back in January 2021 wrote about a “culture of over working. In her article she argues, “Overworking doesn’t make you a better teacher. There’s a toxic culture in education that associates overworking with being a good teacher. Your overtime is not a badge of honour but a systemic problem that leads to burnout.” She goes on to say “No one is saying we shouldn’t work hard. There’s no question that teaching requires hard work; it’s rare that we end the day with every item crossed off our to-do list. But we need to accept that there is always going to be more that we can do. This is why so many of us sacrifice our physical and mental health and work well beyond our contract hours. We are sprinting towards a finish line that keeps getting further away.”

One thing that is also evident, however, according to many who contacted me is that we can’t ignore workload.  

Workload

A former colleague commented in response to my initial post about Rest and Recuperation for leaders, “Big shifts in workload are needed especially for Middle Leaders in schools, you can’t switch off if you’re having to use evenings and weekends simply to keep up to date. I know some Heads of Department who work 70 hours per week to get the job done.”

Many school leaders talk about this at a senior level too. Moustapha, who leads an international school says, “I can relate to the challenge of disengaging from work after hours, particularly in my role which involves extensive planning and preparation. In the context of running a school, there are immense day-to-day responsibilities that often extend beyond regular working hours. This includes planning, organizing workshops, and developing new initiatives, which are critical but time-consuming tasks. The ability to stop thinking about or doing work after hours is significantly impacted by the sheer volume of these tasks. The nature of my job requires constant attention and foresight, which often spills over into personal time. This overlap is a constant struggle, and finding a balance remains a challenge”.

There is a lot of research and conversation on social media about the level of teacher and school leader workload and its impact on many practitioners. Some schools and trusts have managed to cut this down considerably, but many are still citing this as an issue. Beyond education too, there have been a lot of studies about organisational practice and workload for leaders and managers.

The 2023 DfE research report “Working lives of teachers and leaders” found that full time leaders reported working on average 57.5 hours per week and teachers 51.9 hours per week. Both are above the “standard” 37.5 hours considered full time in many occupations. Over four in ten leaders (43%) reported working at least 60 hours in the reference week and two in ten teachers (19%)

More positively, some teachers I spoke to who shared that they could complete their work in their PPA time and some Headteachers too who reported having been able to leave work at school and ensure they had full evenings to rest – at least three times per week. We can see that many leaders do have a significant workload. There can also, in both teaching and leadership be a grey area over working hours and the expectations of when emails should be responded to and what hours should be spent working.

Clarity over Hours

Darren, a teacher, and presenter on Teachers Talk Radio, wrote “I think the issue with this is the lack of definition of ‘working hours’. We can’t switch off when the kids go home because then lessons don’t get planned. So the onus then falls on us as individuals to decide when our cut-off points are. That’s not always easy.”

How do we decide our cut of points? Looking back to the points on culture, perception, and workload, this may not be straightforward. I think, however, it does show the importance of an awareness of these things. Awareness, for example of the need for a cut off could be helpful.

What also became clear from the comments and my own experience of leadership, is even with awareness, with a decision made to stop work and a choice not to work, no priority deadlines that need to be addressed, it can still be difficult to switch off.

The elusive ability to switch off.

Even when leaders and teachers have stopped working, their brains may not get the memo to stop. The article referred to at the beginning is about leaders ruminating, thinking about work rather than working. So it is much more than just continuing “doing work”, the problem is about still thinking about work.

This is something I can relate to as a former headteacher. Rob, agrees, saying that this inability to “switch off” was something he had also experienced as a head teacher. It isn’t just heads and school leaders who report challenges in switching off, a second year teacher, working in a UK Primary messaged me to say that even though he can leave work at a reasonable time most days, completing most tasks in his PPA, he also struggled to switch off after the school day.

A combination of factors

It seems that it is likely to be a combination of factors leading to the difficulty in switching off and resting fully outside of work. Some factors are general, some are specific to each context. In an international school setting, school leader Frances, agreed it was difficult to switch of and rest, explaining “although it is stressful having to continue to do further work in the evenings after school is over, I feel more stressed if I switch off and do nothing.” When asked how easily she could stop thinking about or doing work after hours, she responded “Not very easily. It is always at the back of your mind, nagging you and creating this sensation that you need to stay on top of things otherwise you are not good enough to be in the job.” She described how this was made more difficult by having emails on her phone, explaining “if you are aware that they are coming through and you need to check them to see if they need immediate attention.”

Another senior leader who didn’t want to be named told me that they find it extremely difficult to stop thinking about work and shared their saying “I go to work to attend meetings, and I come home to work”. It is quite common for them to be working till 22:30 5 or 6 days a week. When they responded to me it was 7pm on Friday night, and they were working their way through the day’s emails. They commented specifically about parental expectations in their own setting, saying that in their school, parents expect a reply to an email within a few hours regardless of the day or time that it is sent. They went on to say the digital age also does not help, as work never remains at work now due to devices. This is hugely concerning, complex and potentially not sustainable, clearly some change is really needed here.

Frances also spoke about workload, saying “Sometimes you have to pick up and continue working throughout the evenings as there is never enough time during the day to get things done.” Frances also cited “Guilt and fear of falling behind and letting other colleagues down” as barriers to recuperation. Whilst this is about workload, it also shows a deeper level of concern for competing tasks and a real sense of responsibility to colleagues.

Enabling Leaders’ Rest

So what can we do as teachers and leaders to try to take this time away from work so we can be our best leader and teacher selves? The writers in the Havard Business Review offer a few practical recommendations for leaders:

First, they advise that leaders find ways to detach after work. Citing research that shows that leaders have a tendency to overwork and feel the need to always be available, they emphasize the legitimacy of disconnecting from work and taking time to recover rather than continuing to think about work until late into the evening. They recommend that leaders consider mastering a new hobby, read, exercise, spend time with friends, generally trying to find activities that they enjoy in the evening to turn their thoughts away from work.

Secondly, they advise leaders to establish boundaries between work and home. As leaders tend to influence the communication norms for their teams, clarifying their own hours of availability to employees may be helpful in ensuring adequate time each day to recover after work. In addition, creating guidelines for yourself about when work-related interruptions are allowed during non-work hours (e.g., what situations constitute leadership emergencies) may be a helpful practice both for leaders, and their teams.

Lastly, they suggest that leaders should consider carefully how they spend their non-work time and advise leaders to use recovery time to combat depletion and enhance your identity as a leader. They explain that it uses energy to connect with leadership roles. Leadership is hard, and those feeling refreshed in the morning may be more emboldened to take on leadership responsibilities compared to those leaders who start their workday feeling drained.

Recovery time can be used well if you focus on the seven types of rest advocated by Dr Saundra Dalton Smith (and the subject of a previous blog). Rest is more then just siting still or being quiet (although this may help some). It is about finding the activities that really help.

Self-coaching or working with a coach to look at this could also help. Checking for any perceptions or beliefs about over working. There is also a case here for some organisational and cultural change in some circumstances too.

Ideas from current leaders

Moustapha, one of the International School leaders says, “What helps in achieving a semblance of balance is setting clear boundaries and practicing mindful scheduling, though admittedly, this is easier said than done.” Frances advises “Planning things to do in advance sometimes helps as it forces you to switch off.”

A teacher who described how he struggles to switch off says that he sets a prompt leaving time from work each day. Knowing how difficult it can be to switch off, this, along with going to the gym helps me to destress/ relax after a busy day. He describes how he also tries and organise one thing each week like going out for dinner to have a life after working hours.

And another teacher says she used to struggle to switch off but describes how now she has stopped taking her laptop home most nights, it has improved her mental health. Whilst workload can still be an issue, if she has something to be completed, she stays at work, creating a clear divide between home and work. She also says that having a partner that also works in education, and they have adopted a policy of no shop talk at home which benefits them both and allows them to be present in what we are doing. She also says walking the dog and getting out and about also helps.

Jack, a school leader in Mexico describes how since starting a whole-school leadership position, he has been going for walks in the evening and ensuring that has have time with his family, either reading together, playing football or at the very least chatting over a meal each evening. He describes making a conscious decision to “switch off” after 8:00 pm which he says has been very helpful in marking the difference between work and leisure time.

Elle, another international school leader describes the benefits of turning off notifications. She says she can be reached in emergencies, but all other work-based forms of communication are turned off when she is done with work for the day. That might not be at 5:30pm but whenever she chooses to choose is her ‘stop’ time. If she still has notifications, she says she must look and would then be thinking about it even if she can’t do anything until back at work the next day. Elle also says “When I do need to work at the weekend, I make sure I agree with myself the ‘stop’ point in advance. Maybe an amount of time or a task. I then plan to do something immediately after, even better if it’s something I must book so I make myself stop and go. This has helped me not overwork at the weekend – and means I get my nails done regularly! Elle also says exercise helps and describes how heading straight to the gym at the end of the day helps to process and decompress.

Reluctance to Speak about Rest

It has been good to speak to some leaders and teachers about their experiences with rest switching off from work. What I was surprised about, however, was the vast number of leaders and teachers who were so reluctant to speak, or who didn’t want to be referenced or quoted. Some of the reasons they gave, for not wanting to speak about taking rest/recuperation were fear of judgement or a fear of getting more work. Some said that people wouldn’t think they were doing a good job if they had time to rest. Clear research says that taking time to rest makes leaders better – and I believe that would apply to teachers too. Why then can’t we celebrate this?  People were equally reluctant to speak about having too much work. Some said this was for fear of reprisals at work or being labelled a trouble maker.

Conclusion

The evidence is here – rest is an important part of a leader’s life, not just for themselves and their families, but also as a key component in becoming a better leader, for the benefit of their organisations, teams and anyone they serve.

For some sectors, there are almost certainly some structural, significant changes needed to make this more effective and consistent for leaders. Ther are also some cultural changes, which I think we are seeing the star of about not seeing over work as a badge of honour.

Let’s not normalise over work. Let’s continue too to encourage all leaders to look to this research. All tasks come with an opportunity cost – if they are less valuable than the need to rest and create better leaders and teachers, they need to be taken from the routines and “what we do”.

At an individual level we can all take our part. We can take steps to look after ourselves, be intentional about rest and recuperation, setting time for this as part of our schedules, knowing it makes us better leaders, as well as enabling us to be healthier humans.

How are you going to make sure you get the rest you need and disconnect from your work after hours?

New Year, New Goals?

December 30, 2023 / / 0 Comments

I have always been somewhat on on the fence when it comes to goals. I know some people found the idea of setting goals, particularly at New Year quite jarring. Looking back, sometimes I have found myself to be in a good place having not set goals. other times, I think I have probably missed opportunities.

I wrote about goals in one of my earlier blogs back in April, following on from a previous post about values.

What I have definitely learned is that the most important thing about goals is that if you are going to set goals, it is vital that you make sure they are the right goals for you. Looking back, where things haven’t gone well or I have found myself to be unhappy, I realise now that I had been pursuing the wrong goals. These were often goals that I thought I ought to have, or that were expected of me (or so I thought). Often these goals were not in line with my values, or my purpose, or were just not right for me at the time.

It may take some time to find the right goals, and self coaching or speaking to a coach can help with this. There is quite a body of research about goals, and evidence strongly points towards the importance of goal setting. Where I have set goals that were right for me, in line with my values and purpose, achievable and yet challenging, I have found them helpful.

I also firmly believe in starting by celebrating wins and this forms an important part of goal setting for me now. For me, 2024 will be about building on some of these achievements, as well as making some changes.

Here are some useful questions to think about when setting goals, and what better time that as we approach a New Year?

  • What matters to you? What really matters, not what you think should matter, or others want to matter.
  • What has gone well in 2023? What have you achieved and what has brought you joy?
  • How do you want to feel by the end of 2024?
  • What do you want to keep in 2024?
  • What do you want to be different in 2024?
  • What do you want to do in 2024 and what do you want to achieve in 2024?
  • What might get in your way? What can you do to keep on track? Who can help you?

Now imagine you are doing the things you want to do in 2024 and/or have achieved the things you want to achieve. How does that feel? Imagine you’re looking back at the end of the year. Are you in line with your purpose and values? What advice would you give yourself now?

What about you? Goals or go with the flow? What do you want 2024 to bring for you?

Happy New Year, I wish you health, happiness and everything you want 2024 to bring.

2023: Celebrating the Wins

December 27, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Coming towards the end of 2023, I have started to see several posts about setting goals for the forthcoming year. I have set goals before or even New Years Resolutions and achieved with varying rates of success. Completing “Couch to 5K” a few years ago was probably one of the more successful, I still run, which I had never done before January 1st, 2020. Other goals or resolutions have been less effective and fallen by the wayside.

This year, I wanted to think differently, so I have been looking to the areas of positive psychology and neuroscience, prompted by learning from the coach training I completed a while back, for some guidance, which has brought an awareness of the benefits of celebrating wins first before thinking about goals. Previously, goal setting, for me has involved focussing on what has gone wrong or somewhere I believe I am failing.

Negativity Bias

Does this sound familiar? Research shows that, we tend to ignore our personal achievements and dwell on our shortcomings instead. In part this is the way we are built, what psychologists call ‘negativity bias’. Studies show we’re more likely to focus on the things we haven’t achieved than take stock of what we have accomplished.

Our negativity bias means we tend to pay more attention to negative events than positive ones and often make decisions based on negative rather than positive information. This is likely to be a result of evolution. Earlier in human history, paying attention to bad, dangerous, and negative threats in the world was literally a matter of life and death. Those who were more attuned to danger and who paid more attention to the bad things around them were more likely to survive. This meant they were also more likely to hand down the genes that made them more attentive to danger.

The evolutionary perspective suggests that this tendency to dwell on the negative more than the positive is simply one way the brain tries to keep us safe. Whilst this may still serve a purpose, it is something that can also hold us back and ultimately be damaging. An awareness of it and developing alternative thought patters is therefore important.

Why Focus on the Wins?

Spending time focussing on the positives, our achievements, wins, however, small makes us feel better and makes us more likely to achieve further success. Our brain is a reward-loving machine. At the centre of this is dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure, reward, and motivation. When we achieve a goal or receive positive feedback (even from ourselves), causes the release of dopamine, which boosts our mood, motivation and attention. It also signals us to keep doing the activity again and again. Missing this celebration, therefore, means that we not only miss out on the feelgood element, but also the prompt to support future achievement. If we consistently undermine or overlook our successes, we can inadvertently starve our brain of this positive reinforcement. This can lead to negative neural pathways and foster Imposter Syndrome or other forms of self-doubt.

If you acknowledge your skills and celebrate your achievements, you’ll begin to act in a way that embodies confidence and competence. If you focus on failure, you are more likely to doubt yourself which will make you less likely to succeed. Recognizing your wins, no matter how minor leads to improved performance, increased motivation, and a sense of well-being. This has been studied closely, multiple studies have revealed that individuals who take the time to acknowledge and celebrate their achievements exhibit higher levels of self-esteem, reduced anxiety, and enhanced job performance. One study indicated that participants who reflected on past successes before embarking on a task were more resilient and performed better than those who didn’t.

Embracing Success can also be a challenge if we have been brought up to be modest. We may (I know I do) feel uncomfortable about acknowledging achievements publicly. Acknowledging achievements doesn’t, however, necessarily mean flaunting them. It’s about internal validation. I did want to share some thought, partly for my own recognition, and, hopefully, to help you look for your wins too.

Reflecting on My Wins

2023 has been my first full year of running my own business. Whilst I have also had a school-based role for part of the time too, this has been a year of learning about business. Setting up my accounts, thinking about pricing and meeting an accountant to organise how I pay myself and ensure tax is paid properly has been an accomplishment.

Growth and expertise are two of my core values, this year I have been pleased to complete further coach training, so I can now be confident in coaching teams as well as individuals, I passed the new coaching competency exam, and having completed 500 hours of coaching (and the previous 125 hours of coach training and 10 hours of mentor coaching) became accredited at the higher level of PCC (Professional Certified Coach).

Connection is another core value of mine, and the relationships I have built with the school leaders I have coached, supported and the teachers I have mentored have been positive. Their feedback has been super, with them commenting on how the space I provide enables them to think and grow, and how the support and coaching has benefitted their wellbeing. Again, with wellness as one of my core values too, seeing the wellbeing benefits for school leaders and teachers has been great.

My overall purpose professionally is to support school leaders and teachers, in whatever I am doing. Indirectly, by providing governor training, which has been well received and from which feedback shows positive impact has also been a win.

Additionally, in a totally random move, I joined Teachers Talk Radio as a host this year, my fortnightly show has begun to attract downloads and feedback has been positive. I have also enjoyed this new experience, growth and learning.

In terms of achieving personal goals this year, I have been pleased to be able to spend some more time with my husband, Richard, to support him with his travelling role and be more present for him. My Dad too, has benefited from us having some more time together, and I have been pleased to be able to support him with shopping and other appointments as well as regular trips out for coffee and lunch. It was also great to have organised a reunion with friends from university in November, I can’t believe 30 years since we first met, and enjoying weekend back in Birmingham this year was great. Certainly a highlight to look back on.

I pleased to have kept up with running, especially with the dogs and have joined a gym and started Pilates. I’ve enjoyed some day light horse rides and attended a dressage competition. I have also embraced my creativity, beginning to master pyrography and Dremel engraving and producing some items for home and for gifts. All small wins, but important for wellness and creativity.

Next Steps

The process of writing these has brought a real wellbeing benefit. I have also been inspired to think of next steps and new goals, building on the success here. I am careful not to let this take away from my enjoyment of the simple accomplishments – and sometimes a clear “that’s good enough” means we don’t need to take something further – just enjoy the achievement. It has, however, helped me to begin to clarify some goals.

How to Embrace Success

The process of listing and writing a little about each win has inspired some new goals for 2024 – so look out for those later this week. First, however, I want to focus on consolidating the important step of embracing success. Here are the steps to follow if you want to gain the benefits from embracing success too.

First, acknowledge and make a habit of writing out your accomplishments, no matter how small. Some prompts that may help are:

  • How much have you changed in the last year? And in what ways?
    • What challenges have you faced and what did they teach you?
    • And what are the learnings you are taking into this new year?
    • What are you most proud to have achieved?

Next, share your achievements. You can talk to friends, mentors, colleagues or a coach. Talking out loud can help and their feedback may be helpful too, but remember, this is just one perspective.

When someone offers praise, accept it gracefully instead of deflecting or undermining compliments. You can try a simple “Thank you” as a response.

Why You Should Share Your Wins

Celebrating our achievements inspires others to do the same, creating a ripple effect. If we can encourage and uplift one another, we can drive collective growth and innovation.

What have been your accomplishments this year?

Even the smallest wins can cause the dopamine release and then the prompt to repeat these, thus building future success. Sharing your wins will also inspire others to do the same.

Purpose: The Importance of the Why?

December 7, 2023 / / 0 Comments

What does it mean to have purpose in life? Why is it important? and how can we find our purpose? These are the three questions I shall endeavour to answer here, as well as sharing examples of some purpose driven educators and leaders.

First, a bit off context. Most of my professional life has been in the world of education. Teaching can be a tough job with, for example, Ofsted and the wider accountability structures, cultural issues as well as underfunded services which are placing ever increasing pressure on educators and school leaders. There is, however, a lot of “purpose” in the education profession which I believe is a key factor that keeps great people in the profession.

At the moment, teachers and school leaders need some major changes to happen, including significant reform to the Ofsted inspection and reporting system, changes to accountability around exams and progress measures as well as increased funding for schools and other related services.

There are, however, real wellbeing benefits of having and reflecting on our moral purpose. I’m not talking about toxic positivity, but here I shall reflect on and share my learning about the importance of purpose.

Purpose – What’s Special about the Why?

Philosophers have sought and debated “the purpose of life” for centuries. I’m not going to attempt that here, but I am going to suggest that what matters is “our purpose in life”.

Our purpose or meaning in life is generally thought of as the central, motivating aims of our lives. Sometimes referred to as the reason we get up in the morning, our purpose is closely linked to our values and can guide our life decisions and direction, influence our behaviour and ultimately bring meaning to our lives.

Writing in the Harvard review in September 2023, Ayse Yemisicigill, Melis Sena Yilmaz and Matthew T. Lee define purpose as:

“an overarching intention that is personally meaningful to you and of consequence to the world beyond yourself. Your purpose can help you organize your life, give you a clear direction, and motivate you — especially when you encounter life’s inevitable setbacks and disappointments”

We all have a particular set of skills, talents, experiences and interests and our purpose is related to these. Our purpose is what motivates and drives us, what keeps us going when challenges are tough. It is also about the long game rather than short term or in the heat of the moment.

Purpose, for many is connected to meaningful work, or a vocation. It can also be about nurturing a family, bringing happiness to loved ones or commitment to a community. Purpose isn’t fixed and is likely to change through life. Change of purpose may happen after a significant life event, such a bereavement or children growing up or a change in relationship status.

Having a purpose is essential but finding what brings us meaning may not be straightforward and many of us can be confused about our purpose or lose sight of it from time to time. If we lose sight of what keeps us going, especially when faced by challenges, our mental health is likely to dip and our motivation will drop.

Writing in Psychology Today in March 2022, Kristen Fuller MD, a Physician who has become a writer, editor and reviewer explains that, according to research, individuals who have a strong sense of purpose and meaning in life tend to have better mental health, overall well-being, and cognitive functioning compared to those who lack a sense of purpose.

Fuller, who specialises in mental health, addiction, and primary care goes on to explain that individuals with a sense of life purpose are less likely to have heart attacks, strokes, and dementia. She cites several studies that also show that individuals with a strong sense of purpose tend to engage in healthier behaviours and lifestyle choices such as practicing regular physical exercise and participating in preventative health services.

A study in 2013 found that individuals with a strong sense of purpose in life were better at stress management and had better sleep than individuals without a strong sense of purpose. Research has also shown that having a positive and meaningful aspect in life may improve brain function, including overall cognition and memory. Additionally, individuals with purpose tend to have lower instances of depression.

The benefits of having a clear purpose are evident from the research research, I was interested to read and hear how highly a number of the most respected and influential education leaders and practitioners, as well as some earlier in their careers with whom I have been fortunate to work, regard purpose and how evident this is in their work.

Purpose Front and Centre

A Recent interview with Adrian Rogers, CEO of Chiltern Learning Trust as part of the TES 10 questions series highlighted an example of moral purpose in action. When asked why he works in education, Adrian responded by speaking about his background, describing how he was the first person in his family not to go down the pit, and how his intelligence gave him opportunities. He went on to describe how his background drives him, stating “you want children to have a better opportunity than you had, to make the schools that we run a better place for the children, to give them those wider opportunities.” He describes how part of his career has been in affluent areas but having a preference for schools in working class areas and a focus on raising aspirations. Later in the interview, where he describes some of the challenges he faced as a bright boy in a tough school, you can see why he is so keen to ensure the best possible educational experience for young people now across his trust.

And Adrian isn’t alone in his purpose driven leadership and sense of purpose in his professional life. I wrote to a number of leaders and educationalists asking them about their “purpose”. Sam Strickland (@Strickomaster on Twitter/X), Principal, CEO and author responded “I initially entered the profession due to my love for education, children and my absolute passion and love for wanting to teach history. I have absolutely loved my time in the profession. What keeps me here? A passion and desire to want to make a difference to my school, my staff, the pupils we serve and the community where my school is situated. I also see it as a privilege and an honour to be able to support the wider educational community through the opportunities afforded to me and my school.”

So, Sam is clear about his purpose, initially in sharing his knowledge and love of history – and then, that phrase we hear often “to make a difference”. As a Principal – the purpose of wanting to make a difference for his own school community – interestingly, specifically mentioning his staff.  Sam’s support for other teachers and heads beyond his own school is also widely known and so I think this sense of purpose is clear. Huge thanks Sam for responding.

Jamie Pardon, Director of Education and Former Headteacher in Pioneer Learning trust describes how she didn’t go into teaching directly from school, instead she started working in a  nursery as a TA and fell in love with the role. Jamie tells me that she didn’t love school herself as a pupil and student, largely after experiencing verbal and physical bullying in Year 7. Explaining this further, Jamie says, “I wanted to be part of the solution,  my motto is ‘be the change you want to see’. I went into primary rather than secondary, simply because I couldn’t pick a subject! What keeps me in education put simply is I still believe in the reasons I went into teaching. Of course, working in a fantastic organisation that is forward thinking and invests in people in all levels key too!”

Paul Carlile, a former Headteacher and now consultant and leader linked to a large successful MAT in Hull responded “So, I went in to teaching because as a secondary student who wanted to study music I missed this opportunity because of the inadequate teaching I received over 4 years … meaning I was unable to make the grade – ( syllabus not covered in both practical and theory ) the college wouldn’t accept me without the grades. I decided to go in to teaching to ensure pupils receive an equitable experience and realise their dreams.”

Geoff and Margaret, favourites of mine on X, who you may recall returned to the classroom answering the “call” for retired teachers to return during the pandemic. During today’s pub lunch, they said “ It was the children who brought us into teaching and the children who kept us there! We both just wanted to make a difference. Even though the job can be exhausting, it’s a privilege to be able shape a life.”

For the ECTs I have had the privilege of mentoring, talking “purpose” has been fascinating. For Katie who teaches year 1, it is “helping the children to develop their understanding of the world.” Oliver, who teaches year 2 tells me he gets purpose from seeing the lasting impact we have as teachers. He also values he bonds we create, says he enjoys the joy of being crazy and seeing the progress children make. For Celine, she recalls the positive impact one of her own primary school teachers had on her, and has recently been in touch with her. Such an inspiration.

Bex Owen, currently acting head at Little Paxton Primary school has clear moral purpose. As a former pupil at the school herself, now as substantive deputy head and currently acting head she describes always wanting to be a teacher. She explains, “I am massively passionate about bringing out the best in people and helping them to discover what they are brilliant at. I do want to make a difference in children’s lives and give them the best start to their education so they become lifelong learners. Even though education can be tough, it really is the best job in the world. Seeing children curious, eager to learn, getting experiences that they may not have without school and growing up to make a difference in society makes everything worthwhile. There is not a day, or hour, that is the same so teaching is never boring. Knowing you unlock the future for children through what you teach is an amazing feeling!” Bex has been at the same school for her whole career, the same school she attended as a child, and describes herself as invested in the local community.

Other leaders have similar stories. Molly describes wanting to teach because her mum was an LSA in a school, she would often go and volunteer in her school, and absolutely loved watching the teacher teach the children and interacting with them. Molly says when she was younger she really enjoyed school and worked hard and now, as a teacher, some days are hard but the reward of teaching and seeing the children achieve in small moments is absolutely amazing and so she wouldn’t want to do anything else.

Alex described how he was really unsure of what to do after leaving university so he tried volunteering in schools and LOVED it. Started in secondary then tried primary. He describes the satisfaction of being part of the school’s “journey” and feeling like you are having an I impact.

Some common themes and some contrasts. The influence of their own experiences as children and young people has been interesting, either inspired by school days they loved, or not enjoying school for various reasons and wanting to make it better for the next generation of children and young people seems to be a common theme.

For me, school wasn’t always a great place. Primary school didn’t always provide much in the way of challenge, and then at secondary school, this was also often the case. I often wasn’t that enthused or inspired, but do remember some teachers who did provide work, lessons and discussion that captured my imagination and made me think. In addition, I never really felt that I “fitted in” and so I have always wanted school to be a place that is as inclusive as possible – where children and young people can be who they truly are and understand about belonging rather than fitting in.

I guess, I wanted, as a teacher and then as a head to make sure this was the case more often ideally all of the time) for the children in my class. Becoming a school leader this widened to school level, wanting to support and challenge teachers to be the best they can be. Since leaving headship, I can see my purpose has changed a little. Now, I want to be able to enable school leaders to be the best version of themselves, anything I can do the help, through any coaching, support, governance to enable them to thrive and make their schools great places for all children and young people to learn.

What is clear is that however challenging education is, it is a vocation that brings a sense of purpose, tapping into this, thinking about it and bringing it to the front of your mind will bring wellbeing benefits.

So, how can we find our purpose?

Finding Purpose

Just because it is healthy to have a sense of purpose or meaning does not mean that a sense of purpose is easy to find. Sometimes we also assume something is our purpose because it is what we have heard, or we feel it ought to be. That is the danger of giving those examples – whilst it is great to hear about others, it is our own purpose that matters to us, and the inner work we may need to do to really find it and articulate it so that we can strive to live a life that aligns to our purpose.

  1. Take time for yourself. Finding your purpose will take time. You can use the rest of the ideas here as a basis for writing, or reflecting, or work with a coach to explore this further. Whatever you do, it will need some quality thinking time.
  2. Try new experiences, get out of your comfort zone and then take time to reflect on your experiences. This was one of the outcomes from the research into finding purpose done by Ayse Yemiscigil, Melis Sena Yılmaz and Matthew T. Lee published in September 2023 in the Harvard business review. Their study with 400 students graduating from high school showed this to be a prime factor. The research also showed that purpose was strong where people were engaging in experiences that showed them how their interests can help them contribute to others’ lives in ways that are personally meaningful. Reflection on these experiences was also found to be crucial, specifically reflecting on how the experiences linked to something that was socially useful.
  3. Search Inward. Tony Robbins, American Author and coach says that the questions “What is my purpose in life?” and “How can I be happy?” are actually the same – and they have the same answer. He argues that you can never truly understand how to find your purpose by listening to others’ opinions and seeking outside approval and that everything you need is within yourself. Robbins argues that the only thing holding us back is our own limiting beliefs and advocates identifying each limiting belief and replace it an empowering belie. Through doing this, he says we develop greater self-awareness and when we’re in control of our emotions, we’re in control of our life. We can discuss our goals and purpose, this is advocated strongly through the research by Ayse Yemiscigil, Melis Sena Yılmaz and Matthew T. Lee, taking feedback and using as we wish, but ultimately, it is up to each of us as individuals to do the work, and make sure we are focussed on our own purpose, not something we think we should have as our purpose. A non judgemental coach space can provide this opportunity for reflection.
  4. Purpose before goals. Robbins says if you focus only on achieving short-term goals, you will never find your true passion or learn how to find your purpose. The goals you work toward must always be based on finding your purpose. If they’re not, you’ll only feel a fleeting sense of accomplishment and will soon be seeking something more. You won’t be able to see that life is happening for you instead of to you. When you set a goal, ask yourself: How will this help me feel more fulfilled? How does this relate back to my purpose? Robbins advises keeping a journal to keep your purpose at the top of your mind.
  5. Focus on what you have. Developing an abundance mindset helps us to see beauty and goodness all around us and makes our purpose in life much clearer. It helps us to feel like we have more of the answers and that we are on the path to achieving meaningful goals. When we focus on what we have, fear disappears and abundance appears.
  6. Take ownership of your life. Think carefully and decide what’s truly right, You must not let yourself be driven by fear or anxiety and realise that every circumstance in your life is a result of your own decisions.
  7. Think about what brings you joy.  When you discover what brings you joy, you usually discover where your passions lie. Your abilities are connected to that sense of joy, so examine them too.
  8. Think about your needs. what are your most fundamental needs? This is an easy one to get wrong, and it is common for us to have a false sense of purpose based on others’ expectations rather than our own needs. Fulfilment begins with your innermost needs.

These ideas for finding our purpose make sense when we also reflect on some of the examples from those who generously shared their purpose with me. New experiences were common, positive benefits for others are also evident and common features of core purpose.

Reflections on Purpose

One thing that I can honestly reflect has been on my work this year with a Primary School that I have really grown to love. When I ask myself why this work has made me smile every day, always want to get up and go in to school, to be out on the gate whatever the weather, to work through any challenges, I can see it is all about the purpose. Supporting the ECTs to be the best versions of themselves, to be able then in turn to provide great education and opportunity for this wonderful school community has brought real alignment with my purpose. Of course, them being a great team to work with and the children and families being lovely too has helped. It has been a wonderful to spend the past 12 months with the ECTs and this last term with the new leadership team, and now I know they will continue to go from strength to strength. It has been a privilege to be even just a small part of their journey. Thank you Springfield for everything. It’s all about the purpose.

Wellbeing: A whole self check in

December 7, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Do you have a particular time of year that you find more difficult than the rest of the year? Many of us do, for some, it is Christmas, for others it is mid January after the festivities have died down. For me, it is early November, for a number of reasons that combine to make this a time when I am likely to feel low, less motivated and generally less mentally well than most of the rest of the year.

A number of factors combine to make this time particularly challenging for me.

The clocks go back at the end of October, leaving the first week in November feeling darker in the evenings. A subtle change, but I find dark evenings difficult, lots of the things I enjoy and find make me feel better need outdoors and daylight, or are certainly better like this – horse riding, walking, running all work better with lighter nights, especially if work doesn’t allow time in the day. Whilst not the shortest nights, at this point, after the change and loss of an hour of evening daylight, I also know that “this is as good as it gets” in terms of evening light for four months. It is the time of year when I lost my mum, a long time ago, when I was on teaching practice, and I think these factors together make this a difficult time.

A couple of years ago, during November having what I now know were symptoms of burnout that had grown over a couple of years, my work as headteacher was feeling unmanageable I reached a point where I needed to stop and take a break. I was fortunate to receive some excellent support, from the wellbeing service our school used, my coach, some colleagues past and present and friends and family too.

I returned to school for the end of term, and for the Spring term, but I had made the decision to take a new direction, and left at Easter. Since then, as a coach, supporting school leaders has been an important part of my work. Knowing more about myself and signs to look out for that tell me to focus a little more on wellbeing are important too. This brings me on to the whole self check in.

Wellbeing check in

I saw these resources earlier this year and particularly like ideas here on this poster as I think they are really useful as a check in.

Stress Container

The stress container is something I have used a lot as a tool to help me think carefully about what I need to do in order to maintain or return to a place where I am able to manage my stress effectively. It is a key part of Mental Health First Aid training, and I find it really useful.

Start by thinking of the size of your container, our vulnerability to stress is determined by a number of factors including genes, our life experiences and environment.

The sources of stress flowing into the container will vary for each of us, but can include work related stress such as workload, multiple and conflicting demands, finances, conflict, bereavement or poor diet. There is space in the container for some of these, but when there is too much at once and the container overflows, we will feel and demonstrate the effects of stress. We may become ill, snap, feel overwhelmed and generally struggle to cope.

Coping Strategies – Turning the Tap On

There are ways we can turn on the tap to let some of the stress out and reduce the overflow. For me, this is all about being outside with our animals, riding my horse or running with with the dogs. Physical exercise, rest – see my blog on the seven types of rest, meditation and generally taking time for yourself are all helpful coping strategies.

There are also unhelpful strategies, like drinking alcohol, overworking or excessive social media access. These may appear to help briefly, but quickly “block” the tap and create further overflow and as such are definitely best avoided.

The thing about the stress container for me is that it is visual, makes me think and rationalise and helps me to make deliberate choices about looking after myself. Making a note of this, setting myself some specific tasks to do that look after me and then checking back is important to keep me on track so that I don’t neglect the important task of looking after myself.

What can you do to prioritise your self care?

Equity? Class issues in the Classroom

October 14, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Following on from my blog and Teachers Talk Radio Show in September about racial equity, in October, for my fortnightly Friday evening twilight show on Teachers Talk Radio, I was inspired once again to consider the topic of equity. This time, from a perspective of social class, a category not included in the Equality Act. My inspiration for this came partly from an article in the Guardian – which had received much interest on Twitter, referring to a new book on the subject. I had also delivered training for governors on their responsibilities with the Pupil Premium Grant and am privileged to be spending some time working in a school with a fantastic working class community. As a coach and educator, where barriers to success and seeking to overcome them are common themes, this felt like a topic I had to discuss. Teachers Talk Radio: Class issues in the Classroom – the twilight show with Maxine H

Sally Weale writes an excellent article, published on 3rd October The Guardian: Warning over unconscious bias against working-class pupils in English schools. which gained a lot of interest on Twitter, prompting a broad and fascinating discussion. The article references the work of Lee Elliot Major – specifically his new book Equity in Education: Levelling the playing field of learning – a practical guide for teachers (published by John Catt Educational), co-authored by Emily Briant, teacher and doctoral student. Elliot Major is Britain’s first professor of social mobility, based at the University of Exeter. He was previously the Chief Executive of the Sutton Trust, awarded an OBE in 2019 for services to social mobility, and proudly, the first in his family to go to university.

As I explained in the podcast, I am no expert on this subject, many other well respected names have more knowledge and have studied the topic closely. I have an interest, as a coach and educator in the subjects of equity and many of the issues around bias and limiting beliefs raised in the article, the book and in the discussions on Twitter relating to this.

Equity in Education – a practical guide for teachers is a very interesting read, I would recommend it for anyone in the education world – from ECT or trainee to CEO.

Elliot Major argues that Schools in England must do more to challenge unconscious bias in the classroom against children from working-class backgrounds. On Twitter, Professor Damien Page – Deputy Vice Chancellor at Buckinghamshire New University and Professor of Education states that he agrees with agree with much what Elliot Major writes about, including “middle class advantages being baked into the education system”. He disagrees, however with the use of the term unconscious bias, arguing “there is usually little unconscious about bias.”

Professor Page has written extensively on the topic of bias. Citing his wider research, in a series of Twitter posts he explains “Unconscious Bias starts from the premise that bias is natural and inevitable. Problem: research suggests that when people are told that discrimination is inevitable, they are more likely to discriminate as it provides a means of dissociating bias from their active choices – it provides a get out clause that explains how discrimination can be present even in those who consider themselves egalitarian. Because, you know, it’s unconscious.” He goes on to argue “On its own, unconscious bias is an organisational salve, a call for forgiveness, a get out of jail card, a sleight of hand that provides an alternative to actively challenging discrimination and maintains the status quo of white, male, middle-class, heteronormative power. If organisations want to use UB training, let it be a gateway process that leads to a focus on individual accountability for bias and definitive, zero-tolerance action whenever it occurs. We need far more focus on the conscious rather than the unconscious.”

As I interpret this, it is our responsibility to be aware of our biases – be accountable for them, call them out, not settling for an it being inevitable or acceptable due to its unconscious nature. This makes sense to me – and I hope it is an interpretation that is accurate. It makes me see that as educators, school leaders, governors and anyone else with any influence on the system, we need to look at all possible biases – and challenge them. Why do we do it this way? Why have we made that decision? What assumptions or biases may have been involved? A big task, but change is needed.

Elliot Major suggests that teachers, like all humans, are hard wired to take quick, instinctive actions, and as teachers are more likely to be from middle class backgrounds, may well be biased against children from working class backgrounds. They may have lower expectations. He goes on to cite studies from as recently as 2022 which conclude that show teachers may act differently towards children from working-class backgrounds, showing less warmth, giving less eye contact and lower-quality feedback on what they need to do next in order to advance their learning.

I found this deeply concerning, and highlighted to me the need for all of us involved in education to reflect on this, to look honestly at our biases, and ask ourselves some pretty challenging questions around this.

In his book, Elliot Major makes a number of practical recommendations for schools, including staff sessions to reflect on subconscious biases that may be creating barriers for some children, a “deep listening campaign” to understand the community the school serves, and measures to “poverty proof” the school day, helping families access food, uniforms, school trips and after school clubs.

It would seem that acknowledging and seeking to understand the biases behind the behaviours, as identified in research is a valid starting point.

Elliot Major says lessons should celebrate working-class achievement and feature figures such as Stormzy, Tracey Emin, the 19th-century palaeontologist Mary Anning and the scientist Michael Faraday.

He also suggests pupils from low-income families should be referred to as “under-resourced” rather than “disadvantaged”, as he says the term can lead to unconscious bias and lower expectations for these children. He explains “The problem with terming a child as ‘disadvantaged’ is that it is a binary classification, leading to a crude demarcation between who is or who is not ‘advantaged’. He goes on to say “It immediately invites us into the trap of deficit thinking, implying there is something wrong with children that we apparently need to solve. It focuses our minds on individuals, when facing hardship or poverty is about the circumstances individuals find themselves in.”

I can see his point here, aspirations and expectations as educators are so important. “disadvantaged” has limiting connotations, however, as Dr Lisa McKenzie – senior lecturer in sociology at the University of Bedfordshire argues on Twitter (@redrumlisa) “lets not stop saying ‘disadvantaged’ because its binary meaning theirs the ‘advantaged’ that’s a true assessment. Let’s not say ‘under resourced’ lets say what it is one group is disadvantaged by another’s advantage”.

This presents an interesting counter argument – arguing that as it is the middle classes and the system that advantages them that is ultimately disadvantaging those from lower income backgrounds – and so the term should remain to recognise this.

In “Equity in Education” sets out what is necessary in order to create Equity based Education. This, he explains, is based on four key principals.

  1. Children who face greater barriers outside of school deserve more attention in the classroom.
  2. Adopt a capacity not deficit mindset. Focus on what children can do rather than what they can’t. This includes assessing whether our own cultural norms are alienating some children. Adapt the system to fit chjildren from working class systems, rather than getting them to fit into one centred round the middle classes.
  3. Nurture authentic, individual relationships with all children, acknowledging that all are unique.
  4. Value all talents – not just the narrow academic ones.

The book is divided into guidance for classroom practitioners, leaders, CEOs and also includes a national and international scale – showing the need for systemic change at all levels.

So many valuable and intelligent arguments – creating points for reflection. Here are my main takeaways:

  • As educators, encouraging high aspiration is always important. Asking ourself whether our aspirations and views are influenced by bias (and they are likely to be) and then how we need to own that and counter it. Do we expect less of some children than others? Probably – and why is this? It comes back to the use of terms like “low ability” when actually we are probably referring to prior attainment. What makes us take a view of a child’s ability?
  • As a coach, that bias is likely to be there for us too, we need to be aware of it, it may be there for clients – as a low self expectation of self or others. What can we do to challenge this? Looking at facts and separating these from assumptions.
  • Limiting beliefs are significant – if we haven’t seen role models that look like us or sound like us – similar to discussions of racial equity, senior leaders, well known artists, academics etc are likely to be from a middle class background. It is important for young people to see role models that they can relate to – and therefore our job to be aware of any biases that are stopping us form appointing or promoting these working class role models.
  • As teachers or school leaders, there are practical changes we can make in our classrooms and schools, as well as reflecting on who we are as humans and professionals and how our beliefs and behaviours can be challenged and changed so that we are more equitable in our approach.

Feedback – listen, reflect and decide what to do

September 22, 2023 / / 0 Comments

A reflection on our Pets as Therapy Assessment

Great news, Alfie and Frankie passed their Pets as Therapy (PAT) assessments with flying colours. Two lovely dogs, with great temperaments who can now join me to volunteer in schools, and also to provide additional support when I am coaching.

Frankie Passed First Time

For Frankie it was an easy, first time pass. Meeting people, being adored, stroked, fed treats and listening to conversations comes naturally to her. Whilst exercise and mental stimulation are a vital for her, very little specific training was required for the PAT assessment other than some lead practice. Even walking quietly on a lead, for a dog bred to pull sledges, came relatively easily. Frankie loves people, she’s gentle and of course, her soft Husky coat feels soft to touch making her a favourite with anyone (as long as they don’t mind a little hair transferring onto their clothes).

Now don’t get me wrong, life with a Husky isn’t always straightforward, Frankie is a canine Houdini, capable of finding her way out of even the most secure area. She has also chewed up some nice shoes, sunglasses and headphones. Pets as Therapy has, however, been perfect for her. You can see from the picture below, she happily joins me and Dad on a day out and she always attracts a lot of attention with her blue eyes and striking appearance.

Alfie – outcome deferred, feedback given

For Alfie, it wasn’t quite so straightforward. The initial feedback from his first assessment was that he wasn’t suitable as a PAT dog – he was “deferred” due to not meeting the standards required in the assessment. He was too loud and excitable and needed to be steadier, sit and wait and most importantly, be quiet.

Alfie is a “high energy” dog, always enthusiastic, easily excited, but like Frankie has a lovely nature and loves people. The assessor made it clear that serious training was going to be needed if he was to ever be able to become a Pets as Therapy dog. For a short time I considered whether it was going to possible, and worth the effort. Alfie’s lovely, friendly nature – if sometimes over exuberant, I felt needed to be shared, and to do credit to Alfie, I really wanted him to be able to do this.

Second time round, in a busy garden centre, Alfie passed with flying colours, he arrived quietly, walked round without any reactions or loud noises and met people and another dog calmly.

Reflections – Reframing a fail as our First Attempt In Learning and Using Feedback

For me, there were some major reflection points here. I’ve spoken many times before in classroom settings about seeing getting something wrong or a “fail” as the First Attempt At Learning. There are other times, and instead of “I can’t”, we can reframe as “I can’t YET”. At the first assessment Alfie didn’t meet the standards YET.

I hoped that with work, guidance, using the feedback and advice, success would be possible. Of course, Alfie didn’t know he had failed or more precisely been “deferred”, but as humans, when we don’t pass it can be difficult and may feel quite scary to even contemplate a second attempt. I know it is for me as I attach too much of my self worth in things that are or I perceive to be pass/succeed or fail. The likelihood of doing this comes from when we are young and our care givers, the adults around us often praise us for things we have made/done well or achieved. There’s absolutely no criticism of them for doing what felt right, but unfortunately it then becomes natural to start to tie how we value and see ourselves with what we produce/pass/achieve in this sense. Fortunately for Alfie, he doesn’t think like this – as he is a dog, and so wasn’t perturbed at all by the outcome. He still received treats, fuss and praise – as it didn’t change what a lovely little canine person he is. Maybe we should all be a bit more “Alfie” (maybe not so loud) and and be happy to do the work and try again.

There are two key questions that come up here from a coaching perspective:

  1. If you try again, what’s the worst thing that can happen?
  2. What are the consequences of doing nothing.

These two questions, if given full consideration can be helpful to help move blocks and to encourage action. A coach can listen and look out for reactions whilst we answer these. If the worst that could happen is failing again – what does this mean to you? Why is this is bad?

A focus on the second question – what happens if you do nothing? What are the consequences of inaction?

Feedback – Listen, Reflect and Decide What to Do

Of course, whilst I am crediting Alfie for his success in passing his assessment, when it came to responding to feedback, that was my job and it wasn’t easy.

Listen

First, when we are given feedback, the listening phase is important. Not just hearing casually, but listening closely. Exactly what is being said. How can we make sure we are hearing all of the key messages? This is where the next part is important too.

This sounds easy, but it can be more complex. The person giving feedback may see things you don’t, so listen carefully.

With Alfie, it was straightforward feedback – in the assessment, he was too loud, too excitable, he needed to be calmer and quieter. There were positives too – he was friendly, took the treat gently, loved being brushed. Understanding what school environments, care homes, hospitals etc would need from the therapy dog was also emphasized and was important for me to focus on.

Reflect

This is the most under used and easily skipped part. We often jump from getting feedback to jumping in quickly and following it (sometimes this is important) or deciding straight away to ignore it – often with a few disgruntled feelings along with it. Sometimes this is necessary, but in most cases we are missing the important reflection part.

Key questions to ask ourselves about the feedback

  1. Remind (and if) why we were seeking feedback in the first place – and why (if) from this person.
  2. Examine any assumptions we are making (they are only saying that because…) for each assumption ash “how true is that?” and look for any evidence to support it. At this point, you may keep or remove some of those assumptions.
  3. Ask yourself what could happen if I acknowledge this feedback. What is the best and worst possible outcome?
  4. What could happen if I ignore this feedback? What are the consequences of not making any changes the feedback suggests you need

I’d asked for feedback because I wanted Alfie to become a PAT dog. He would be a great asset visiting schools and will be able to add to coaching too. I’d asked the assessor as a well respected dog trainer. Despite this logic, without reminding myself of this, I would have quite possibly been too upset to continue, ignored it and given up. What does she know anyway? Probably doesn’t like terriers! There were no real dire consequences of not following this – Alfie could live quite happily without becoming a PAT dog, but the training is useful anyway and being able to take him to new places quietly has been a great benefit. Again – an appreciation of why Alfie would need to be calmer and quieter was helpful, as were the tips on how this might be achieved.

Decide

And now to decide what to do. This is where you use your reflection to come up with a plan. Set some targets/goals and some actions in place to get towards that goal. What do you need to do differently? How will you do that? Who can help you? What will it feel like when you get to that goal?

As Alfie needed to get used to lots of different places, and not always expect a trip out to involve a run and the associated excitement, Alfie had to go to lots of coffee shops and pubs – places where he had to sit quietly. You’re probably thinking that sounds like good training to be doing, and you’re not wrong. What a lovely thing to do, have lots of reasons to go out, drink coffee (or maybe something stronger) and chat, accompanied by our lovely Alfie.

Mr H also got involved with the training and before long, Alfie could arrive somewhere without too much excitement and sit quietly. He had always been good with people, enjoying fuss and taking treats gently so I started to be optimistic and booked him for a new assessment.

And now their work begins

Alfie and Frankie can now join me for coaching if any clients would like a canine coach companion, and they also have some availability for school visits. They have through risk assessments and sample letters that can be tailored to meet the needs of most establishments. Both of them are looking forward to their Pets as Therapy assignments, so please let me know if you’d like them to visit.

Here’s a picture of them, with Flo too, enjoying some exercise and chill out time on a run. We can’t wait to start our Pets as Therapy volunteering and I’m looking forward to them joining me in some coaching.

Racial Equity: Reflections on #REND

July 21, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Last week, I was privileged to attend the #REND (Racial Equity network Dinner) hosted by Chiltern Teaching school and Sufian Sadiq. Such an inspirational evening with quality speakers, thought provoking content, great food and a superb opportunity to network with 480 like minded educators and leaders from across the country.

I have previously written about barriers and the speakers at #REND got me thinking about the very real barriers faced by a significant proportion of our population. There were also reflections on values, authenticity as areas I have written about previously, and so have felt compelled to dedicate this blog to the subject of racial equity.

Whilst we may think we re living in enlightened times, it is clear from the speakers at #REND and other research that society is far from equitable and that systemic racism is very real. As a white British woman, I admit to not always being so acutely aware of the reality of inequality in the system and the challenges still faced by those identifying as BAME (black and ethnic minority). The #REND speakers made the currently challenges acutely clear, whilst also presenting, at times, an optimism of how we can challenge this and move closer to achieving a more equitable society.

The Facts

Currently, only 6% of school leaders in the UK identify as BAME. As the 2021 UK census showed that 18% of the UK population are from a black, Asian or mixed ethnic group, this shows how significant this under representation is.

Role models are so important to young people, and the assumptions about what we can do in our future is informed by the roles played by those who look like us during in our formative years. Looking back now, I remember how pleased I was aged 15 to be in a school for the first time with a female headteacher, a woman, and therefore someone I identified with straight away. Would I have believed some 20 years later that headship was a possibility for me if I hadn’t seen this role carried out so well by someone I identified with? Consciously or subconsciously, I hadn’t considered quite so important. For children of BAME backgrounds, how impactful might this lack of representation be? Hearing speakers at #REND for the last two years has really opened my eyes to this.

Carry this forward and think about what governors and leaders may “expect” a headteacher to look like based on their own experience, and we see why is is very possible that without significant changes in the system, this under representation will continue.

Real Life Experiences

At a recent Teach First Event, as well as at the #REND event, speakers spoke about first hand experiences of treatment that some may find surprising to learn are still occurring in the 21st century. Leaders cited clear examples where:

  • They were regularly being passed over for promotions.
  • They were told that they don’t have enough experience (even though they clearly have more than the person appointed).
  • They were provided little or no opportunities for you to lead on initiatives.
  • They had been confronted by assumptions and stereotypes – classic examples are “you can handle the naughty kids” or “I see you more as a pastoral type person; teaching and learning isn’t the right fit for you”.

Stereotypes

The final bullet point really made me think. When, as school leaders, we reach views on what we see as the strengths of individuals, I think it is really important to examine where these views come from. What are the facts? What has someone done/achieved to show a strength and equally, what makes you think something else isn’t a strength? How could these strengths be developed? If we are trying to think positively and to have a positive mindset, why are we limiting people – whatever their background?

I think about this a lot as a coach. What are facts and what are assumptions?

Where do we get these assumptions from?

Facts and Figures

According to evidence collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency, which collects data for the U.K.’s higher education sector around 5.5% of Black graduates are unemployed a little over a year after graduation, compared with 2.8% of white graduates. This links to a statement made by a BAME Teach First ambassador who highlighted that they had seen a trend of black NQTs (this was 2021 just before the shift to ECTs) being more likely to be offered temporary rather than permanent contracts compared to white NQTs.

#REND

Speakers at #REND spoke passionately about their own experiences, their challenges and barriers they have faced.

Sufian opened the evening, saying “Over time you develop a hyper vigilance, a sensitivity. But the stories come with you.”

He went on to say,

“The human connection is crucial to tackling inequity.”

Professor Paul Miller made a strong statement about racism: “It’s personal, it’s institutional, it’s systemic. Let’s all take a ‘common enemy’ approach to racism. “

This was followed by a call to action from Hannah Wilson (@Ethical_Leader): “Let’s disrupt and dismantle – #allyship is not enough”.

Dr Derren Wallace spoke at length about the depth of change needed, explaining; “We must be deeply committed to racial equity”

“We often hear that there is power in our diversity, but let me clear about why it is powerful.

It is powerful when we stand together across lines of race, across lines of gender and across lines of social class. Because when an issue gets mounted, the education of our children, for example, it cannot be relegated to simply being a black issue, or a brown issue or a white issue. It cannot be relegated to being an issue just for girls or just for boys. It cannot be relegated to simply be an issue just for the working classes, but it is an issue for all of us. That’s the power in our diversity. That’s when we stand together undivided”.

Such a powerful, uplifting message.

Luton MP Sarah Owen, after sharing her own stories, called to us to “Please continue the fight, because we are behind you all the way.”

Sarah spoke about the power of education and the importance of belonging, saying “When people feel like they belong, they feel safe.”

On Twitter, I saw an interesting reflection referring to #REND: “How many people at the event had to work twice as hard to get half as far or be considered half as good?”

I wonder, genuinely about this.

Obstacles – Not a Level Playing Field

An article in the Guardian, back in 2022 tells the story of four headteachers. Josephine Okokon, head of St Martins-in-the-Field high school for girls, London explained:

“My race became an issue very early in my career as a teacher and I began to discover these subtle, covert barriers. I was often the only female teacher of colour and I soon began to see the white teachers getting more encouragement, more support and more mentoring than me. I was left to fend for myself.

Whenever I tried to put myself forward for promotion, I was told that I needed more experience but I’d look at the white teachers who had moved up and think, they’ve got the same, if not slightly less experience than me.”

She went on to say “As I gradually worked my way up, I found that if there was any multicultural mix in the school at all, it stopped at the middle leadership. After that level, school governors are the ones making the recruitment decisions.”

As a governor, this made me think – the importance here for governors to ensure they receive training and follow processes, with advice and guidance is crucial.

Funmi Alder, head of Bearwood primary school, Berkshire states “There is absolutely systemic racism in the teaching profession, which makes it very hard to progress in your career. I know a disproportionate number of very good teachers of colour who would make amazing headteachers but seem to be stuck in middle leadership posts.”

She goes on to say “It doesn’t become easier when you become a headteacher. If anything, your position becomes more precarious because the higher you go, the more people have a problem with taking direction from those who don’t look like them. This is why new black headteachers have to work much harder than their white counterparts in developing relationships with staff with the sad reality being, that some will never accept you.”

Anne Hamilton, headteacher at the Evelina hospital school, London explains, “When I was doing my national professional qualification for headship (NPQH), my mentor – a white head – told me she didn’t know where I could get a headship. Now, why did this white woman imply that I would never be a head? I had got on to this prestigious course and she had been chosen as my mentor. It was her role to give me everything I needed to do a good job when I became a head, not to tell me to give up.”

Ross Ashcroft, headteacher, Cherry Oak primary school, Birmingham describes instances of unconscious bias where he has turned up to greet a visitor in reception in a suit and tie, and they presumed he is teaching assistant. He also describes being accused of being too aggressive (when he knows he hasn’t) and going for headship interviews and told that he didn’t get the job because the governing board said he “wasn’t the best fit” or that “they weren’t sure whether they could work with him” despite him scoring top marks in all the tasks and having no areas identified for improvement in the interviews.

He also explains that he has spent pretty much his whole career in pastoral, behavioural and safeguarding. He says it wasn’t what he necessarily wanted but being nudged or pushed towards these specialisms is a common theme among teachers of colour, especially black men. He believes this may be because BAME men are inherently thought of as being intimidating and confrontational and it means they often end up being glorified bouncers rather than teachers. These non-academic specialisms then have a knock-on effect meaning those who have done these roles then hit a brick wall when applying for headships because most senior leadership roles require specialist experience in curriculum areas.

These are real life examples of how teachers and school leaders of colour have faced significant barriers. It is a huge problem that requires a major change in our culture and systems.

An Optimistic Future?

Given the size and depth of the problem, is there any hope for the future?

#REND showed the strength of support for Racial Equity. 480 people attended, tickets sold out faster than Glastonbury. An incredible evening with school leaders and others from the world of education and beyond standing tall and in solidarity. An isolated event, but something hugely positive in raising the awareness of the problem, bring a call to arms for all and creating some momentum for change.

One of the Speakers, Dr Patrice Evans, Deputy Headteacher at Challney Boys, and one of Sufian’s own teachers spoke about her own experiences as a black female teacher and school leaders, the challenges she has faced.

She ended, however, with an optimistic statement. She said:

“I look at you right now and I smile. I am heartened by the range of diversity in the room. “You have each other… People will throw stones. But pick them up and build empires with them.”

Thank you Dr Evans. You are a true inspiration.

Thank you also to Sufian and the Chiltern Teaching School, not just for this event, but for everything you do in working towards racial equity. I’m proud to be in your network and walk by your side.

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