Attendance: A Vicious Circle
A guest blog by Sarah Garner, Deputy CEO, Unity Schools Partnership. In many organisations, particularly in the educational sector, a…
A SCITT Survival Story: What I Learned About Teacher Training and Myself
An anonymous guest blog. Before You Read My Story… I’m now thriving as an Early Career Teacher (ECT), with a fantastic mentor and students…
The Values Compass: A Guide to Personal and Professional Alignment
In our journey through our careers and lives, we often find ourselves at crossroads, facing decisions that shape our personal and…
Removing OFSTED Single-Word Judgements. What Is the Big Deal?
A guest blog by Sarah Hussey. For a brief time, this morning (2nd September), the news headlines about the immediate changes to OFSTED…
Beyond Boundaries: Embracing Co-Parenting with Dad’s Co-Pilot
A guest blog by Harry Lock. As a dad, I've learned firsthand the profound impact our relationships have on our children. It's not just…
Grit and Growth: The Joys of Girls’ Football
I'm proud of my first non-teaching-related piece in a long time, so re-blogging it here. Originally posted here:…
Self-limiting Beliefs
A guest blog by Sarah Hussey. Performance coaches, ADHD coaches, executive coaches, in fact all coaches, spend a lot of time exploring the…
The Art of Letting Go
A guest blog by Aini Butt. The biggest mistake we make is when we put terms and conditions on the act of letting go; that in itself is a…
ADHD – A Woman’s Story
A guest blog by Sarah Hussey. The day that Holly got her ADHD diagnosis was bittersweet to say the least. She was 28 years old and we were…
Headship – A Few Tips to Help You Rise and Thrive
A guest blog written by Julie Cassiano. Follow Julie on X (Twitter) @julie_cass1. Firstly, a huge congratulations on securing your first…
Real Lives of Teachers and School Staff: Navigating the Highs and Lows of Schools Today. A New Book!
What’s it really like to work in schools today? How do the ‘critical incidents’ in our lives and our work influence our sense of identity…
We Can Never Be Employers of Choice Until We Promote Being a Sector of Choice
A guest blog by Helen Stevenson. Helen (a former teacher and MAT Executive Leader) is the Founding Director of Satis Education which deals…
Clarity, Connection and Coaching
Dr Emma Kell in conversation with Sarah Hussey. Reflections on her recent health scares, tips for current school leaders and the power of…
Possibilities and Perspective
A guest blog by Sarah Hussey. Possibilities and Perspectives or What You Get When You Begin to Heal. My little blog, How Headship Broke My…
What It’s Also Like to Be a Teacher
This blog is reproduced here with permission. Written by Ian McDaid on his blog on 15th May 2023. Preface from Emma I’m constantly struck…
Muddy Waters
A guest blog by Aini Butt. ‘Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the…
How Headship Broke My Heart
A guest blog by Sarah Hussey. Preface by Emma Kell Presenting to large groups of people is (and arguably, should always be)…
Shards
A guest blog by Aini Butt. You seek validation from the mirror, a forced smile to please its reflection. Your tears blurring your vision, a…
My Response to the Plan
A guest blog by Abigail Gray. The day before the new SEND Improvement plan was published, I was at the Outstanding Schools Conference at…
A Day in the Life of a Happy Vice Principal
A guest blog by Madeleine Fresko-Brown. There’s a lot of negativity in discourse around education at the moment. Times are tough, and it…
Holding Your Breath Until Wednesday Lunchtime
A guest blog by a headteacher who wishes to remain anonymous. As a school leader I read lots of tweets and talk to lots of colleagues about…
The View Down the Mountain
Here in England, October half term has finally arrived. If you're feeling shellshocked, numb, grumpy, irritable and/or as if you've been…
The Reality of Life as a Woman with ADHD
A guest blog by Krystina Cheshire. I have such a fear of letting people down. Sometimes I feel like I'm seen as a problem by other people…
Having It All
A guest blog by Kerry Rice. Mums can't have it all, yet we continue to try.... to work like we don't have children and parent like we don't…
A Tale of Two Ofsteds
An anonymous guest blog. In the last 12 months I have had the pleasure (not always) of working in two comparable schools within the same…
The Joy of Headship
A guest blog by Sarah Hussey. Teaching is tough, headship is hard – those of us who work in education know these things to be true! As a…
Golden Seams
A guest blog by Aini Butt. We live in a world where achievement is applauded not the progress itself; beauty standards are set by the…
Don’t Call Me ‘Disadvantaged’
A letter from the little girl who grew up. A speech by Olivia Taylor.
Matter over Mind: Trusting Your Body
A guest blog by an anonymous Early Career Teacher. Most of my education and my upbringing focused on the mind. School, sixth-form,…
Finding My Work-Life Balance as a New Teacher
A guest blog by an anonymous Early Career Teacher (ECT) I’m coming to the end of my first year of teaching – it’s had its ups and downs,…
Missing My Stop
A guest blog by Abigail Gray. In my second year of Deputy Headship, on the first day of the Easter Holidays, I found a lump in my…
Leadership Unmasked
A guest blog by Aurora Reid. It’s time I wrote about my own mental health…. Actually, I started this blog in December so it’s really time I…
Learning to Unlearn
This blog is reproduced here with permission. Written by Aini Butt on her blog Aini's Reflections on 9th June 2022. “Why do you do this to…
On feelings of failure – and redefining success
This photo was taken fourteen-and-a-half years ago. It's of our eldest daughter. The transition to parenthood had been as tough as it was…
Teaching with my eyes shut
A guest blog by Sarah Ruse – Eyes Shut Teacher @eyesshutteacher. I’ve been teaching in Scotland for over 12 years now having changed career…
Fatherhood and the Struggles of Teaching
This blog is reproduced here with permission. Written by Michael Nott @MrNott117 on his blog stealingbiscuitsiswrong? on 26th April 2022.…
The Greed Behind Starvation
A guest blog by Mae, aged 16. The female body; a beautiful, life-creating hub of a soul, made to seem disgusting by male-run corporations…
A stupid walk for my stupid mental health
A guest blog written by Emily Ashton @Emilyjashton. It’s a lovely misty morning, warm enough for a light jacket and I am going for a short…
What’s life for children in Ukraine in May 2022?
Insights from Inna, an English teacher in Ukraine. Please get in touch if you have messages, pictures or thoughts to share with Inna’s…
‘Leave your lives at the door’. WHAT TOSH. A rant.
I have been lucky enough to connect with a vast number of UK teachers in the last few years. Of these, a significant minority have been…
Serendipity, audacity… and bloody hard work. Becoming a published author.
Every time I think I’ve responded to all the messages about the book launch, I blink and there are 15 more. I’m realising that, like the…
Vertigo, Valiance and Vin: a leap into the unknown
It’s a while since I’ve blogged about myself. I’m so used to having a goal, an audience and an aim, but the wonderful Georgia Holleran…