Working in the World of Pastoral Care (Where you need compassion, resilience and a very thick skin!)

I don’t blog very often; more than anything it’s a time issue as I have a very demanding 3 year old in my life, but also now I’ve entered the pastoral side of education, it’s quite difficult to write in any detail about things because more often than not we are dealing with confidential situations. Recently though I’ve had a few people ask whether I like what I do more than leading teaching and learning and being curious about how it differs, so here’s just a few thoughts for anyone considering a career in pastoral and what it is we…Continue reading Working in the World of Pastoral Care (Where you need compassion, resilience and a very thick skin!)

Being “Different”

Today we held a ‘Diversity Day’ in school to celebrate our own individual, unique differences. We want our students to be proud of who they are and stand tall with their heads held high with regard to who they are as a human being whilst also being kind, tolerant, respectful and compassionate about others that they perceive to be different to themselves. Anyone who has planned such a day for 1200 plus students knows the immense amount of time, attention to detail and hard work that goes into making such a day a success and today was certainly a success,…Continue reading Being “Different”

The Bully

Yesterday was one of he lowest points of my career. Yesterday morning I sat and listened to a lovely member of our community who showed grace and dignity in a terrible situation. This lady described her personal devastation at an incident that had taken place not far from our school. If you have read Andy’s blog you will know that it may have involved some of our students. As I got into the car to leave her home I was struck by several things, the first being the lady’s own personal kindness. As my colleague and I left, she thanked…Continue reading The Bully

The Power of Reading

I was lucky enough to grow up with parents who although weren’t great readers themselves, read to me every single night. They inspired my love of reading to this very day and this blog written during the week of World Book Day 2019 is a little story of my reading journey… It began with a huge collection of ladybird books. I still have all of my originals in the loft- Peter and Jane, The Princess and the Pea, The Musicians of Bremen (how dark) Rumplestiltskin, Puss in Boots and many many more. My favourite book at this time was a…Continue reading The Power of Reading

Great Headteachers

This morning, my Head Andy Byers wrote a blog about his crazy Deputies and as I near the end of my adoption leave it got me thinking about my journey through education, the experiences that I’ve had (good and bad) and how lucky I am to work with a brilliant Head. The fact that I have had the most fantastic six months leave with my amazing daughter and will be sad for it to end, I think it’s testament to Andy that I’m actually also looking forward to going back to work and taking on new challenges. So although I’m…Continue reading Great Headteachers

Becoming Deputy Head

It seems a long time ago that I was interviewed for the role of Deputy Head and whilst I’ve tried to forget the whole grueling (albeit enjoyable in a weird way) interview process, I have been reminded in my fifth week in post of one of the questions asked on that day; the question being “What is the difference between an Assistant Head and a Deputy Head? Whilst I’d given the question much thought in my preparation, nothing can prepare you for the reality of the situation. For anyone who is considering taking this step, I thought I’d share my…Continue reading Becoming Deputy Head

Good Schools Are Led by Good People

Last week I was appointed as Deputy Head at Framwellgate School Durham, a place very close to my heart as this was where I started my career almost 20 years ago. FRAM as it is affectionately known, is a very special place. Everything about it exudes a warmth and happiness; the students and staff are great and although it may have lost its way a little in the last few years, I truly believe it has all of the necessary conditions to be great again. I also hope that I can play a key part in getting it there as…Continue reading Good Schools Are Led by Good People

The Notebook- ‘To Thine Own Self Be True’

‘To Thine Own Self Be True’ Being asked to deliver a presentation to NQTs at Shotton Hall SCITT Illuminate really pushed me to once again reflect on my career journey so far. I was asked to share something that would motivate and inspire the NQTs at this stage of their first year of teaching. Jo McShane the course leader described the event as a ‘pit stop’ where the NQTs could stop and reflect, away from the pressures of the classroom, refuel with some great ideas and have time to really reflect on what was important to them. Along with two…Continue reading The Notebook- ‘To Thine Own Self Be True’

The Notebook- What to Expect from a Senior Leadership Interview

The Notebook- What to Expect from a Senior Leadership Interview Having sailed easily through two Assistant Headship interviews to gain success on the first occasion with each post, I have over the last few years set my mind on becoming a Deputy Head. Although I’ve not been successful yet, I am cheerfully optimistic that it will come, so armed with great advice from a wise and well respected mentor (“If you shoot, you might just score Jane but if you don’t, you won’t!” and “Cream always rises to the top Jane”) I’m about to embark upon the process again and…Continue reading The Notebook- What to Expect from a Senior Leadership Interview

The Notebook- Implementing a Whole School Approach to Teaching and Learning

Implementing a Whole School Approach to Teaching and Learning When I was appointed at my last school to take a lead on developing a whole school approach to teaching and learning, I was really excited by the challenge of it and I have to say that my three years of developing this were absolutely joyous and a great learning curve for me.  I’ve outlined my journey below to share my experience, which may or may not be helpful.  If you happen to find yourself in the same position as me, developing a whole school approach from scratch, then I hope…Continue reading The Notebook- Implementing a Whole School Approach to Teaching and Learning