I’ve kept a diary since 1972, in which I record what happens each day, and how I feel about it.  I’ve always found the experience of writing… Read more “Mid-way through your career – how do you sustain yourself?”

This post is based on an after-dinner speech I gave at the Ambition School Leadership all-women NPQH final residential at Loughborough University on Friday 1st March 2019. … Read more “Making the leap to headship – the possibility of joy”

Friday 1st March 2019 was a very interesting day for me.  I travelled to London to speak at a conference on headship and diversity, ‘Breaking the Mould’,… Read more “Headship and diversity”

In my last blog post I wrote about tidiness, and about how imposing order and systems might make both your personal and your professional life calmer and… Read more “Managing email”

Confession: I am a tidy person. Reading Emma Kell’s recent piece on tidiness in tes, the link Adrian Bethune included in a Twitter comment about Emma’s article,… Read more “How tidy are you?”

Yesterday I was pleased to lead a workshop at the John Taylor MAT conference held at the John Taylor Free School in Tatenhill.  The (wonderful) head there,… Read more “Receiving feedback: How can we do it better?”

The #nurture posts are a way of reflecting on the year which is ending, and looking ahead to the year about to begin.  I have written them… Read more “#Nurture1819”

On Thursday 15 November 2018 I was pleased to be invited by David Weston to speak at a Teacher Development Trust conference in Manchester on the subject… Read more “Leadership to support a coaching culture”

An exchange on Twitter today made me thoughtful. I recognise that building trust is key to positive professional (and personal!) relationships, and trust is something which can… Read more “Trust”

In last Friday’s edition of ‘Schools Week’, Steve Mastin, Chair of the Conservative Education Society, engaged in a debate with Mary Bousted about the future of Ofsted. … Read more “The good, the bad and the struggling – which are you?”