I will freely admit that senior leadership was not in my plan. My ideal role was a Teaching & Learning lead — without the wider responsibilities of SLT. Having three young children has meant I have often shied away from that bigger step. But in September, circumstances shifted, and for the first time I felt ready to apply. The opportunity to continue working with Teaching & Learning while leading it across the whole school was too good to pass up.

Today I had what a friend called a ‘holiday for the mind’. It can feel like a busman’s holiday going to a Teaching and Learning (T&L) conference after a busy week of leading T&L, but it’s also something that makes my heart sing and lets me feel cognitively challenged in an area of school leadership that I love. Having stepped up to Assistant Head (AH), much of the week is taken up with the day-to-day responsibilities of being part of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT).

The MTPT Project's annual Missing Mothers conference: for parent-educators, school and organisational leaders. Over our two morning events, we'll empower you to make practical changes to build more fa...

When I stepped into my new role this year, I knew there would be plenty to learn — but I don’t think I fully appreciated just how many different hats I’d end up wearing. Being a new member of staff…

When I stepped into my new role this year, I knew there would be plenty to learn — but I don’t think I fully appreciated just how many different hats I’d end up wearing. Being a new member of staff in a school is one thing. Taking on a department with an established reputation for high standards and strong results is another.

It’s taken me a long time to realise that what I truly love is learning. What I’m good at is learning. And what I thrive on — more than anything — is learning. I didn’t fully recognise this until p…

It’s taken me a long time to realise that what I truly love is learning. What I’m good at is learning. And what I thrive on — more than anything — is learning. I didn’t fully recognise this until partway through university. That was when it dawned on me that what excited me wasn’t just the subject itself, but the process — the challenge of grappling with something new, of digging deeper, of connecting ideas I hadn’t seen before.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be the “fun mum.” You know the one I mean: the parent who gets right down on the floor, speaking in funny voices, creating entire …

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