My job as a school leader is to make it as easy as possible for our teachers to teach.

To support and empower them.

Because they are the ones that make the biggest direct impact on students' learning day to day.

Teaching is a tough job.

The key to retaining staff is to make coming to work as enjoyable as possible.

To enable every person to feel valued, included, supported and heard.

The impact on students is amazing when you have a really consistent and unified staff team.

Teaching students is still the most enjoyable part of my job as a school leader.

Good leadership in schools comes from a combination of:

Competency (knowing what you're actually talking about)

Consistency (treating people fairly)

And Credibility (doing what you say you will)

Those you lead will both respond positively and grow too.

Back to work tomorrow.

The physical and mental energy required to teach well every day is massive.

Respect to all working in schools.

Judge the quality of a school by how inclusive it is.

For students, staff and parents.

No surprise that investing in children aged 0 to 5 will have a massive impact! BBC News - Children living near Sure Start centres did better at GCSEs, study suggests
bbc.co.uk/news/education…

The greatest single factor that impacts on the quality of students' learning and wellbeing in schools is the quality of teaching.

As a leader therefore, my job is to focus on teachers' learning and wellbeing - support, empower and develop them to be able to do their best.

As a teacher, my wellbeing is not dependent upon being given cakes in the staff room.

It is dependent on being supported, valued and included.

It is dependent on being able to work and have a life.

The problem with Ofsted is that you cannot possibly understand, judge and correctly grade a school on a 2 day visit.

It is impossible. So stop trying.

I've lived and worked in London all my life.

Behaviour in schools is so much better than it used to be.

In my experience.

‘Classrooms should place more emphasis on children’s talk than teacher talk’: The Thinking School explains how dialogic teaching can help pupils, especially those with low prior attainment
tes.com/magazine/teach…

When staff members feel a sense of belonging, and students feel that too, magic happens.

It takes time to develop this in a school.

After my visit to The Thinking School as part of Challenge Partners Mayor of London Getting Ahead London Leadership programme I was bowled over by the quality of talk by children - hugely impressive, and inspiring for my subsequent obsession with oracy in my day job at the time.

What is dialogic teaching? Head The Thinking School shares 10 key principles to make the most of it in your classroom
tes.com/magazine/teach…

We have loads of visitors to our school.

The one thing they always notice and remark upon is how happy all the staff and children look!

Shouldn't that be the norm?!

Be careful of 'low expectations' for the disadvantaged children you teach please.

I was Free School Meals.
English isn't my first language.
I grew up in an overcrowded household.
My grandparents were illiterate.

I got a doctorate and am now Head of the primary school I went to.

Staff will stay in a school where they feel valued, listened to and included.

Where they have opportunities to learn and develop.

Where they feel part of a team.

Where they are allowed to work part time if they want to.

Where they are supported if they are struggling.

If we spent more money on supporting the development and learning of children aged 0 to 5, we would probably save a lot of money trying to solve problems further down the line.

Great behaviour in schools is based on a whole school culture of mutual respect and care, together with clear routines and consistency of expectations and practice.