Mar 2, 2025 | EDI, Leadership, Partnerships, Primary, Professional development, Science, Updates
I expect that most women reading this will be familiar with most men commenting on their appearance – sometimes a well-meant compliment, sometimes shouts from scaffolding. It’s a fact of life as a woman. This comment “You don’t look like a physics teacher” was the opening line from the father of a year 10 girl at parents’ evening. Initially I was faintly amused – haha, yes, no leather elbow patches or slightly crazed Einstein look (though I do have the curly hair, hoho…). And then came the gradual realisation of the effect of that comment...
Sep 2, 2024 | Business, Partnerships, Primary, Professional development, Secondary, Updates
My 17 year-old son came home from school last term with the (presumably AI-generated) results of his careers questionnaire. He’s not really sure what he wants to be when he grows up, maybe designer or diplomat. Though right now it’s all about more immediate university and gap year decisions. So, what did the careers questionnaire reveal as his top two profile matches? Circus performer or head of state. Yup. Those two well-known ‘careers’. Needless to say this has generated considerable family hilarity – both the...
Dec 13, 2023 | Leadership, Partnerships, Primary, Professional development, Secondary
Fresh from the buzz of Partnerships Week 2023 and as the year draws to a close, it feels like a good time to reflect on school partnerships: what’s changed, what’s working well and where 2024 might take us. This year has witnessed unprecedented challenges in education: student attendance, teacher recruitment, school building decay, questions over Ofsted, severe budgetary pressures and family poverty, continued COVID fallout for young people and more. Dame Alison Peacock, CEO of Chartered College of Teaching, referred in her discussion with me...
Nov 7, 2023 | Communication, Leadership, Partnerships, Primary, Professional development, Secondary, Updates
This article was written for the Independent Schools Council website and also appeared on the Schools Together website in November 2023. It’s easy to see how some view partnerships with state schools as nice to have but non-essential. Historically, many such collaborations developed from individual passions and goodwill. But some schools are taking a more strategic approach. They have aligned partnerships with their school aims and ethos and have embedded partnerships in their school development plans, aware of how much impact they bring....
