Jan 17, 2022 | Leadership, Partnerships, Primary, Science, Secondary
Announcing the launch of a project to bring together best practice in school science partnerships – read on for your invitation to contribute (and click here to upload your contribution). Crocodiles and birds would seem unlikely friends. But their symbiotic relationship means that they can do something together which they cannot do on their own. The Nile crocodile feeds the Plover bird whilst getting its teeth cleaned. We call it mutualism. So it is with school partnerships, at least those which are genuinely mutually...
Jul 23, 2021 | Communication, Leadership, Partnerships, Primary, Professional development, Secondary, Updates
I’ve just read Nancy Kline’s book “Time to Think” – over 20 years too late. As a new middle leader in the 90s I could have done with her sage advice. However, I think that many of us in education naturally use these summer weeks as ‘time to think’ (once we’ve slept for a few days and reacquainted ourselves with our families!). It’s part of the ebb and flow of the school year. For school leaders it’s a time to zoom out and think strategically. And that might include reflecting on partnerships with other schools: how do these fit...
Jun 18, 2021 | Communication, Primary, Science, Updates
This week I delivered a workshop on plastics and their eco-friendly alternatives to an entire primary school – VIA ZOOM! As somebody once said “we don’t grow when things are easy; we grow when we face challenges”. But it doesn’t half help if there are others around to give you a hand! I thought I’d mastered the art of delivering CPD via Zoom/Teams/Adobe/Google. I can use polls, virtual whiteboards, breakouts, chat and padlet. I have my gorgeous visualiser for small experiments and live...
Feb 23, 2021 | Leadership, Partnerships, Primary, Professional development, Secondary, Updates
I had the opportunity to update Kent influencers last week on the educational landscape regionally. It was the perfect platform to talk about school partnerships and their crucial role in academic recovery post-Covid.Schools have managed to continue collaborating during lockdown, making use of new relationships and innovative technology and meeting new need. Student initiatives have been particularly heart-warming: making PPE, raising money for computer hardware, reading stories over Zoom and instigating peer mentoring schemes for attainment...
