Blog #change

Part-tribute to Sir Ken Robinson, and part-reflective, in this post we consider the answer to the question 'How do you grow a school's culture?'

There is little doubt that we are living and leading in extraordinary times. As the title of this post suggests, it may feel as if we are crossing the unknown sea. As schools re-open following the lockdown, this post encourages brave leaders to stick to their beliefs and do the right thing.

Much has been written about how crucial the first 100 days are for a leader in a new organisation. The temptation is to assume that if you haven’t made your mark by then, chances are you’ve blown it.

A draft extract from my new book, The Art of Standing Out, on the challenges headteachers face when leading complex teams:

Last week I had the pleasure of working with a group of leaders from Schools of Tomorrow. It was the first morning of their inaugural year-long Leadership for Tomorrow development programme. If you’ve never come across the Schools of Tomorrow network then you really should.

I am currently scratching a seven-year itch. It was in 2007 that my current school came out of special measures and I can’t wait to get stuck in to my next one, seven years later. On 1st July, we sponsor a nearby primary school and so we begin again the journey of transforming a school from special measures to outstanding.