Friday, October 13, 2017

Step into Headship - The Beginning

With almost five weeks gone and three to four weeks preparation in the summer before that, I feel that I have lived a lifetime as a new head. In reality it is barely a drop in the ocean. It was a list of firsts that had to be ticked off.


  • My first admin meeting
  • My first leadership team meeting
  • my first day with all my teachers in
  • My first briefing to the teachers
  • My first setting the tone for the year briefing
  • My first day with the children in 
  • My first Parent's Introductory Evening


Each left with the thought - roll on one year. I kept thinking that when I got through the firsts, I would get to routine. And in the routine I would be able to find the time to do the things that I most wanted to do. But in actual fact, each of these moments were powerful moments. Each of these times, I opened my philosophies up for examination. Each of these times I shaped the thoughts of those around me in how they viewed me. Each of these times I built the way that the team would react to me when asked to do what I want. 

It all went so well so far but it hasn't been all plain sailing. I had been building a model of Extra-curricular activities in my mind. The idea was based around that there should be some continuous provision of activities that some teachers do that become the school's identity. Maybe an ongoing football team and a chess team. Not all the ECAs would be prescribed but just a handful to give that identity. I then spoke to my deputy- and here is the rub - not about my vision but about wanting to fill some of the ECAs first. He dutifully and with a selling enthusiasm, put it out to the staff. The ECA rota was filled for the term and low and behold the two ECAs that I had asked to be done were not taken up by any teacher in the school. I stubbornly decided to do both of them myself. This is not a solution. This was not done well. The vision is where the staff should have been brought in. Lesson learnt. Now onto my seconds of everything.