I am not sure about politics but a week is a long time in education. Last Friday I sat with South West Heads and Principals at Bristol Met' Academy to listen to Sir David Carter as part of his UK roadshow speaking to schools as the new National Schools Commissioner alongside Rebecca Clarke who now … Continue reading “We cannot change the past, but we can change our attitude toward it. Uproot guilt and plant forgiveness. Tear out arrogance and seed humility. Exchange love for hate, thereby making the present comfortable and the future promising” Maya Angelou →

Emily‏: "I've cried so much today ugh but just want to thank everyone in Wyedean Class of 2016. It's been 5 great years honestly so sad to leave" Jess‏: "Big thank you to everyone at Wyedean who made the past 5 years of my life such a great experience" Liz : "@WyedeanSchool Class Act. So … Continue reading “Change is the end result of all true learning” Leo Buscaglia →

“Where flowers bloom, so does hope” Lady Bird Johnson I am not sure about the May flowers right now in week 30 of the academic year but I know I am still scraping ice off the car first thing in the morning. However being able to sit outside this week to eat dinner in the … Continue reading “March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers” English proverb →

I had the privilege to be invited over to the Cabot Learning Federation (CLF) in Bristol on Wednesday to talk to NPQH candidates about headship and school leadership. I undertook my own NPQH as an aspiring Head/Principal through the CLF Institute and it is a model of leadership development and succession planning that allows schools … Continue reading “A leader is best when people barely know he exists” Lao Tsu →

The anticipation of the Easter break is palpable around school right now and not just because chips have been moved to Thursday from Friday on the canteen lunch menu. The A Level Geography students and staff are currently in Iceland (the country not the shop) on a field visit and a group of students and … Continue reading “a fo ben bid bont” (If you want to be a leader, be a bridge) Welsh proverb →

It appears that the English educational system is about to enter another tumultuous period of change following the Chancellor’s budget statement this week and the subsequent White Paper launched by Nicky Morgan. On one level it is actually a relief to finally see the educational strategy the government is outlining for the next few years … Continue reading “Our task is to educate their (our students) whole being so they face the future. We may not see the future, but they will and our job is to help them make something out of it” Sir Ken Robinson →

The partner school in Chisinau, Moldova, who we work with as a school, Lycee Gheorghe Asachi, celebrated the start of Spring this week with a festival and the giving of red and white ribbons known as martisors. They bring luck for the rest of the year if worn. Our Eisteddfod for St David’s Day hasn’t … Continue reading “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn” Benjamin Franklin →

I have been fascinated by the Iowa caucus vote this week and if you are interested in US politics and history there is a podcast every Sunday until the November election from the Washington Post taking each of the 44 presidents and examining their lives and legacy. The becoming in this case is very often … Continue reading “Becoming is better than being” Carol Dweck →

It’s hard to believe we are at the end of January already and we are talking in school about February half term. This Friday lunchtime I was asked several times by students “when do we have the next break?” The weather doesn’t feel very wintery right now especially in contrast to the snow scenes from … Continue reading “Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardour and attended to with diligence” Abigail Adams →

I spent most of Friday at the Gloucestershire secondary Heads conference listening to a variety of speakers talk and debate some of the most pressing and pertinent issues surrounding education today. Sir John Dunford, the "Pupil Premium Champion" gave a very forthright account of what the best schools are doing to ensure a big chunk … Continue reading “The terminology of ‘a culture of high expectations’ is in itself complex and problematic, but any opportunity to explicitly raise expectations should be seen as a moral imperative” Julie Smith →