The Naïve SENDCo Series In a mythical realm where harmony exists amongst the great thinkers of our era, sits a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Assistant Headteacher Okay, so it's a bit of a mouthful. It doesn't quite have the same ring to it as SENDCo, does it? But, the time for great change is … Continue reading The Fall of the Coordinator
The Naïve SENDCo Series Past the valley of forgotten purpose lies the Land of Mediation, where confused struggles dwell a plenty. Before the dawn of a post-covid era, a mere 271,2001 students of the total pupil population had won the battle for an EHCP. Yet as the setting sun languished in late summer of 2023, … Continue reading The Melee of Mediation
This wasn't a scheduled post, but I wanted to address the reality of returning to school, for the adults, after such a long period of absence (otherwise known as the Summer Holidays) For me, the Summer Holidays are always fraught with anxiety and having too much time to sit and ponder EVERYTHING, and I mean … Continue reading Returning to School After 1008 Hours
My thoughts on why we should, without shadow of a doubt, move online to improve parental and student engagement. As a millennial I have grown up with the ever-changing social media platforms so, to some degree, I understand the draw towards the light of online communication. Whilst I can't profess to understand the mindless short … Continue reading Online Engagement
It has been about seven months since I last decided to dust off the old keyboard and share my thoughts on well, anything. I reckon this would be a good place to start, don't you? Having started a new school and new role at the start of this academic year (September 2020) I was excited … Continue reading Surviving The Pandemic… Just.
I know that this writing challenge was set back in April so my submission is 'slightly' late but, I promise it's late for a good reason. The past five years of my life have been an 'adventure', to say the least, that only the likes of J.R.R. Tolkien himself could create. From moving to Yorkshire … Continue reading Adventure #DailyWritingChallenge
In August 2018, I attended my first Ambition Institute (formerly Ambition School Leadership) residential. At the end of an inspiring and humbling week, we were asked to write a letter to our future selves thinking about the type of leaders we wanted to become and where we wanted to be two years later. Today I … Continue reading A Letter to My Future Self
Over recent weeks I have witnessed teacher after teacher question whether or not a Masters in Education is worth the time, money and effort required for an improved chance at career advancement. Thinking through what I had to offer on this topic, the greatest advice I can give is to share my experience of completing … Continue reading MEd, is it worth it?
‘One of the things that we never discuss, or we rarely discuss, is the value of human connection.’ Rita Pierson In the, almost exact - not quite but shhh, words of Rita Pierson, 'every person reading this blog has been affected by a teacher or an adult.' It seems almost poetic that ‘bear all or … Continue reading Support #DailyWritingChallenge
Forgiveness, more specifically self-forgiveness, is a concept I have battled with over the years, especially the years that I have spent as an educator. It wasn’t until recently, when I burdened myself with the crushing blame of unrelenting heartbreak and pressure that I really understood the value of forgiveness… I am the typical, albeit scouse-version, … Continue reading Forgiveness #DailyWritingChallenge
Why I decided to commit to a 140 mile round trip every day to work in a school that I love; in a community like no other. Towards the back end of the previous academic year, I found the mentality and drive I had for my work beginning to fade. My declining well-being was beginning … Continue reading From Liverpool to Leeds
I have been wanting to create a blog for quite some time now but never really mustered the courage to do it. So why now? I suppose the timing has something to do with fighting the 'imposter syndrome' that I have been battling with for a while. Not to mention the fact that I just … Continue reading A Long Time Coming…
A Scouser's Guide to Education 