In Episode 2, Season 6 of Game of Thrones, my favourite character, Tyrion Lannister, utters his greatest line. The moment is thus: Tyrion Lannister: Dragons do not do well in captivity. Missandei: How do you know this? Tyrion Lannister: That's what I do. I drink and I know things. A version of this quote occurs … Continue reading I think and I know things

As I write, I am on my way back from the Lake District with a group of colleagues from my school. We spent our weekend walking in the mountains. It was cold, boggy, very windy and altogether wonderful. I find human company taxing at times. I am not prone to make friends at work (or … Continue reading Winterland

I had a brief period in my career when I used to speak at lots of conferences and events. It was the era of specialist schools and of sufficient funding, and there was a real buzz around sharing innovative practice (if you're too young too remember then trust me, it really was like this for … Continue reading Is there a place for the profit motive in state schools?

The grandly titled ASCL Ethical Leadership Commission have published their final report which sets out a moral framework for school leadership 'to support leaders in their decision-making and in calling out unethical behaviour'. This is a laudable piece of work. I am one of the voices, to which they refer, calling for a more ethical … Continue reading Ethics is an economic problem

Following on from two posts here and here in which I made a case for the importance of leadership knowledge, and against the idea of generic leadership competencies, this series of posts will explore the parameters of a domain of knowledge to be developed by all school senior leaders. Part 1 can be found here. … Continue reading The domain of senior leadership (II)

Following on from two posts here and here in which I made a case for the importance of leadership knowledge, and against the idea of generic leadership competencies, this series of posts will explore the parameters of a domain of knowledge to be developed by all school senior leaders. *** Part 1: Overlapping roles and … Continue reading The domain of senior leadership (I)

I've just finished Robert Peston's book WTF? (that's what it is called, not my attempt to sound cool). It is about Brexit and politics, which won't be everyone's idea of a good read. I liked it. It passed the time and I learnt a few things. What I take away from the book is that … Continue reading What remains

I don't usually share resources, but thought these may be of use to someone. These are my notes and slides from the introductory session on teaching vocabulary I ran this week. I think I have referenced sources quite well, but please excuse any omissions. Please take my sharing as an advert for the brilliant work … Continue reading Vocabulary training

I closed our school today. We had no water. It was a simple decision to make, even at 6.30 in the morning. You can't have over 1000 people on site with no way of feeding them or for them to use the toilet. The problem affected the whole of the surrounding area, so clearly not … Continue reading I wasted £20,000 today

Professional autonomy is an attractive concept. Who doesn't wish to be left alone to get on with the job when the tendrils of interference begin to bind their decisions? The removal of control is often perceived as a threat; our right to act freely sabotaged by a central power which subverts us from meaningful and … Continue reading Is professional autonomy overrated?