ÌÇÐÄVlog

I’m a week into my journey as ‘acting head of school’. What have I learned?

1. I’m going to need some new shoes.ÌýI covered lots of steps each day last week, smashing my 10,000 step per day target.ÌýI am heavy on shoes anyway but I noticed both the heel and the toe of my supposedly smart shoes are worn through to the underside.ÌýAll the walking has felt anything but a chore.ÌýIt has been a pleasure to get out and about in school to see the fantastic things going on.ÌýI have particularly liked visiting EYFS and key stage 1, something I couldn’t do when I was attached to a Year 6 class full-time.
2. The ripple effect is really important.ÌýIt is not just the initial decision but the ripples that it causes throughout the rest of school. I have always wondered why heads do not always to make decisions on the spot.ÌýI now know that they need to go away and consider the potential to create issues elsewhere.ÌýI guess this is like seeing the whole of the jigsaw, not just one specific piece.
3. Adjusting to no fixed timetable was a lot harder than I expected.ÌýI have spent the last 17 years living my life by a fairly rigid timetable.ÌýAn hour of English, followed by an hour of maths. On Monday morning, after a timetables assembly, I suddenly had the revelation that I didn’t have a place to be.ÌýIt was then that I sat for the first time and started to consider the list of jobs I could start to work through.
4. It isn’t one big job, it’s a million small jobs, often all happening simultaneously. If you are able to arrange parent toursÌýwhile dishing out rewards to children, updating social media and remember that you have offered an extra duty, I salute you.ÌýI am still getting to grips with that one.
5. Being able to have a cuppa on the go is amazing.ÌýI am terrible for not drinking enough through the day, so being able to access the staffroom easily is a massive bonus.ÌýThe same goes for the toilet. This all said, being head is all or nothing, because if things start kicking off, you may not be able to access the drinks or toilet facilities at all.Ìý
6. It is as much about listening as it is about leading.ÌýSometimes you just need to let people talk.ÌýThey more often than not come to a solution on their own with little or no intervention. I think it also shows you are approachable, too.
7. You have to trust people and not feel bad about delegating.ÌýI have never liked creating work for anyone else, but sometimes you can’t be in two places at once.ÌýIt’s at times like this you need to delegate and share the load. Depending on how it is done and if it’s a reasonable ask, the person being delegated to can receive a boost of confidence that they are being entrusted with a task.
8. I’ve realised that people notice a lot more than you think.ÌýI have tried to be visible this weekÌýwith the children, staff, and parents.ÌýI hadn’t given it much thought until I was informed that the children liked that I had been down to see them lots.ÌýI just have to keep it up now or the children will notice that, too.Ìý
9. I have amassed lots of bits of paper.ÌýNotes of phone calls, meetings with parents and other paperwork relating to school.ÌýI am going to have to have a much-improved filing system to ensure I don’t lose anything important.
10. I have realised that I quite like it.ÌýThere is plenty of time to go in the term, so that could all change, but for now, bring on next week.
11. OK, I know I saidÌý10, but I have also realised there is more to life then jumpers.ÌýI am a self-confessed jumper wearer in all weathers.ÌýI have now dabbled with a jacket.ÌýNot sure you will ever catch me in a full suit, though...

Tim Head is an acting headteacher. He blogs, and tweets

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