Anyone who has come into education from another professional background, as I did, will know that schools are uniquely challenging and inspiring places to work. The vast scope of the job, the commitment demanded, the emotional and physical energy required may be daunting, but the rewards are incomparable. There is no better reason for getting up in the morning than to go to work in a school, where your words and actions have the power to influence the lives of young people and the choices they make.  To create an environment where children feel safe and happy and where they can develop lifelong learning habits, leaders need to harness the skills and energy of every element of the workforce.

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Leaders need to work with their colleagues, with their governing boards and with families with an unrelenting focus on what is best for the children they serve. This is no easy task. The expectations and the accountability place extra pressure on professionals who are already working tirelessly to deliver excellence in the field for which they are qualified. People are often offered positions of leadership on the basis of the excellence they have demonstrated in their core job. They need and deserve support to become effective at a more strategic level, without losing confidence in their ability to model excellence to those they are required to lead and inspire.

 

Busy people often tend to sideline their own needs, but without appropriate training, mentoring or coaching, they can end up feeling like they don't have enough time to do anything as well as they could, and should. Good schools recognise the value of investing in their leaders, not only to avoid burn-out, but to take the school ever onwards and upwards in its service to young people.

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