Has Health and Safety gone mad? That was certainly the message from Amanda Spielman, Ofsted’s Chief Inspector, in a recent article about the safety culture in schools. Ms Spielman said that, in her opinion, some of the measures that school staff go to, to keep children safe, are ‘simply barmy.’ From the examples she gave, we have to agree. It does...
Another month, another study highlighting the epidemic of stress and anxiety sweeping through the teaching profession. Just this last month (Sept) research by the charity Education Support Partnership found that an overwhelming number of teachers in the UK have suffered either physically or mentally because of their jobs. The study suggested that 75% of teaching staff in schools and colleges experienced...
I have had a grand total of nine ‘first days’ at school. Some are just a fog of teachers’ names, confusing rules and long corridors, others form some of my most vivid memories. Arizona 2008, Canyon Springs Elementary school in the scorching heat. Crouched under my desk peeking at the desert though the barred windows. A siren was screeching as the...
Teenagers’ brains are not yet fully developed, meaning that they need more sleep than the rest of us put together - they are definitely not morning larks! They can be impulsive and moody; they spend their whole time velcroed to their mobile phones and, while they love to chat to each other on social media, they aren’t quite so keen to...
Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, once said: "Appreciate everything your associates do. Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They're absolutely free and worth a fortune." Sam is right. Everyone likes praise and recognition, and all good leaders understand this. Academics have even studied the links between reward and productivity. In one study, The...
In fact, I love laughing probably more than most. I dedicated my life to the pursuit of giggling like a schoolboy at anything and everything. If too much time has passed in a meeting or during a dinner my brain will be working a hundred miles an hour to look for the possibility of a guffaw, titter, cackle, call it what...
She waited patiently at the train station for her train to arrive, she had a meeting to get to in Manchester. As usual it was going to be four minutes late. Four minutes turned into six and then, without warning the train, simply did not arrive. The app on her phone told her it had been and gone, yet all the...
If you believe the news as reported in some papers, the UK is in fine economic shape. Business is booming and the economy is doing better than expected following the decision to leave the EU. Just last week the IMF issued a report report in which it predicted the UK economy will grow by 2% this year, up from 1.6% in...
What do I need to bring me true happiness? Do I need a list of 45 joyous things to do, do I need cupcakes, chocolates and flowers? Or is it a case of what I have always known deep down (and I suspect you also do too); without the Smurfs in my life, I can never find true happiness. But, if...
