As I sit on the aeroplane on the way to my holiday destination it is the first time I feel I can stop, breathe and reflect on another hectic, crazy but brilliant year in the world of being a headteacher. Over the last couple of weeks I have burnt a fair amount of candle wax completing end of year reports for the young people I serve - and so I thought it would be only fair (and fun) to have a go at writing my own:
“Victor, it would be fair to say that you have had a very busy year; now it is time for you to reflect on what you think you have achieved over the past 12 months, and what you would do differently if you could.
There is no doubt that you work hard and generally focus on what is important, but I think that you have been distracted from your task on one or two occasions by a couple of people around you. Your friend Michael, from Surrey Heath, seems to have been the cause of a few issues this year and this has, I feel, negatively impacted on your work at times. It may well be for the best that Michael can no longer directly influence you - he really didn’t help you, or those around you, at times.
You must ensure that all the effort that you have put in over the years, and the decisions you have made in the best interests of the young people you work with, are not wasted. Remember that you have worked at Passmores Academy for over a decade and know the community well; parents and carers trust you with their most precious gift, their child, because they believe that you are the right person to make decisions on their behalf - not a stranger sitting in London, or even Surrey Heath. It would be a mistake to not listen to what other people have to say (you could be missing opportunities to improve what you do and you don’t know everything after all) but ultimately, you should be confident about what you know to be right for your community.
Another area of your performance this year for you to think about is how you work with others. It is a vital part of your potential success; the days are thankfully long gone when someone in your position can plough a lone furrow. The ability to work for the collective good of the young people in more than your own school is something that you must continue to develop over the next few years. It is great to see how the partnership between Passmores and its two neighbouring primary schools, Potter Street and Purford Green, is blossoming, to the mutual benefit of all parties concerned. Never forget that you have as much to learn from them as they have to gain from you.
Finally, you need to consider how much time you give yourself to stop and reflect on the decisions you are making and how they are affecting students, staff and the community. It is easy to get carried away with the pace of life that you have to deal with – but you need to invest in some thinking time to assess the impact of what you are doing on the young people and the other professionals that you work with.
All in all, Victor, you should be satisfied with your hard work this year; it is obvious that you remain committed to ‘improving upon your best’ just like the Passmores Academy motto states. However we cannot forget the bottom line of examination results and the necessity to equip our young people with the results they need to open the doors to their futures; we must hope they are what everyone deserves.”
What would your end of year report say? Let’s not let kid ourselves and pretend that examination results are not important for both the young people and our own professional well being – of course, they must form an integral part of any assessement of our annual performance. However, are they all that matters? I am sure that, like me, many of you received some lovely cards and emails from the young people you serve, or their parents and carers, towards the end of the summer term. None of mine contained an expression of gratitude for impending GCSE results – instead, I’ve been thanked for “caring”, and “giving opportunities”. These things are important. They count.
The teaching profession continues to be faced with the issues that our wider society creates. It often feels as though those who are democratically elected to be responsible are determined to push more and more blame for any failure in our direction – but I’m a pragmatist. It comes with the territory. Here’s a thought: as we increasingly take advantage of opportunities to work together with partners in other schools, wouldn’t it be great if our new secretary of state wanted to be part of that collaboration, too? Maybe she will come and visit Passmores for something other than a media opportunity.
