Author Archives: mrmchatley

The SENCO at my school, the brilliant @novahypno, has a great display in her office that asks ‘What brings you joy’. When children, and adults, come to visit, they can write something on the board. What started as a bare wall is now covered with a real mix of things. There are the obvious foodContinue reading “What brings you joy?”

I am a self confessed Star Wars fan. Ever since watching them in school holidays with my dad and brother I have followed them and rewatched them more times than I care to remember. When I saw the focus for the #DailyWritingChallenge was adventure the quote from Yoda immediately jumped to mind. But surely thisContinue reading “Being a Jedi?”

An email comes in, a Twitter notification pings, a WhatsApp message beeps. Sometimes, these things can be overwhelming but they seem to bring a certain comfort at times like these. They show a connection with the outside world – one which none of is really knew how much we would miss. Each one of theseContinue reading “Supported from all sides”

We are in unprecedented times. 3 weeks ago, I was hurriedly running around tidying the house getting ready for family to come round to celebrate my son’s 3rd birthday. Phrases are often over used, but this really does feel like a different life. So much has changed in such a short space of time andContinue reading “True Colours”

For all of the time I have been involved in education, the dark cloud that is school inspection has loomed over us. So much at stake – a poor school reputation can lead to falling rolls which can lead to stretched budgets which can lead to restructure which can lead to … you get theContinue reading “Playing someone else’s game”

We all know that working in schools is tough. There are battles being had in so many areas – SEND, budget, recruitment, that other one beginning with O – that it can seem like an uphill struggle (probably because it is!). But the last few weeks has really highlighted to me the importance of havingContinue reading “The power of a great team”

What do you see when you look at the glass? Is it half full or half empty? It’s an analogy that is as old as time, and one that we have all undoubtedly used in one situation or another. But is it really that simple? I recently blogged about the three phases of my headshipContinue reading “Choose the right lens – bringing things into focus.”

This is my first ever blog post. I’ve seen many and been inspired by them so have taken the plunge. This blog is about learning leadership. I am in the third phase of my headship journey and have made adjustments to my style along the way. Let’s start with some context I became a headteacherContinue reading “Just a phase”