Eyes wide open

When I first heard about new schools being opened it seemed like a dream job. I watched as new schools opened and wondered what it would be like. So the opportunity arose for me to apply but there were no blogs which shared what the leadership journey would be like. When I was appointed I started to prepare myself with the mindset that it was going to be a unique experience, maybe the most challenging of my 20 year teaching career.

I was at Oxford University when a student asked our outreach contact if it was hard work as a student at Oxford. The reply was how hard could you work if you only had to work 8 weeks and then had a long holiday? I have told myself the same thing over the past 9 months. How hard can you work when you get a holiday every 6 weeks? In hindsight that wasn't healthy as there is a difference between teaching and being a student. We have 6 terms and Oxford University have 3 terms. It will come as no surprise that as I head towards the last 7 weeks of Year 1 in a brand new school I have decided on a new plan.

This blog is my journey. I have learnt lots. A lot has happened in 9 months and I have decided that the three Rs are my new survival strategy.

Resilience, responsibility and reward

Resilience is something you need in bucketfuls as a teacher. In a new school a never ending supply is needed. I started my teaching career as an NQT responsible for my own subject. Working in a small rural school is like being in a new school. You have no one else who teaches your subject, so every time there is a scheme of learning, exams, resources and lessons to plan there is no faculty to share the work with. Resilience means pacing yourself.

Responsibility can be overwhelming in a new school. You may have lots of ideas but each part of the system in year one is working at a single point of failure model. Each person in the building knows that there are simply so few people in a massive building that every action counts. The reward is that you do have responsibility for lots. This can be empowering if you make sure it isn't overwhelming.

Resilience this year for me has been working hours. Due to being in such a small team, things just need to be done. No one else is there to sort out the mess, however when a real mess occurs everyone needs to muck in. My first day in the building set the tone, I learnt how to unlock and put toilet rolls in to cubicles. Teaching staff have been on the lunch tills and even the headteacher has served food, more than once.

I have always wondered why teachers talk about working hours as an issue. Apart from my PGCE year, my year of teaching 49/50 lessons and my year taking over a failing department - I have never felt working hours to be my biggest issue. My PGCE year was ridiculous with planning/making resources past midnight being the norm. In a newly opened school I have been logging my hours since January as I knew I was feeling tired. When you see a pattern of 65-70 hours becoming a pattern of working hours it does make you realise that working hours is a challenge. It is a short term challenge. I can't wait for year 2 staff to arrive. Resilience increases as new teams form. My responsibility as a leader is to be realistic about my own wellbeing and my expectations of others. I have learnt that after 11 hours at school my resilience plummets. I have realised that after 3 twelve hour days in a row, my resilience is very low. I have realised that as a leader six day weeks are not the way to stay on top of a to do list.

9 months in to this leadership journey I have learnt that long working hours are simply an issue to manage. Yes it is not healthy in the long run but I know that as the school expands then working conditions will normalise. I came into this experience with my eyes wide open. My resilience has been and will continue to be tested but my responsibility is to complete the task. There is a clear vision and community we are all building. The reward is knowing that we are collectively making a difference. Each person in the team is responsible for making this new school a success. The short term reward is when we have external visitors who can see what we are working to achieve. Feedback from external visitors is like gold dust, that extra sparkle you need to push through to the next phase of development. We have the responsibility to create a school and need the resilience to help it grow. Rewards in education are often intangible. I have learnt that my reward just might be knowing I am doing my best for future generations.

Education is currently measured by GCSE results yet the long term impact of this new school will not be known for at least 10 years when we see where the first alumni are in their lives. Short term growing pains of my first 9 months pale into insignificance when I consider the big picture.

If you are considering working in a brand new school, prepare for the 3 Rs and go into it with your eyes wide open. I whole heartedly recommend it.