There’s a point in the year when many school leaders start to think, “I’ll deal with that in September.” I know because I’ve thought it myself and it makes sense on the surface. September feels like a natural reset point, a new academic year and a chance to start differently. But in reality, it rarely offers what we imagine it will.
“It’s great to have a space to show up as a leader and a person.” This was something a leader in my new group for headteachers said recently, and it really stayed with me. It hints at something many school leaders experience, often without quite naming it; a subtle gap between who you are and how you show up at work.
In busy terms, there’s often an unspoken belief that ease equals complacency. That if things feel lighter, you must not be pushing hard enough but lightness is not laziness. Lightness is clarity. It’s being deliberate about what truly matters and letting go of what doesn’t.