Well that was quite the half term. When I wrote the last post it was my intention to write a new blog each week to chart the experience of the transition to Assistant Head. Oh the naivety. The reality is that since then I have barely come up for air until dragging my exhausted carcass over the half term finish line.

New role secured, I turned my attention over the summer to reading up as preparation. Books by the finest minds of teaching and learning were consumed and exciting plans began to form of what kind of a professional development model I wanted to shape. Months on, and on Thursday I finally had the chance to launch my plan. A two hour staff twilight at the end of a punishing half-term had the hazard lights flashing in my mind but the fantastic staff fully embraced the discomfort of deliberate practice sessions in front of their colleagues and it wen better than I had hoped. Feel free to get in touch if you want to discuss any further.

Really enjoyed launching our @WALKTHRUs_5 based professional development focus last night. So impressed with the enthusiasm and commitment of our staff at the end of an exhausting half term. Thanks @teacherhead for making it possible. pic.twitter.com/N8qvZ7ZDWu

— Tom Pattison (@MrPattisonTeach) October 21, 2022

Not to make light of the challenge of overseeing CPD for the first time, but it felt surprisingly comfortable and I’m hugely excited for the journey ahead. What I didn’t anticipate being the biggest problem of my first term as SLT was the thing I thought I could always fall back on; my teaching.

Fifteen years in the game means I felt confident I would not have to worry about my lesson delivery but the reality was very different. Shamefully the last few weeks have been my weakest since becoming a teacher. The difficulties of students naturally looking to test a new staff member and, in the case of Geography, delivering an entirely new subject could be expected but the biggest obstacle I have faced is the disruption to what I would describe as the rhythm of teaching. I am a nomad so that horrible bubble period during pandemic has become my default setting. As many of you will know, the movement to and from rooms along with delivering a subject in an area of the school designed for another is unsettling. Tables are grouped rather than my familiar rows. My Google edu comfort blanket is gone so the rigmarole of logging onto a desktop and entering password after password. I have found myself longing misty eyed for the days of arriving in my classroom, holding court for five lessons with students familiar with my routines and expectations. Furthermore, such is the breakneck speed of school life as a senior leader that new issues demanding attention arise minute by minute meaning it is feels all but impossible to settle into what could be described as a ‘routine.’ I’m sorry to admit it, but my bread and butter – delivering new knowledge in the classroom – more often felt like an inconvenience than an opportunity to indulge in my craft. Planning was rushed and don’t even mention marking. As a perfectionist this collection of factors have combined to give my self-confidence as a practitioner a right good kicking. Leading on Teaching and Learning whilst knowing I am not meeting my own standards has left me feeling a fraud.

Is this how it has to be then? Well, hopefully not. Moving forward I have tried to pre-empt problems for when I return after a week’s break. A ‘flexible’ timetable detailing when I plan and mark to ensure I give both the priority they demand and deserve. A reconsideration of what approaches can work best in the new setting and lessons for the first couple of weeks banked with the intention to get ahead and stay ahead of my responsibilities to my classes. The challenge won’t go away, and it will certainly take time, but I have made it this far. Onwards and upwards.