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There are pros and cons to whenever you decide to do this and tell people. My own professional opinion is that you should do it after the half term cut-off date for resignations, which in maintained schools is the 31st of May. The only year I did it before this and told everybody, I had a resignation from someone who didn't like what they were given and the entire structure fell down like a house of cards. The other issue is that without anybody meaning to, when you tell teac

If you lead a Church of England or Christian school of any kind, you may not know the finer points of the Easter story and the elements of Holy Week and Lent that are so important to Christians — even if you are a practising Christian yourself. Everybody knows the Christmas story. Most small children know the Christmas story. But very few people know the whole (if any) of the Easter story. If you are still in school during Holy Week — which, if you didn't know, is the week wi

About 6 months ago your staff will have all had to declare somehow that they have read and understood KCSiE. The vast majority will also have actually done it! But it's 6 months later and, let's be honest, with the best will in the world you can't keep all that info in your head all the time. (If you can, please share your secrets!) Which bits are your staff best at, and worst at? And which staff are best and worst at them? Groups? Individuals? How do you know and what are yo

You'll all manage Christmas best if there's a formula to it and everyone knows what to expect every year. If it's your first year in the job, it's probably best to "do what we normally do" and decide what you like and don't like. What's stressful, what's not. E.g., do you need to ticket the nativity next year, or can you just let parents fight it out at the door like it's Boxing Day sales? First, decide when you want Christmas to begin. For me, it was always after the PTA fai