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The Optimus blog

The blog that inspires leaders in the UK education sector

The Optimus blog

The blog that inspires leaders in the UK education sector

Leadership and staff development

John Tomsett
21 February 2018

From vision to action: developing your school's core purpose

Visions and values are important, but schools need something to draw all these elements together. Headteacher John Tomsett explains how staff and students can shape a core purpose. Foundations ‘At the end of the day, when it comes time to make that decision, as president, all you have to guide you...
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Maureen Nash
9 November 2017

Rethinking, not recruiting: how to make the most of your TAs

Teaching assistants are integral to better learning outcomes, but not always a valued and fully utilised member of staff. According to government statistics , there are 388,000 TAs working in schools in England. This represents a total cost of around £4.4 billion each year . These figures alone...
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Ashmi Morjaria
20 October 2017

School leadership: for better for worse, till death do us part

I often hear colleagues talk about being 'married' to teaching. But what happens when matrimony becomes acrimony, and who can prevent it? For almost a third of teachers, the profession is a turbulent union that will end in divorce within the first five years Relationship breakdown Back in 2010,...
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Lisa Griffin
22 August 2017

Could you be a MAT CFO?

We speak to financial experts about the crucial role played by finance directors in multi-academy trusts. Stephen Morales, executive director of the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL) What are the key skills that a finance director (FD) or chief finance officer (CFO) in a MAT needs? If...
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Nickii Messer
30 March 2017

School leaders: why not look on the bright side?

School leaders might see little cause for optimism in these hectic times. But when the going gets tough, Nickii Messer would rather be the swan than the headless chicken! 'Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.' ~ Colin Powell Even in the current climate I remain an optimist. I love optimistic...
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Joanne Miles
20 March 2017

Lesson observations: quality assurance or quality improvement?

Rather than something staff repeatedly suffer through, a school’s observation cycle can be an invaluable professional learning tool – if you give them a say. Over the last few years, I have spent much time helping schools and colleges to re-think their use of lesson observations. Where observation...
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Joanne Miles
16 March 2017

The challenges of sustaining joined-up CPD

When coordinating a whole-school development cycle for all staff to get behind, there are several common pitfalls to be aware of. This year I have written online materials and organised workshops for Optimus on the thorny issue of joining up continuing professional development (CPD) cycles with...
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Nickii Messer
20 January 2017

SBMs: what do you mean 'it’s difficult'?

School business management is no picnic, but what do we mean when we dismiss a challenge as 'difficult'? I’m constantly wrestling with how school business managers can best equip themselves for the challenges ahead. We know that: budgets will continue to be squeezed maintained schools face...
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Elizabeth Holmes
15 December 2016

Spotlight on #WomenEd

Is #WomenEd, a growing grassroots movement for women aspiring to school leadership, a force for good in education's current climate? I caught up with Jules Daulby to find out more. Elizabeth Holmes : What is #WomenEd? Jules Daulby : #WomenEd is a grassroots movement which connects existing and...
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Alex Cuetos
13 December 2016

Native speaker, better teacher? Not always!

Demand for teachers has made China a popular working destination. As I’ve found, it’s also a destination for unqualified and unmotivated ‘teachers’ looking to make easy money. As a Spaniard teaching English in China, I’m living proof of the fact that teachers are becoming increasingly hard to come...
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