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

Lisa Griffin

Five ways to make your MAT more sustainable

Looking for ways to go greener in your multi-academy trust? Use these ideas to inspire you to creating a more sustainable and environmentally friendly trust. More and more schools are adopting environmental sustainability as a core value and raising awareness of it among staff, pupils, and parents...
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Olivia Coombe

Five fantastic outdoor activity ideas

Outdoor play is vital in a child's development and offers many opportunities which could not be granted indoors. Olivia Coombe explores five activities, and the skills children will develop through these. Playing outdoors presents an excellent opportunity for children to utilize natural materials...
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Richard Palmer

Transgender issues and what schools can do

Trans identity is highly contested and political. Richard Palmer will explore some of the complexities and competing agendas for schools. Currently, there is no definitive DfE guidance about supporting trans pupils in school, or how at all, trans identity should be included in the curriculum. Many...
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Carole Green

Three impactful steps schools can take to embed EDI into their settings

Ensuring we are engaging in equality, diversity and inclusion in an impactful way is crucial to the wellbeing of the whole school community. Carole Green shares three steps to take to reach this goal. Settings that struggle to embed EDI are more likely to have environments in which discrimination...
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Andrew Hampton

Working with boys

Supporting boys in being dignified and respectful to each other, girls and women can be a difficult topic. Andrew Hampton discusses an innovative raft of strategies which have a track record of success. In the depths of the pandemic, I administered Covid-19 tests to a queue of Year 9 boys. Two boys...
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Elizabeth Holmes

Eight ways to simplicity – small steps towards clarity

Discover the transformative power of simplicity in education. Elizabeth Holmes explores practical steps to declutter and focus on fostering wellbeing and renewed purpose as an educator. I remember sitting in a colleague’s office several years ago waiting for a meeting to start and watching while he...
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Lisa Griffin

How can you make your MAT attractive?

We asked MAT leaders what matters to employees and how they can market themselves as an employer of choice. As an employer, you want to foster an attractive and professional environment where staff feel comfortable, happy, valued, and can work to the best of their ability. When it comes to bringing...
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John Dabell

Let silence do the heavy lifting

A school is a place where we are absorbing a constant stream of information all day long. John Dabell explores the impact of silence during conversation and gives tips on using it to your benefit. Quiet moments and silence are essential for everyone, especially in a school. Zen Master Thich Nhat...
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Kimberley Evans

10 small interactions that make a big difference in the workplace

Improving working conditions and staff wellbeing doesn't always require financial resources. Kimberley Evans gives 10 actions that anyone can take to make a meaningful change. Improving working conditions, staff wellbeing and happiness can often seem daunting, you don’t know where to start and it...
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Rebecca Jennings

Tailoring your RSHE curriculum

The DfE has announced a review of RSHE to be carried out by the end of this year. Rebecca Jennings discusses the concerns raised and how to enhance RSHE delivery. As an RSHE subject matter expert, my recent work with the DfE has been to support staff by creating staff training modules around the...
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