I’ve learned a lot from meetings where I’ve walked in thinking I knew exactly where I stood, and walked out slightly less sure. That is a horrible little feeling when you’re the one representing the school. You’ve got the chronology in your head. You know why the decision was made. You know

I keep looking at the assessment and exam world our children are moving through and wondering what it is actually for. SATs. GCSEs. Functional Skills. I understand the need for qualifications. I do. There has to be some way of showing that a young person can read, write, think, probl

You have to say no. You have to hold a line. You have to make a decision that might make you look like the bad guy for a bit. That is part of the job. But I think one of the biggest mistakes we make is assuming people will understand the thinking behind it. For me, a massive part of