Teach Primary Issue 18.7

www.teachwire.net | 39 L E ADERSH I P O ne of the most harmful ideas I constantly come across in schools is that ‘more is better’. In particular, this is often centred upon people or money. There is this idea that if people leave then life will become unbearable in the school. But no one individual is, or should be, thought of as irreplaceable. There is also the argument that more money will solve the problem. Schools need to be funded better, but MYTH OF MORE they are not, and therefore wishing for a money tree is just a waste of time. We need to make the best of what we have got, even when we make our case for more funding and the counter-argument that less money and continued efficiencies improve performance. That more is always better, and less is bad, is not the full story. The truth is that throwing money at a problem is often a recipe for disaster, and rarely sustainable. Schools, along with children, are able to morph and adapt to any changes that happen. It just needs careful future planning. Hard truths A head teacher might be in a school for 20 years, and the community may love them and see them as an effective and brilliant leader. The reality is that when they leave they will be forgotten in terms of day-to-day functionality within a few terms at most (in reality, within a week). The role will need to be filled with a new head teacher, but not all roles need to keep on going as they did. Even school leader roles have changed over the years. The same can be said of teachers, learning mentors, office staff, caretakers, governors, sports coaches and teaching assistants. THIS WAY! School improvement advice for headteachers and SLT MIDDLE LEADERS | CPD | SUBJECT LEADERSHIP The dangerous