Our timetable runs for a 25 hour week period 1 through to 5 every day. The posts on period 0 cover assembly and pastoral times and those on period 6 after school ; period 7 evenings. So enjoy some musings!

MONDAY

Monday sometimes an INSET day ( or is that just a staff non uniform day)

• Monday period 0  –  Inspiration or Perspiration. Just how important are Assembly occasions to school life, particularly when they seem to demand such a disproportionate preparation time. 
• Monday period 1 – New Beginnings. The importance of a fresh start for all of us
• Monday period 2 – Stuck? Unsung Heroes. the importance of support staff and their service to us as teachers and leaders.
• Monday period 3 – Qualified Teachers – What exactly do we mean by qualified? The debate about teachers needing to be qualified begs an important question – qualified for what? Trained for what?
• Monday period 4 – Are you sitting comfortably? The I’ll begin… Is storyteling a lost art and can it transform a classroom or even a school?
• Monday period 5 – A simple and profound lesson to learn. A bit of a holiday ritual and the reminder of wise teachers who taught us so much, where are the next generation? Just what influences you the classroom teacher
• Monday period 6 – Extra Curricular? NO – vital lifeblood. We are all aware of the importance of the extra curricular life of a school but does it go further into influencing behaviour and if so how do we protect it?
• Monday period 7 – If Music be the food of love it should be at the heart of school. This post discusses Music in a school which felt it had a uniquer approach ..not just to music teaching but to the ethos, wellbeing and aspirations of a school community. Oh and do read the comments from many ex students

TUESDAY

• Tuesday period 1 – Chinese Principals arrive for two days in school. We were very honoured to host a visit from Guangdong Headteachers and share alittle of our school. You might be interested in what they asked about and what we gleaned from them.
• Tuesday period 2 – #Lovechemistry, #LoveSalters’ love Investigations. This is what we do in A Level Chemistry. It’s assessment at its best in my view, it’s on its way out, and I for one am sad.
• Tuesday period 3
• Tuesday period 4  –  Subversive Students. Teachers, have you ever found yourself distracted by your pupils from the task in hand? Can you identify those tactics and then use them to your own subversive purposes and to the benefit of the learning?
• Tuesday period 5 – Accountability, Responsibility or Pressure.There seems layer after layer of accountability for teachers. As professional teachers responsibilities are clear, are we too accountable? Do the system ensure standards, raise standards or bring stultifying fear and pressure?
• Tuesday period 6 – “How was school today John?” My Mum has always taken a keen interest in me, and my family, encouragement and kindness. Was it easier in the 60’s? or have we forgotten how to be and help parenting when it comes to school?
• Tuesday period 7 –  The importance of being earnest about Subject Knowledge in ITT. Just how important is it? is it our priority – shouldn’t it really be the best bit of lifelong learning? The challenge for PGCE and other school mentors
• Tuesday after school – extra curricular – Amazing trip to China

WEDNESDAY

• Wednesday period 0  –  Literacy. The Bullock report in the 70’s suggested every teacher was an English teacher. Believe that or not every teacher knows the importance of literacy. How do we raise standards of literacy so the whole school community can benefit?
• Wednesday period 1 – Building character? or what we call – teaching. Outside pressure from the media and politicians look for ways for us to “teach” personal characteristics like discipline, integrity. Its vital but its not done with clever tricks. especially clever tricks which cover over a potential lack of supply of good teachers
• Wednesday period 4 – Data rich, information poor. There is just so much data in schools, and so many analytical tools: Fischer family trust, Raiseonline,4matrix, ALPS, Panda. teacher’s own markbooks and dept analyses. Is it overwhelming? Let’s get back to the day job.
• Wednesday period 5 – Homework, trying to make it work better. Surveys of parents, pupils and staff to see if we can make the experience better.
• Wednesday period 6 – Teachmeet Virgin. in the last week of June 2014 I attended my first ever teachmeet #TNN14. Here are some reflections

THURSDAY

• Thursday period 1 – Overlook the Ordinary, No they are special. My brief plea not to overlook the silent (ish) majority of pupils in school.
• Thursday period 2 – Second Chance? Third Chance?Any Chance? No Chance! How many chances do we give our pupils when they make mistakes and what principles do we show and use. Do we let others down by forgiving too often?
• Thursday period 3 – UCAS deadline, hey maybe that can change. As we enter a new and uncertain time for post 16 education my radical suggestions might just go unnoticed.
• Thursday period 4
• Thursday period 5
• Thursday period 6 – Meetings? Purposeful or…. A teacher’s non-teaching life in school can be overwhelmed with meetings. Are they useful, purposeful, helpful or just a necessary evil? What can we do to try to improve them?
• Thursday period 7 – Celebrating Success. What? Reward for doing the job? How do we celebrate success, share the rewards and use the occasions to help others aspire? Some ways to consider recognising and affirming pupil’s successes.

FRIDAY

• Friday period 0 – “Hope” – in the head’s office. Never easy to choose themes or even to borrow them but this tells you why I chose hope and think it’s a vital ingredient in school success.
• Friday period 1  – Simple, not really. So often we teachers seem to read how our school and education system can be turned round by a bit of this or that. We face judgments (accountability) summing up the complex community we work in and try to inspire with one simple word = “good” or….
• Friday period 2
  Friday period 3 – Secondary schools – Trust, thank and love your Primaries. I have been visiting Primary schools and have a renewed respect, admiration and gratitude to them.
• Friday period 4
• Friday period 5  –  Perseverance. I love Friday period 5 but there is a challenge to raise the stakes in this lesson to make the week finish purposefully, or maybe the term to finish on a great note.
• Friday period 6 – 25 Years or 10,000 hours > Greatness. Just how important in a school is the consistency of long staying members of the staff community?
• Friday period 7 – A worthwhile job. This was to balance my previous post on responsibility and accountability, at the end of a long term(year) a sweet reminder of some of the good reasons why we do the job.
• Friday after school – extra curricular – Friday is the end of the working week, and at the end of my teaching life I went to help our local authority: Nottingham City Council. This is my farewell views of that mission

SATURDAY

• Saturday period 1  – Research Ed – what me? I had never been to a research conference like this , neither been to one on a Saturday. frankly it was terrific and inspired this my first blog.
• Saturday period 2 – Conference? Really? what use is that? My take on the #ascl2015 Conference. Such great speakers, presentations and plenaries, from inspiring to supportive.
• Saturday period 3 –Creating a silk purse from a pig’s ear of curriculum change. The landscape of KS4 and 5 are changing but that inevitably leads to KS3 developments. External change is somewhat poorly thought through. But there are still important decisions to make.
• Saturday period 4 – @beyondlevels #learningfirst. A brief summary of this rather excellent conference on Saturday 21st May in Sheffield with some of the big hitters of education
• Saturday period 5 – Ambition Nottingham was promoting Literacy in the City, this was my offering

SUNDAY

• Sunday Period 1 – we set off to visit a different school……in China – Yikes!!
• Sunday period 3 – Plans off the shelf? No – planning is critical. In response to a twitter discussion about planning lessons, and plans and what the job might entail.
• Sunday period 4 – Packing the Headteacher’s Briefcase. Ten items I am busy packing for the new term.
• Sunday period 5 – Politicians, party or people? In 2022 politics , well politicians took a bad turn with scandals, resignations  main impotent government and considerable churn and change. Politicians get a lot of flack but this was my experience

I have also started a  class lists or “set lists” which was to answer the questions: “why be a teacher?”or “why have other responsibilities in a school?” I have started  a new area about progress from one role or experience in teaching to another with hints and tips about successfully moving on in the job and your teaching career.