In October 2015, I made the fateful decision to quit my then school with no job to go to. That December, I wrote a little blog about why I was leaving which I published on my own little obscure blog. At this time, I had a twitter account with a following of less than 500. I was very fortunate that Jon Severs came across the blog and asked if the TES could publish it. At the time, I remember being so excited at having something published! The original blog went viral – thousands clicked and read. It was then that I met Ed Dorrell – the content editor of the TES, who today announced his departure from the publication after more than 10 years of journalistic service. When I first spoke to Ed in
This is a direct response to the piece written in the Scottish Herald by Doug Marr. I want to start by saying how shocked I am that a former headteacher wrote this piece. The idea that teachers have been “sitting at home” and doing nothing during the corona crisis is so far from the truth. Many schools are still open, providing childcare for essential key workers. Most headteachers are in their schools every day, organising and trying to map the way forward for the young people in their care. They are taking risks to their own health every day, with no protective equipment. Take my good friend Flora Barton, headteacher. 4 weeks ago, she had to self-isolate for 2 weeks because her son had a c
