A year in the life of a Primary Headteacher
A look back to the start of term.
18th August. All is going really well we have a full compliment of staff in school and Norma MacPherson is working on our Maths priorities for this session.
Lunch at Thurston Manor and then more Maths in the Afternoon. A very positive day. Things are looking good this year.
19th August. The Staff Development Day starts with a strong cup of coffee, staff meeting, a quick revisit of the Development Plan. Then a busy day settling in our NQT and spending time getting refurbished and decorated classes back into shape.
22nd August. Pupils back. 8:30am Enrol new pupil to school welcome back all pupils with a visit to each class. Go over timetables with support staff and look at the budget for this year. Look at ways of saving money and reducing costs.
23rd August-2nd September. Due to an unforeseen staff absence I am in class for the next 2 weeks, so bang go all the plans for clearing my computer files and working on the development plan priorities and all the other things I had on my already big "to do" list.
The class is a Primary 3/4 and they have only had their teacher for 1 day. We make the best of the situation and get going on the forward plan. A really good opportunity to get to know the capabilities of each pupil and indulge myself in teaching "grown up" children after a year in Nursery.
During this time I also had to get on with Headteacher items in between marking planning and teaching the class. Contact was made with the Cluster Heads to bring forward the first Cluster meeting. Work was also started on updating our Nursery Policies as we are due our annual Care Commission inspection. I have also been putting bits and pieces into the Standards and Quality report. I also contact David at West Barns regarding a planned combined trip to York for both schools. I also liase with my Senior Teacher on the progress of our NQT following the guidance set by the GTC and ELC. on the 26th August I meet with Nadia from ELIS who is going to be working with us in and out of school. 29th-31st August Norma is back looking at the teaching of maths across the school and giving us very good advice on how to pace lessons. She even showed me how to use a number stick correctly. On the 29th I meet with Karen from finance in the school to go over the school overspend and plan this years budget. We talk about many things, including babies. My second is due in December and Karen is going on maternity leave soon. On the 31st of August after teaching all day I make my way to an ICT Masterclass meeting.
1st September. Staff meeting at 8:20 am. I go straight to class for the day. After school prepare for CAT day on School Development plan and Maths.
Start report on "Grounds for Awareness", after polite reminder.(due in June)
2nd September. In class until break then lead assembly with Anne Lithgow the local minister. Organise my gardening gang to work on the garden for Golden time. In the afternoon go through with teaching staff the Development plan priorities for this year and focus on maths. I also distribute 2 files of new or amended policies that were worked on last session and agreed with staff and parent bodies.
5th September. Back to my office. or so I think. another staff absence, this time I am in P5/6/7. collate and distribute agenda for Cluster Heads meeting on Wednesday.
6th September. Back in P5/6/7for the morning work on problem solving, comprehension and using ICT to design a poster for the Village Welfare Group. In the afternoon I spend a busy day catching up on everything and making sure that nothing had been missed while I was in class. Write and send off evaluation of Study Support Club for last session. Continue work on the Grounds for Improvement report, take photographic evidence. Send out to classes nomination forms for new pupil council and Eco Schools groups. A busy productive day, despite being in class in the morning. (Tuesday morning is my only timetabled class contact time.) Care commission date, 26th September, and return comes in to school
7th September. Busy productive day in the office or so I think... Who turns up to put a spanner in the works, Don Ledingham. A very productive meeting with Don ensues; he tours the school and meets all the staff. He is impressed with the way the building has been improved and by the fact that his lingering memory of the smell of cabbage had vanished. We discuss the attainment agenda and I try to convince him that things are on the up. Before the Cluster Heads Meeting I start work on the Care Commission return and the Self-evaluation document. Well I had nothing else to do.
In the afternoon I attend the Cluster Heads meeting, which is Paul's first Cluster Heads meeting. No cakes on the table, bring back the old Heedie.
A very busy agenda is discussed and we agree a way forward on Cluster Study Support Funding and link it to DGS Schools of Ambition bid. We agree to met before the end of the month. Check that Scot Exed data has been returned.
8th September. I plough through the S and Q report and manage to finish 90% of it. I complete and return a bid for Study Support for this Session again with the focus on ICT and Expressive Arts. I also manage to submit the Grounds for Awareness Report. I am seeing light at the end of the very long tunnel. I have a meeting with my Nursery staff about the Self Evaluation and we agree the return information.
9th September. A busy morning with P5/6/7 working on the posters and getting the work printed off. Assembly and then Golden time. No gardening group today as it is pouring. Spend the afternoon typing, cutting and gluing. Yes, I am finalising the return to the Care Commission, not working in the Nursery. Why do they not have an electronic version of their return? Life would be simpler. Send an e-mail to Joyce Marlow about the new menus and the problems of food quality in a satellite school.
12th September. A long productive early morning meeting with my Support for Learning teacher on a pupil who requires an IEP and other aids to contribute to learning. I then had a meeting with my PT and NQT. In the afternoon I fielded my e-mails and got on with some planned work on the development plan.
13th September. In Edinburgh for a focus group on the new routes proposed for SQH. A very interesting morning , with a great deal to consider if you are a young(ish) Headteacher in a small school in a small authority. In the afternoon I had a very productive meeting with Elizabeth Diamond from Stenton and we agree to share more between the schools and the cluster. We also discussed applying for a grant for a science focus across he cluster.
14th September. Headteachers meeting in Haddington. A good meeting and a positive vibe in the room. Very impressed with Don managing to name everyone, I find it hard to remember my own name at times. It must be a trick by wrd association. Emergency planning work in the afternoon gave rise to a number of local issues that I will need to address.
15th September. Staff meeting at 8:20a.m. Discussed items raised at Headteachers meeting. At 9:00a.m. I had a 1-hour telephone conference with Colin the area Psychologist. After the call I met with my SFL teacher, Morna, to discuss points raised by Colin. We agreed a plan of action. At 10:15 a.m. I meet and greet Susan who with be undertaking 2 student teacher placement with us, one in Nursery and one in Primary 1/2. I give the grand tour and introduce her to all the staff. After break I leave her in the capable hands of our P1/2 teacher, Lindy and Nichola our Nursery Teacher and PT. In the afternoon I attend the Small schools meeting at Stenton. Again a lack of proper cakes. (And here is me after having no lunch.) A busy agenda and a number of items to be raised further up the line.
16th September. Today. I am in class Primary 5/6/7. Problem solving, then ICT. After break I lead Assembly. Then I go outside with my gardening gang to plant daffodils. We take pictures of the Swallow Chicks at the front door as they go on test flights; sometimes life in a small school needs to be simple. We wish them well on their way to South Africa, plant our bulbs and enjoy life at Innerwick Primary School.
After everyone has gone home I start this web log. It is 3:50pm and time to go home to Marion and Euan and remember that sometimes there are more important things than Education, Education, Education.
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