Term One, Week Four (and an half)

The life of a head teacher is a strange one, swinging between two extremes, when everything is full-on, non-stop deadline driven excitement, pressure and surprise. And then there is August! As we braved the winds and rain this week the summer seems long passed.

This last week there have been plenty of unexpected surprises. We nearly had to close the school when the toilets started backing up. Thankfully the drain company arrived (at a cost of nearly £160) in order to unblock the blockage – but not before a small amount of raw sewage started seeping across the playground. I was so thankful for the fierce downpour that followed 5 minutes later, making doublly sure of the clean-up job carried out by the contractor.

Some parents are aware that I have been working for two years to support the Stroud Association of Schools (SAS) as the ‘lead’ on Continuing Professional Development. This is a paid position (£2000 per year) and every penny is paid direct to North Nibley School to support our core budget. These funds directly benefit the children since it ‘tops up’ the ever dwindling budget and increases our ability to provide adequate staffing in all four classes. However it brings additional pressures and deadlines, and there have been quite a few of those this week.

In Week Five I have an Ofsted briefing, Performance Management briefing and a significant budget meeting to prepare for, as well as 2 days teaching to look forward to. Working with the children is still the greatest part of the job. Even in amidst the rain, there are rainbows!