I am clear that a title, and an office, mean very little. You still need to earn the respect of students and colleagues. From the start, you need to make your expectations clear, and enforce them. I’ve seen teachers new to SLT expecting an easy ride, but in reality the hard work is just beginning. You perhaps have to prove yourself to an even greater degree. Crucially, I need to work out balance. My son is just 9 months old, and family life is one of the most important things in the world to me. I have a longer commute, and greater workload. How do I ensure I carry out my responsibilities to both the family and school? I have already started to reduce my involvement in some projects outside of school that I have been able to work on over the last few years - quite simply, you cannot do everything; you cannot say yes to everyone. As I lead my new Religious Studies department team, I intend to spend as much time as I can listening and watching to start with. I need to get to know them, and
work out their strengths and skills before deciding what we need to do next. Why would you want to enforce change before working out what is working well? Developing good relationships is absolutely vital in schools - that’s with students and new colleagues. September, like the new season, is an exciting time. It is full of challenge, new things and new people. I am ready to expect the unexpected and be asked to do lots of new things. It is important to embrace the change and and be ready to “Build the Bridge As You Walk On It” (Robert Quinn as cited by Jill Berry). If people waited until they felt ready for SLT, they would probably never make the step up. My team are Southend United and I very much hope for at least the playoffs this season. My new job will be as Assistant Headteacher / Director of RS from 1st September at a Catholic comprehensive school in the London Borough of Newham. Find my site at mrlewisre.co.uk and find me on Twitter at @iTeachRE.