Author: Max Kelly
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The Tell-Tale Signs of SUCCESS: 5 Things NO-ONE Will Tell You About Your FIRST Headship
I recently completed my seventh year as headteacher at a school and realised that the departing Y6s were the fist ever cohort that I’d seen all the way through their primary education as a headteacher. Seeing how well all the children had done, and watching them leave as confident and resilient learners, was a proud…
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Prime Ministers vs Headteachers – WHO do make the BEST leaders and why?
The demands of leadership on Prime Ministers and Headteachers are colossal. Leaders must have conviction; the capacity to communicate and persuade; they must manage people and communities; they must translate their convictions to policy detail and then ensure successful implementation of their policies. All the while they must be the relentless and charismatic figurehead and…
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The ULTIMATE Guide To Staff Meetings At School
There are loads of blogs and articles out there which give advice on the mechanics of running an effective staff meeting: let everyone know in good time, welcome everyone by name, share the successes… you get the picture. But did you know there are some fundamental steps you can take right now which will increase…
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Our schools. Their future. Your choice.
The full manifesto from NAHT Isle of Man can be accessed here. NAHT are asking all prospective candidates for Keys to endorse the manifesto and put “education” at the heart of this General Election.
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Isle of Man school leaders call on election candidates to take pledge for education
Members of school leaders’ union, Isle of Man NAHT, are calling on candidates in the upcoming general election to join them in pledging to put support for education at the heart of their campaigns. The pledge forms part of a wider manifesto for education published today (12 August) by Isle of Man NAHT ahead of the…
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Corporate Vision Unveils the Winners of the 2021 Education and Training Awards – Success for Laxey and Dhoon Federation, Isle of Man
There’s no question that the global pandemic massively disrupted the education system, with schools closing and children being forced to learn from their home environments. We speak to Maxim Kelly of Laxey School and Dhoon School Federation, both of which not only successfully weathered the Covid storm, but also excelled at doing it with their…
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Laxey School and Dhoon School to feature on Teacher Hug Radio
Laxey and Dhoon Schools were shortlisted for the TES Primary School of the Year award. I really enjoyed talking to Maxim Kelly, Executive Headteacher to find out all about his schools on the Isle of Man. It was really interesting to find out what it is like to live and work on the Isle of Man. I also…
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Not one for the faint of heart…
This is not a half-term for the faint hearted. It is one for the superhero teachers to come into their own and save the day. It one for the superhero pupils to show their resilience and reach their potential. It is one for superhero parents to reap the rewards of another year of supporting and…
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Community growth from COVID
The pandemics and lockdowns have brought everyone in my school communities much more closely together. And that can only be a good thing.
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Election of NAHT NW National Executive Member
In March 2021 I stood for the vacant seat on the NAHT National Executive for a NW Member for the NAHT. In this short blog / vlog I share my campaign statements, and some clips from the hustings on 25th March 2021.
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How to run a virtual parents evening with Zoom…
If you are thinking of holding your next parents’ evening online, here is how Zoom can allow you to organise and arrange it
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FIVE Tricks To Take YOUR Remote Lessons To The Next Level
Much in the same way that I would write about what makes for effective teaching and learning in a classroom, this is what I have come to see as good practice in live online lessons in the schools that I run.
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Goodbye 2020
It has certainly been a year like no other, but with the Isle of Man being COVID free in the community; a new structure and leadership in place at the Department of Education; and the end of the long-running trade dispute; a brighter tomorrow is a genuine possibility and 2021 feels much more optimistic.
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The fox and scorpion
Sometimes the people you deal with remind me of the tale of the fox and the scorpion. Sometimes one is served a harsh reminder of this tale. I have built my professional approach, ethos and indeed the schools I run on trust and relationships. In fact, I have written several articles and blogs on this…
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A personal review of remote and online learning…
Laxey and Dhoon Schools developed and offered an extensive remote learning package that arose during the COVID19 lockdown period, and which continued to evolve once the schools in the Isle of Man reopened for 6 weeks prior to the summer holidays.
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Visible Leadership
Leadership comes in many different guises in the world of education and much has been written about the theoretical models that exist. I have long advocated that one model cannot and does not work when applied in isolation – the best leadership is always a careful mix of different approaches that are blended through the…
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The final curtain…
And so the curtain is about to fall on the academic year that was 2019-2020. And what a year. Easily the most challenging of my career in a personal sense as well as a professional one.
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You learn from the best…
I’ve met and worked alongside some incredible people who have had a significant influence on my life, my philosophy and my work in education. In this blog, I pay tribute to those who have had the greatest influence and helped shape my thinking and make me the person I am today. I say “thank you”…
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Quell and replenish…
The good school curriculum should remain under constant review, ever evolving in response to children’s needs and interests, ever adapting to the strengths and passion of those delivering it, ever reflecting the values and ethos of the school and ever reacting to the community, society and world in which we find ourselves. The good school…
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11 weeks of lockdown… 11 weeks of video messages…
In an attempt to keep a high visibility during lockdown and school closure, I have maintained regular contact with my school community through a series of video messages, or VLOGs.
MANX MAX 