Its the finale of Strictly Come dancing tonight! Are you a fan? Have you been watching? Secretly been wondering what it has in common with school leadership? Nah… didn’t think so. But just in case you are intrigued about what the ballroom can tell us about headship, look no further as author Max Kelly walks us through… or rather waltzes us through… the glitz and glamour of dancing vs leadership!
Are you tired of the same old school leadership model? Fed up of headteachers who just don’t understand the unique needs and challenges of the schools they run, the staff they lead and the pupils they provide for? Well, fear not, because there’s a new sheriff in town, and his name is Santa Claus.
Long-running Aussie soap Neighbours bows out after 37 years on screen. Reflecting on the TV show that brought us Kylie, Jason, Mrs Mangle and wooden-legged Paul Robinson, author Max Kelly wonders whether the soap from Down Under has any lessons for school leaders. Probably not to be fair… but it was fun trying to make the connections!
Popular TV show The Apprentice first aired in 2005 and follows a group of people who are set a series of business-related tasks by Lord Alan Sugar. They have to prove themselves worthy of the ultimate prize – the job of Lord Sugar’s apprentice, which comes with a six-figure investment in their business plan. Lord Sugar is assisted by two close business associates who act as his observers, feeding back to him throughout. The show is famed for its larger-than-life contestants, their boastful claims, and their constant one-upmanship, backstabbing and Machiavellian manoeuvrings. All of this is set against a common goal which requires teamwork and collaboration. So, as the 2022 series continues to pull in the viewers, blogger Max Kelly asks whether the candidates on The Apprentice can teach school leaders anything about leadership, communication and teamwork?
Senior civil servant Sue Gray has had her say on Boris Johnson and released a report giving her general findings into alleged parties and gatherings at Number 10 and across Whitehall. So what will the consequences of this review be, particularly for the PM? And how do reports of this magnitude, and the potential fall-out from them, compare with those in the education sector which come about through OFSTED-led inspection? If the stakes are high for schools and school leaders, surely they are higher still for those behind the famous black door of No 10? Errm, you’d be surprised…
Who would be a premier league manager? Judged by league tables, an unrelenting pressure from those who are supposed to be on your side, and seemingly everyone has an opinion and thinks they could do better. Sounds a bit like the job of the headteacher too! In this tongue-in-cheek article, sprinkled with just a dash of insight, observation and comment, author Max Kelly imagines the current stock of Premier League managers as headteachers. So do you recognise yourself in any of these descriptions? Or perhaps you already work for one them?
manxmaxim.com 