In early 2023, as I prepared to leave my school in London, I began searching for my next role with a clear goal in mind. I wanted a new challenge and the chance to make a real impact. As I looked across Liverpool, there were plenty of Head of Department positions, but I was drawn to the idea of something more demanding and rewarding. I joined my current school in August 2023, fully prepared to hit the ground running and whilst I anticipated the challenges ahead, I have learnt a lot this year and it is time for me to reflect on it.
Taking on this role was my first middle leadership position and I did what I thought was best: I read. A lot. While some of what I read has left a lasting impression, no amount of preparation can truly equip you for the reality of stepping into a role where you’re expected to drive change and do so quickly. However, all that reading did help me discover and refine my leadership style, which has evolved significantly over the past year. What no one mentioned, though, is that the sheer number of situations you face means that no single leadership style can truly define you. A year in, I still find it hard to pin down exactly what my leadership style is, and there have been moments where I haven’t gotten it right.
When I first stepped into the role, I knew I was inheriting an entirely new team, and it was up to me to shape the department’s vision. Given my background in writing about the concept of Hinterland, I understood that our mission was twofold: to inspire a genuine love for science while delivering expert lessons. In many ways, we were starting from the ground up. There were no established policies, no clear directives for our technician, limited equipment, no literacy strategy, no feedback policy, no QA processes, and no unifying theme for the department. To top it off, we didn’t even have labs at the very beginning. There was a lot to do, and prioritising was essential.
What meant the most to me was our students and what they deserved was some bloody good lessons from some bloody good teachers. This is where we started.
At our school, we’re fortunate to have dedicated Faculty Time built into the schedule every week, and I knew this time was critical and had to be used wisely. As a teacher, I often found myself thinking, “This could have been an email,” so I made that my starting point. I streamlined all the administrative tasks into a weekly email, ensuring my team had all the necessary information without wasting valuable meeting time. This freed us up to focus our weekly sessions on developing the department’s vision. We concentrated on strengthening subject knowledge and incorporating strategies to help students succeed. A knowledgeable department is a successful one, and anyone aiming for rapid change should prioritise this before anything else. We worked on using structured approaches to answering questions (FIFA!), improving our exam technique, building student resilience, crafting expert explanations, sharpening our maths skills, and starting to overhaul our practical sessions in line with the Gatsby Good Practical Science guide. There was a lot to tackle, but, again, it was all essential our students received the quality of education they deserved.
I knew I had to ensure that my expectations were being met, especially in a school undergoing significant turnover where many processes were lacking. Rather than wait, I took action, and by Christmas, we developed a QA process from scratch. I started by asking the team what makes a good lesson. What would they expect to see in the best science classrooms across the country? What expectations would they have for their students? By involving the team in creating this strategy, we secured their buy-in from the start, they knew I wasn’t asking for anything they wouldn’t expect to see in other top schools or the schools their own children attend.
I formalised this into a specific timetable, focusing on what was most important at the time. For example, when the school was establishing routines to develop its culture, that became our focus. When a particularly challenging topic was approaching, we honed our explanations and explored better ways to assess the students in front of us. This approach ensured that our efforts were always aligned with both our immediate needs and our long-term goals.
It wasn’t until we had solid routines in place that we began exploring other areas, such as improving literacy and oracy in science and shaping the vision for what I wanted our department to become. Whenever I felt we were spreading ourselves too thin, I made it a point to step back and refocus on the fundamentals. In hindsight, there were times I should have done this sooner, and I’ve come to realise that the start of each term should always be dedicated to reinforcing those basics. Establishing high standards from the outset allows us to build and grow effectively throughout the term. This is how I’ve approached the start of this year. Focusing on the essentials, ensuring our foundation is strong, so we can tackle new challenges without losing ground elsewhere.
There were definitely things I got wrong, and I now realise I sometimes placed too much pressure on my staff. It was their welcome honesty that I became aware of this, but they understood we were aiming for change and knew mistakes would happen along the way. For example, I kept Faculty Time in place even when data deadlines were looming, asked them to tweak collaboratively planned lessons to speed up progress, and introduced a homework strategy well before we were ready for it. It’s through these mistakes, and by fostering a culture of accountability and openness, that I’ve learned an important lesson: I need to ensure my staff are supported and happy before pushing for the next big step forward.
One area where I truly fell short was in line management. Initially, I wasn’t the line manager for our technician, and while I hold that responsibility now, I should have advocated much more strongly for it from the beginning. I was aware that our priorities were misaligned, but I mistakenly didn’t view this as a pressing issue. This was a mistake. To ensure the smooth running of practicals, I should have stood my ground and focused on the effective management of the entire department, not just the teaching staff. Since taking on this responsibility in September, I’ve found it to be one of the most rewarding aspects of my role, and it’s made me realise how much I underestimated the need for everyone to contribute if we want to make lasting change.
One area I am particularly proud of is the impact our department has had on the students. Today, I observed several lessons across the department, and the experience was amazing. It was lovely to see great teaching in action. With students fully aware of our expectations, they were actively engaging with the material and delving deeply into the fundamental aspects of science. This level of enthusiasm and understanding highlights the positive strides we’ve made as a department.
The impact of our efforts is best illustrated by the results we achieved with our Year 11 students last year. While our results may not have been the best I’ve ever seen in my teaching career, we have certainly made a significant difference. As a department, we improved from some of the lowest P8 scores in the country to achieving a P8 score of -0.58. As a whole, our school has the third most improved P8 scores nationwide. Is this enough? Absolutely not. Students at all schools deserve to lead with an education that places them on a level footing to achieve whatever they want to. But I truly believe that we will build that for our students very soon.
My biggest takeaway has been the realisation that making a meaningful impact is possible when you have the right team and a clear vision for delivering the education students deserve. While I won’t always get things right, no one does and it’s crucial to acknowledge mistakes and learn from them. Reflect on the decisions that haven’t worked out and consider how to approach similar goals more effectively in the future. Importantly, involve your staff in the decision-making process. I’m not infallible, but as a collective team, we are better equipped to address challenges and find successful solutions.
But as I truly begin to reflect, I think back to a conversation I had a few months into this role with a former boss of mine. During a particularly tumultuous period when I felt like I wasn’t making much progress and felt like nothing positive was happening. He said, “All changes are preceded by chaos.” This couldn’t be more true. Even now, I find this statement resonates deeply with me, reminding me that through the disorder and challenges, there will be change at the end of it.
inquestion. 