Inspiring our leaders

Leadership Focus journalist Nic Paton reports back from this year’s Inspiring Leadership conference.

The clue, pretty much, is in the name. Now in its ninth year, NAHT’s Inspiring Leadership conference returned to the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Birmingham in June to, well, inspire NAHT members as leaders and about leadership.

After what has been an immensely tough year (again) for many school leaders, the two-day conference is an opportunity to reset, reflect and, very simply, breathe; to think strategically away from the day-to-day firefight that, too often, is senior leadership in schools these days.

SIMON KIDWELL
NAHT PRESIDENT-ELECT
HEAD TEACHER AT HARTFORD MANOR PRIMARY SCHOOL AND NURSERY IN HARTFORD, CHESHIRE

As Simon Kidwell, NAHT president-elect, head teacher of Hartford Manor Primary School and Nursery in Hartford, Cheshire and a long-time attendee of the conference, told Leadership Focus: “People come to Inspiring Leadership for many different reasons. First, it is a space to spend time; it’s where you go to get that high-quality feedback. Also, there’s the fact we get speakers at Inspiring Leadership who are not always educationalists, or if they are from education, they’re often leaders within their sector.

“So, I think the main reason people come is because it gives them a space to feel inspired and maybe think a bit differently,” he said.

Bringing diverse perspectives together in one place was definitely on the agenda with this year’s speaker line-up.

Speakers included not only educationalists such as consultant and thought leader Maggie Farrar and Dr Alan Lee (chief executive officer of Bedfordshire Schools Trust) but also journalist, author and humanitarian Fatima Bhutto, retired police officer Alfie Moore, inspirational speaker and former teacher Jaz Ampaw-Farr and educational policy expert Sam Freedman, among many others.

IMAN CORNWALL
NAHT HEAD OF SALES AND MARKETING

“Inspiring Leadership is about allowing school leaders to switch off fully from their duties,” said Iman Cornwall, NAHT head of sales and marketing. “We have it on a Thursday and Friday for a reason, so that people have the weekend, and then they can go back renewed, refreshed and inspired on a Monday morning to tackle the day-to-day issues they face.”

PAUL GOSLING
NAHT PRESIDENT
HEAD TEACHER AT EXETER ROAD COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL IN EXMOUTH, DEVON

This year saw more and more schools, especially academies, bringing their whole leadership teams to the conference, almost as a leadership ‘boot camp’, agreed Paul Gosling, NAHT president and head teacher at Exeter Road Community Primary School in Exmouth, Devon.

“People often struggle to get out of school; resources are stretched. Inspiring Leadership is really good for team bonding. It’s a great way to build and sustain your team. If anything, we need more of this; we need the ability of the profession to have this sort of learning and development built in,” he told Leadership Focus.

“There is, of course, a social element to it. We had the dinner last night, and many teams were able to get together socially to chat, bond, reflect and regroup,” Paul added.

Delegates at this year’s conference were in full agreement that the challenge of carving out time away from the school ‘coalface’ was more than outweighed by the benefits of being able to reflect, do some ‘blue-sky’ thinking about leadership, gather ideas and inspiration, network and generate professional contacts.

JON GLADSTONE
ASSISTANT HEAD TEACHER AT OAKWOOD SCHOOL, SURREY

Jon Gladstone, assistant head teacher at Oakwood School, a secondary school near Gatwick in Surrey, was using the conference to crystallise his thinking and ideas before stepping up to become the school’s head teacher this September.

“Our outgoing head teacher – Simon Potten – normally comes here, and he thought it would be a good idea for me to come. And he was certainly right!” Jon said.

“Particularly with it being my first year, my first head teacher speech on the first inset day in September, I think, will be really important for the staff. Next year, I think I might come with our school business manager because a lot of what was said was pertinent to her managing the support staff as well,” he added, pointing out that much of this year’s focus on resilience and protecting mental well-being resonated.

PAUL GOSLING
NAHT PRESIDENT
HEAD TEACHER AT EXETER ROAD COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL IN EXMOUTH, DEVON

This year saw more and more schools, especially academies, bringing their whole leadership teams to the conference, almost as a leadership ‘boot camp’, agreed Paul Gosling, NAHT president and head teacher at Exeter Road Community Primary School in Exmouth, Devon.

“People often struggle to get out of school; resources are stretched. Inspiring Leadership is really good for team bonding. It’s a great way to build and sustain your team. If anything, we need more of this; we need the ability of the profession to have this sort of learning and development built in,” he told Leadership Focus.

“There is, of course, a social element to it. We had the dinner last night, and many teams were able to get together socially to chat, bond, reflect and regroup,” Paul added.

Delegates at this year’s conference were in full agreement that the challenge of carving out time away from the school ‘coalface’ was more than outweighed by the benefits of being able to reflect, do some ‘blue-sky’ thinking about leadership, gather ideas and inspiration, network and generate professional contacts.

JON GLADSTONE
ASSISTANT HEAD TEACHER AT OAKWOOD SCHOOL, SURREY

Jon Gladstone, assistant head teacher at Oakwood School, a secondary school near Gatwick in Surrey, was using the conference to crystallise his thinking and ideas before stepping up to become the school’s head teacher this September.

“Our outgoing head teacher – Simon Potten – normally comes here, and he thought it would be a good idea for me to come. And he was certainly right!” Jon said.

“Particularly with it being my first year, my first head teacher speech on the first inset day in September, I think, will be really important for the staff. Next year, I think I might come with our school business manager because a lot of what was said was pertinent to her managing the support staff as well,” he added, pointing out that much of this year’s focus on resilience and protecting mental well-being resonated.

The conference also attracts educationalists from across the world, with delegates to this year’s event coming from as far afield as South Africa. In the process, this can often facilitate rich global connections.

WILL GEORGE
MINDFULNESS COACH

For Will George, a mindfulness coach working with Bedfordshire Schools Trust (BEST), the fact his trust’s chief executive officer – Dr Alan Lee – was speaking at the conference, along with Maggie Farrar, was an easy motivator to attend. But, because of his role, the conference’s emphasis on mental health, resilience and emotional well-being were also all topics close to his heart.

“For us, it’s been about celebrating BEST’s mindfulness journey so far. I think the range of speakers [at Inspiring Leadership] has been fantastic. Having a sense of the inner aspects of leadership is relevant and hugely important,” he said.

“What we’re developing with BEST is to have mindfulness and compassion as a relational quality, a core part of the way that people work together. So, I’m here really absorbing ideas and inspiration. It allows you to step back and reflect; it has been very powerful for me,” he added.

REBECCA COX
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF HALES VALLEY TRUST IN DUDLEY, WEST MIDLANDS

Rebecca Cox, chief executive officer of Hales Valley Trust in Dudley, West Midlands, has been coming to the conference “for years” and has long recognised its value for school leaders.

“It is really important to have leaders who can take time away from school. You can get so involved and entrenched in the day-to-day. It’s important for you to come away from that, to listen to different perspectives, to connect with your colleagues and others in your local area and to reconnect with education,” she said.

“It is about having the time to reflect. When you’re listening to inspirational people here, you apply it to yourself, your setting and your thinking. For example, ‘Do we do enough around well-being?’ and ‘Do we do enough around creativity?’ It is about taking that time to think and reflect; it is about stepping back and thinking, ‘Are we doing everything we can?’, ‘Can we do things differently?’ and ‘Can someone give me a different perspective on this?’” Rebecca questioned.

By comparison, Mike Mulhall, head teacher at the 120-roll Tintwistle Church of England Primary School near Glossop in Derbyshire, and his deputy head teacher Sarah Bott were attending the conference for the first time.

“Like many schools, we’ve had quite a tough year,” he told Leadership Focus. “The school has faced quite a lot of challenges: we’ve had a lot of staffing issues, we’ve had Ofsted this year, and we’ve had a lot of pressures really in what is quite a small school.

“We haven’t had a lot of chances to get together for some really good continuing professional development (CPD). It [Inspiring Leadership] gives you that time to step back and think about how we inspire leaders to deal with the challenges we face, many of which are not going away,” Mike added.

“It has made us realise, I think, the value of our job again,” agreed Sarah. “We firefight all day long, and you don’t have time to think about what you are actually doing for the children. So, it has made me step back and think, yes, we are doing a good job for our children,” she emphasised.

This is an important point that Iman Cornwall returned to in conclusion. Yes, of course, the speaker programme is a key draw for attending a conference like this, and NAHT, with Blackberry Productions, puts a lot of work and effort into attracting a strong line-up each year.

Yet, equally, the opportunity to pause, step back and take stock – to think, talk and listen – is vitally important, especially with senior leadership in schools now so intense that if you’re not careful, it becomes all-consuming mentally, emotionally and physically.

“In a way, Inspiring Leadership isn’t just about listening to the keynote speakers; it is about taking time out, networking with colleagues and others in the same boat as you and listening to the questions and answers that take place,” she said.

“It is about giving you the ammunition you need to carry on doing your job during what is a really tough time,” Iman added.

By comparison, Mike Mulhall, head teacher at the 120-roll Tintwistle Church of England Primary School near Glossop in Derbyshire, and his deputy head teacher Sarah Bott were attending the conference for the first time.

“Like many schools, we’ve had quite a tough year,” he told Leadership Focus. “The school has faced quite a lot of challenges: we’ve had a lot of staffing issues, we’ve had Ofsted this year, and we’ve had a lot of pressures really in what is quite a small school.

“We haven’t had a lot of chances to get together for some really good continuing professional development (CPD). It [Inspiring Leadership] gives you that time to step back and think about how we inspire leaders to deal with the challenges we face, many of which are not going away,” Mike added.

“It has made us realise, I think, the value of our job again,” agreed Sarah. “We firefight all day long, and you don’t have time to think about what you are actually doing for the children. So, it has made me step back and think, yes, we are doing a good job for our children,” she emphasised.

This is an important point that Iman Cornwall returned to in conclusion. Yes, of course, the speaker programme is a key draw for attending a conference like this, and NAHT, with Blackberry Productions, puts a lot of work and effort into attracting a strong line-up each year.

Yet, equally, the opportunity to pause, step back and take stock – to think, talk and listen – is vitally important, especially with senior leadership in schools now so intense that if you’re not careful, it becomes all-consuming mentally, emotionally and physically.

“In a way, Inspiring Leadership isn’t just about listening to the keynote speakers; it is about taking time out, networking with colleagues and others in the same boat as you and listening to the questions and answers that take place,” she said.

“It is about giving you the ammunition you need to carry on doing your job during what is a really tough time,” Iman added.

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