the way back

The end of the school year approaches and I cannot but help ask my contacts about developments at  that  school. You know: the one  where I had the breakdown which was the genesis of this blog .   Well,  the pattern of substantial yearly turnover continues to hold true: six teachers this year… Six,  i.e.  nearly 50% of class-based teachers. Nice.    I’ll look forward to  reading a newsletter where  the head us es  their double speak to explain the normalcy of that outcome: the  usual nothing to see here  approach, I’d wager.  And I’m sure that the useless governing body and local council won’t bat an eyelid. Why change things now? Integrity is so passé…   Anyway, w hile I’m here: here’s o ne from the vaults  that has been bugging me of late.  I  just  cannot let  it  lie . And now I have a sterling  excuse  what  with my recent diagnosis !  If you can't milk ...

The official report landed this week. As discussed in my previous post, the ADHD part came as no surprise. However, this paragraph was less expected:  Autism Assessment  The assessment discussion noted that some traits more commonly associated with autism were present, including a strong sense of justice, black-and-white thinking, internalised presentation, sensitivity to criticism and focused interests. Autism was not formally assessed within this ADHD pathway. Should you wish to explore these traits further, please consult your GP to request a specialist autism assessment.   It all makes sense, very much so in fact, it but was quite an eye-opener nonetheless. Anyone who has read this blog will most probably have noticed the obsession with justice and integrity, and the inability to let things go.  It's been a long and winding road for sure. Is there some sort of light awaiting at th end of the tunnel? I will be requesting another assessment.

On Thursday 14th May I was diagnosed with ADHD. It came as no surprise. At all.  I had suspected it for years. Friends and colleagues had too.  Friends and colleagues had too. My lovely friend Ruth (SENDCo at one of the schools I worked at) was convinced of it. Colleagues, who proved to very much not be friends, suspected it, and I believe used it against me to destabilise and ultimately damage my mental health. As another friend who was also diagnosed last year said something that really struck a chord: that the diagnosis meant nothing, and everything. Nothing in that it was more-or-less a given. Everything in that it was complete validation. Also it could now potentially mean that I can find actual solutions for the brain fog, the depression, the anxiety, the RSD, the lack of focus, the restlessness, the guilt, the inability to relax, the obsessing, the absent-mindedness, the blurting stuff out, the intensity, the zoning out, the self-doubt, the frustration, the anger – th...

I was chatting to a friend the other day. I had worked and repped with him at the school I had the breakdown at: the one which initiated this blog. I was horrified to hear that, in a recent newsletter, the awful sociopath head there had published a letter of congratulation from none other than our very own Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson! The head wrote that they  were proud to receive a special  message from old Bridge  celebrating the school's, wait for it, n ationally recognised success  for disadvantaged pupils .  Ooh, well I never: nationally recognised, eh!  Here is the letter: Dear (head teacher), Congratulations to you and your team on the excellent outcomes the disadvantaged pupils at (your) Primary School achieved at the end of the 2024/25 academic year. Your school's performance places it among the very best nationally, and this is a significant achievement. This success reflects the dedication of your staff and the hard...

Here are a few thoughts thrown together about teaching - which seem to have escaped certain  non-class-based  educators from my 15 years experience in London schools.  Maybe they were overworked.  Maybe they had forgotten what it was like to be class-based.  Maybe they had forgotten the very foundations of teaching, respect and integrity.  Maybe they couldn’t have cared less.  Anyway, i n no particular order, I give you: Attributes that do not make a good teacher: Diplomas/being able to pontificate about pedagogical ideas du jour .  Weeks and weeks of meetings  on fashionable topics such as adaptive teaching, creative curriculum, restorative justice, etc. sometimes only seem to serve the purpose of box-ticking, when far more pressing concerns (such as behaviour management and mental health for instance) could be discussed, and potential solutions implemented.  Being able to create attractive excel spreadsheets , including impractica...

It is a sad state of affairs that in today's world, especially education, nondisclosure agreements  (NDAs)  have developed from agreements genuinely used to  maintain trade secrets to documents serving to primarily protect management by covering up workplace wrongdoing. This is commonplace despite guidelines such as these,  found on the ACAS  website : A non-disclosure agreement should not be used: to cover up inappropriate behaviour or misconduct, especially if there's a risk of it happening again to avoid addressing disputes or problems if it could cause serious moral or ethical issues if it could cause any other negative outcomes or effects I  chanced upon an  article online which looks in more detail at the implications of nondisclosure agreements. Here are some extracts:   "NDAs are supposed to prevent people from sharing technical secrets—trade secrets,” said Kim Scott, author and co-founder of Radical Candor. “They were not supposed to be u...