I know and understand that rugby and the Springboks are not universally supported in a country with as complex a history as ours, but, as a principal, I love the lessons for teenagers, and especially for a team of teachers, that three victories by a single point over...

It’s good to see how schools in the market for a principal or deputy are verbalising their needs. Here are a few phrases from adverts in one magazine. Firstly, for a principal: “…the ability to manage multiple competing operational and strategic demands and be able to...

Looking back on our valuable experience as teachers and school leaders, we all know that, whether we have one or two degrees, our training as teachers only really started on our first day as full-time classroom practitioners. It’s in that cauldron - that forty-plus...

I had two or three topics in mind for today’s letter, but a message this week from one of my past learners galvanised my thinking and led me to share some ideas about passion as the indispensable ingredient for quality learning and teaching. I’m interested in passion...

Can you think of ONE person whose life you impacted this week? You’re a principal so the answer is many. If, like most heads, you have a presence about you and a passion for your school and its people, then it’s really many.

School improvement is at the core of any comprehensive plan for 2022. An often overlooked tool is an annual planning conversation with each teacher. Not all principals are wired for open, direct and sometimes confrontational courageous conversations, but a well-planned, purposeful interaction based on reflection, expectation and team emphasis for 2022, will give your school a collective boost.

Although the pandemic has seriously affected communities in general and schools in particular, we’re still learning about its huge impact on so many aspects of our roles as principals. What has become a vital part of the principal’s responsibility is the mental health...

You may remember a previous letter entitled, ’How would you like to work for a boss like you?’ Never forget to put yourself in the shoes of others, whether a troubled teenager or a member of your team who is taking strain or hurting or even just captured by a clique....

Tough times. That’s a phrase I use to preface every letter I write because the principal’s office has certainly been a tough space in the last 16 months. The toughest leadership test – is the title of an article by three international McKinsey partners to help CEOs...