Focus on Education March 2021 No. 2
I remember a wise colleague telling me when I first became a head that one of the most important things I would do would be appointing new staff.
This time of year is always busy for recruitment in education as we consider timetable needs and seek to replace the valued members of our team who are leaving – for reasons of retirement, promotion or relocation. We are fortunate to attract strong fields and I have been especially heartened to see top graduates training for the profession and now seeking employment.
I often ask young recruits whether it is a love of the subject or a love of working with young people, which is more important and whether this is the first of several careers or a vocation. Passion for our subject is of course vital, as we aim to inspire and to challenge, but it is the enjoyment of working with children and seeing their immense potential, which trumps everything else. And that, for most teachers, is still a vocation.
As a teacher and headmaster, I have been privileged to work with some very gifted and amazing people (both teaching and support staff) who care deeply for those in their care. Never has this been more apparent than during the last year when so much has been asked and so much given. A head can have an exciting vision and all sorts of wonderful ideas, but he or she is wholly reliant on the support and dedication of his or her staff for their realisation. I see my role as enabling the best from the staff, whilst also doing my best for them.
The success of a school depends so much on the quality of relationships within its community: between the staff, at all levels; between the staff and the students; between the students themselves; and with their parents. As staff, we role model those healthy and productive working relationships, and mutually supportive colleagues in turn support their students. Happy staff = happy students is no facile equation.
Whether teachers or support staff, we all share a common goal: to make the school experience as good as it can be for our young people and to give them the best possible start in life. We want them to be world-changers and a force for good! Therefore, I am very grateful to all staff for the way we have gone about testing both on Friday last week and today so that we can ensure a safe return to school for all our community at HGS.
Stay well and safe.
Be kind to yourself and each other.
Dr Bird
