Showbags, Cookbook and Uber Education. The future of school stakeholder engagement

In September 2020, I presented at Educational Data Talks conference, Lessons from Lockdown.

With 24 hours’ notice, schools found themselves in a predicament. For the first time in a century, they couldn’t connect with their community in conventional ways. Quickly they churned out virtual tours, took parent teacher interviews online and Principals hopped in their car to hand deliver resources. Guess what…. it worked! In fact in some cases it was more successful than techniques we had used previous to COVID-19.

During this session we will discuss the positives when communicating with our students, parents and the wider community during remote learning and what we can take forward with us. There will also be an opportunity for participants to share their successes so we can all benefit from the lessons from lockdown.

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Conversations on Leadership, AI, and the Arts

Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to contribute to a number of podcast conversations, as well as host a series myself during lockdown. Each of these experiences gave me a chance to step back from the day-to-day of school life and reflect more broadly on the issues shaping education.

Across these episodes I’ve explored a range of themes: how the arts have influenced my leadership, the opportunities and challenges of AI in classrooms, and the behind-the-scenes realities of staging a school musical. I’ve also had the chance to talk with students and colleagues about community, connection, and the ways schools can adapt in times of disruption.

Book Review: The Connection Conundrum

In my earlier review of The Connection Curriculum, I noted Matt Pitman’s call for educators to prioritise genuine human connection as the foundation of thriving schools. His follow-up book, The Connection Conundrum, takes that message further. Pitman places teachers at the centre of change, reminding us that connection is not a program or policy, but a practice built through daily, deliberate actions in the classroom. For me, his strongest challenge is around professional courage. He urges teachers to take risks, experiment, and lead from where they are, without waiting for permission. As a school leader, this resonates deeply. I value nothing more than when teachers bring forward new ideas and learn through action. Pitman’s book is a timely reminder that teachers are cultural leaders, and that schools flourish when we trust and empower them to act.

Making Teaching Cool Again: How to Fix Education’s Biggest Crisis

The world is running out of teachers, and the impact is already being felt. Even in schools that appear fully staffed, the experience levels are often unbalanced, with too many new teachers and not enough experienced mentors. This leaves early-career teachers unsupported and increases burnout, with one in five leaving the profession within the first five years.

In my talk, I asked the audience to imagine a world without teachers. At first, it might seem like a student’s dream come true with no essays or homework, but in reality, it would be a disaster. Parents would be forced into homeschooling, workplaces would suffer staff shortages, and everyday life would grind to a halt. Who would teach young people to read a road sign or understand a payslip?