Sarah Alexander 🙋🏻‍♀️ 💚💜

@kateowbridge I had plantar fasciitis and Westerhill Physiotherapy in Maidstone cured it with shockwave therapy- they were amazing!

Tomorrow Ash Wednesday, beginning of Lent, I’m giving up social media. When I return to Twitter (never calling it X) on Easter Sunday please ask me: Is your tinnitus gone yet?(had it since June) Do you still have plantar fasciitis? (Since Xmas) How long is your hair? (growing it)

Small hygiene habits that impact long-term health

What 2025 Told Us About Headship – And Why You’re Not Alone community.headteacherchat.com/c/general-post…

@SarahjevsEvans That’s beautiful ❤️

Edinburgh skyline acrylic on wood

The 25 best sports photos of 2025 - and the stories behind them bbc.in/44FIKHI

Nailed it and especially agree about SAT / MAT difference. Great article. samstrickland384843542.wordpress.com/2025/12/12/hea…

Is it just me, or does running a school right now feel less like leadership and more like surviving in the Upside Down? Headship is a joy and privilege. It's hard. It’s all-consuming in the best and worst ways. It's a job like no other. But lately it feels like I’m leading a school by day and dodging demogorgons by night - constantly sprinting between two worlds. The Upside Down: a dark, uneasy terrain full of trepidation. Here’s what’s lurking there: The new Ofsted toolkit (my personal Vecna), curriculum review, SEND reform, updated IDSR, funding cuts, attendance demands, rising parental expectations, increasing family needs, staff wellbeing... And of course, the thing that I am trying to keep my No.1 focus: outcomes for children + high-quality teaching & learning. It’s a constant wall of noise pulling me away from my core purpose: improving choice, opportunity, and life chances for the children in my school. I’m under pressure. I’m frustrated. And honestly? I’m pretty pissed off. What new monster is going to crawl out next? As a glass-half-full optimist, this feels like unfamiliar territory. No school leader would ever dream of implementing this many things at once because it would fail. Yet this is exactly where we are. And while I understand the wider responsibilities of this wonderful job, I genuinely can’t remember the last heads’ briefing or training session that focused on teaching and learning. I’m not a politician and I’m not interested in playing games between powerhouses. I just want to run my school - preferably without needing a hazmat suit and a flamethrower. @Strickomaster @OhLottie @Southgloshead @dave_mcpartlin @KyrstieStubbs @vicgoddard

@the_VHT A group of us from local schools work out a Y6 transition day ourselves. We all take our Y6 class and meet at the local 2 form entry school. We run activities ourselves such as team building and archery, mix the children up. Everyone brings packed lunches and it runs 10am-2pm. 👍

As a collab we’d like to arrange some events so that year 6 children can meet the children from other schools that they’re going to high school with. Any ideas what might work?

@kitandrew1 Ha! We must both have been in the chaos at Gare de Nord at the same time, I was on the train after yours!

@Sarah_Alexand All trains were in think. We were in the 18.06 delayed till 19.20

Paris

@kitandrew1 Headed back on the Eurostar this evening. Train was delayed so not home yet. 😖 Safe travels

@Sarah_Alexand Are you still there? We headed home this evening.

@the_VHT We made it so classes do either art or DT in a term, not both. Fewer units of work mean that it is is better taught. Quality not quantity. 6 terms a year - 4 for art and 2 for DT. 👍

We’re thinking of putting our big girl and boy pants on this year and reducing the load on our curriculum so it actually fits in (revolutionary I know lol) what would you do less of if you could? The only thing we’re married to is our daily independent reading time & story time

@MrsHeadteacher Agreed! I love feeling on top of everything … for about whole half a day before the craziness kicks in! 😂

Back to school mode after a busy summer - excited for the term and year ahead! I love the end of the summer holiday - tidy office, refurb projects finishing, diary organised. Let the fun begin!

Covid as a HT was just so wild. More than it seemed. Between 2020 and 2022, 13 unique guidance docs were sent to school settings. These were updated 320 times in two years, averaging 3 updates a week. Each update meant checking, rewriting and resending to staff/parents. Mad.

@kateowbridge Sorry to hear this Kate. Love the page on your website “what to do this month” - brilliant idea, even for us experienced heads! 💡 👏👏

Launched a website. Less than an hour before a crappy email. If you don’t like what I say, don’t engage. Simple.

@smithsmm Love this - thank you 🙏

I genuinely don’t write blogs much. (1st one this year) However I felt the need, I’m excited for where we are as a school and our next steps. What are your wishes for your school in the next academic year and beyond… smithsmm.wordpress.com/2025/08/02/new…

@MirandaKeeling This was poignant, thoughtful and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny! Love it ❤️

My little book needs your help to shout above the noise of all the other books! 📚📢 If you've read it, could you reply to this post with what you liked about it? Perhaps no one will see this who's read it, but you never know, right? 🫰🤩 The book: geni.us/ThePlaceImin ❤️

@redgierob I have an ECT starting with us in Reception in September and I have no doubt she is going to be incredible- she’s not on X but pls can I nominate her. 🙏

This came in the post this morning and what a joy it is. Poignant, thoughtful and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny! Love it ❤️@MirandaKeeling