Secret School Business Manager

If you are secure in yourself, you recognise that you do not know everything. That awareness keeps you open to continuous learning, new approaches, & different perspectives. You welcome questioning & constructive challenge, including questioning own bias. Lifelong learning!

@Julespg @SwailesRuth And intervention costs will sky rocket Do wonder if the govt has some sort of grand plan, or are they totally incompetent - don't forget Gould has the brief from both Ofsted and DfE

@SecretBusMgr @SwailesRuth And the off-loaded pupils end up at another school and the process re-starts...

After leading 41 training sessions, visiting 27 schools and working with thousands of teachers since January, I think I’ve got a fairly good handle on the mood in the profession. Here’s what I’ve observed. Everyone is working flat out. Harder than they’ve ever worked before.

@Julespg @SwailesRuth have the potential opposite effect if becomes a purely tick box exercise. HT cannot get a secure fit, so moves on School cannot get a HT, or even a HoS So the deputy acts up, just holding the fort School gets rebrokered But unless grass flattened no 'progress'

@SwailesRuth This is all consistent with what I'm finding, Ruth. 'Secure fit' is a curse and it's impossible for inspection to be anything other than a tick-box exercise while they insist on this approach. We have staff & leaders turning themselves inside out to be told 'not good enough,'

@MistypeaTam @adamboxer1 Just imagine going into a office and saying that. Nice trousers, nice shirt/polo top, no designer brands, no brands at all (plain). Plain shoes (no branding), colour irrelevant. That will do.

@adamboxer1 As a tutor, it’s a miserable start to the day running through - tuck your shirt in, do your top button up, roll down your skirt, take off that extra necklace, have you got too much mascara on ……. Oh, good morning by the way, ready for a good day?! 🤷‍♀️

Call me a prog, but I find it extremely difficult to care about uniform. Would be more than happy for a dress code of smart trousers of any colour, and a white/blue/grey polo

@Samstricko181 ..... while rolling out a "We have listened to you" ofsted framework, at the same time issuing out a white paper that talks about "groups"

I’m not sure an unfunded pay rise that’s below the rate of inflation is helpful….

Brent Crude: $116.50 Serious question, if conflict continues inflation will likely sky rocket, gas prices, fuel, etc. School funding wont follow at a similar pace Under such uncertainty why would trusts want to legitimately grow under such uncertain circumstances? #governance

@MrTeece_ With inflation about to sky rocket if ME conflict continues I can see the union starting point being 7% for the year

As a teacher I would have been nodding and arguing for this, as a Head I just dread the reality of more cuts and the rises not being funded. Doing more with less isn't sustainable.

@smithsmm @SwailesRuth No school will undertake restructures for fear of impact, schools despite financial challenges will be reluctant to be innovative to overcome hurdles System is now set against progress, unless progress is very standardised lift and shift systems, backed by unofficial influence

@SwailesRuth Literally stalled on the work we wanted to do…due to being in the window. Progress since inspection and the freedom to challenge ourselves and sometimes make mistakes has been huge in developing staff.

This phrase, which would put a school into the "needs attention" category, is causing huge alarm. In schools where leaders know things aren't quite right, they're reluctant to make any changes because they're "In the window" and unsure how recent a change needs to be to fit!

@SwailesRuth If Ofsted are due within 18 months of a HT leaving a new HT coming in will, in theory, be taking on a poisoned chalice. All new HTs want to do something new Unless, of course, school is part of a large standardised chain - who thinks ofsted is independent to dfe/academisation?

@dave_mcpartlin I think Gould is getting a free ride here as well. 39 years old, only experience of education, since going to school, has been since September 2025. The civil servants are running the show, and most are from large chains

No, you haven't reset the relationship. Maybe you and Ofsted should have a chat.

@dave_mcpartlin there is no reset, just guinea pigs in a system of chains x.com/SecretBusMgr/s…

🌱 Citizens The future is teaching this generation something different, I don't have the answer, but same old, same old is not the answer. But what I do know is this generation is the most aware of differing needs & they are becoming more aware! That is the hope

🤖 The Human Touch in an AI World When ChatGPT can just give you the answer, and AI/robotics will inevitably take many traditional jobs. "New Education" must focus on what machines can't do: community, pastoral, human touch, respect, good behaviour.

Born in 2010. Turning 16 this year (2026). This is the ultimate "Guinea Pig" generation. They are the most tested, disrupted, and experimented-on cohort in modern history. It’s time for the DfE, Ofsted, MPs to drop their agendas. Here is why: 🧵👇