Stuart Mycroft-Armer

Today has been an emotional rollercoaster. Reaching the silver level of such a prestigious award os something that was beyond my wildest dreams. To say I’m proud is an understatement. #ThankATeacher @TeachingAwards

It feels like we are back to evaluating poverty, not education, and calling it achievement.

@dave_mcpartlin I feel like I'm reposting a lot of what you're saying at the minute but you're exactly right and bang on the money. It's shocking how much worse things have got.

Punishing schools for the challenges facing our children and communities is just callous. I won't stand for it.

The relationship hasn't been reset. There was trust, optimism and hope after the election. Safe to say that there isn't now. This is gaslighting and a brilliant example at that.

School leaders are facing relentless pressure right now. Attendance challenges.
A growing SEND crisis.
Safeguarding cases that are more complex than ever.
Funding that never quite meets the need.
Staff recruitment and retention becoming harder each year. Schools are increasingly being asked to hold together the social fabric of their communities. And rightly, we are accountable. We should be. But there is a question the system needs to start asking. Schools have a duty of care to staff.
Employers have a duty of care to employees. So what duty of care exists for school leaders operating within a high-stakes accountability system? The debate following the tragic death of Ruth Perry forced the profession to confront something uncomfortable - the pressure attached to inspection outcomes can be immense. This isn’t about avoiding accountability or lowering standards. It’s about recognising that school leaders are human. Right now, many heads are carrying extraordinary responsibility for issues that stretch far beyond the school gates, while still being judged through a system overseen by Ofsted that can have life-changing consequences. A strong school system needs accountability. But it also needs leaders who feel supported, trusted and able to sustain the role. Because if we continue to ignore the human cost of the job, we risk losing the very people the system depends on. And I suspect many school leaders would quietly say the same thing: Enough is enough.

Agreed 👏🏽

The link between FSM, SEND here in this thread and low prior attainment is clear. The framework has built inequity in our inspection system.

'The quiet curse of low expectations.' No No. No. Does he not understand that context of some schools with low ks2 attainment does not mean we have low expectations but may mean children have made strong progress from low starting points against all the odds...

Great to be back on the Wirral today welcoming @WeAreCastleway and Gilbrook School to Phase 2 of the Wirral RISE Up programme. 💛We had the pleasure co-creating their bespoke RISE Up strategic visions for the year ahead. Huge thanks to the staff teams for their openness, ideas and commitment to transforming the mental wellbeing and life chances of their pupils. The Wirral RISE Up community continues to grow, and it’s exciting to see the momentum building. 💛🤝🧠💪 #RISEUp #SchoolWellbeing #TraumaInformedEducation #MentalWellbeing #WirralEducation

@StuartMycroft Fabulous! Thank you so much for choosing Katie’s chum Mona! 🎨

Another day at the office today. Tell me it’s been #WorldBookDay without telling me…

@KyrstieStubbs How exciting. Think of the impact you’ll be able to have! Smash it! x

First leadership meeting today in my new role- -Great discussions with leaders I will be working with -thoughtful questions for our Ofsted Regional Director -presentations around giving every child the best start in life Can’t wait to get going!

We are incredibly proud to share that we have been awarded the #LeadingParentPartnershipAward. This recognises our commitment to working in partnership with families & our community. This belongs to our community. Thank you for making our school one that truly belongs to us all.

@SwailesRuth @Southgloshead Absolutely chalk and cheese and only 8 weeks apart. I’m hoping that there are some positives from these changes and hope your next one goes well. 🌈💙🤞🏽🙏🏽

@Southgloshead I know @StuartMycroft had two inspections that were chalk and cheese under the last framework. Let’s see if the toolkit really has tackled the issues around inspector variables.

Powerful, measured and from the heart. This is a must- read for everyone who has anything to do with education. I sincerely hope that those with the power to change things make sure that the issues around the “toolkit” are addressed ASAP.

Our wonderful school community shines in our short promo video below. I am beyond proud to lead this brilliant community and I’m always happy to talk about what we do if anyone’s interested… or even if you’re not, I’ll still tell you! 🌈💙😂

@Headteacherchat Definitely invite a second opinion.

Anonymous Post: “I’m the CEO of a Trust with a school currently in special measures. I invited another Trust to conduct a review, but their feedback felt deliberately harsh — almost as if they’ve got their eye on the school. Do I ignore it and move on, or should I call it out? I’d really value honest thoughts from other leaders.” #HeadteacherChat #SchoolLeadership #TrustLeaders

@iqmaward What a great session! 🌈💙💚🧸

Thank you to everyone who joined Sarah Linari and Brogan Haldane at our information session on the Inclusive School Award for schools in Sefton and the wider Merseyside area. Our team were thrilled to see the amount of inclusive practices already shaping education in Merseyside

I’m looking forward to sharing our inclusion journey today. See you there if you’re joining us! 🌈💙💚

Spot on! 👏🏽

@educationgovuk when can we expect the final outcome of the curriculum and assessment review? I’m sure we were told we’d have a year to prepare for implementation? If that’s the case, we’ve already lost half a term if changes are due to roll out next September!