While many men and women make up the teaching community across the world, there remains an imbalance, particularly within senior leadership. At primary school level, men are present at senior level at a ratio of almost 2:1. While progress has certainly been made over the years, there is still a long way to go, and this underrepresentation must be addressed at all levels if we are to inspire more women to strive for leadership positions. 

Leadership – an interesting word with many connotations. Throughout my teaching career, I have experienced a range of leadership styles. Holistic. Volatile. Aggressive. Manipulative. The one thing they all had in common was the fact they were not role models. They didn’t inspire any interest for me to become, or in fact, believe I could be a leader. I didn’t fit the mould:

Want to know how to make the most of this school year? In the new Innovate My School Guide, three prominent educators share their tips for success...

I took control of my CPD a few years ago by joining Twitter, attending, then presenting at #teachmeets. This led to me organising some grassroots events, starting to blog and co-founding #womened. Following the success of #womened I have supported the launch of #BAMEed, #LGBTed and #DisabilityEd. Each of these events develop my understanding and appreciation for the teaching community.

The BAMEed Network is a movement for all, and its aim is to ensure visible diversity in the education sector. It is a network for support, challenge and advice. The Network held their first conference on the topic of Unconscious Bias in Birmingham earlier this month.

I tweet and blog a lot about my network and how being an outward-facing leader who is connected to a wider educational community fuels me. It the last few years through Twitter, StaffRm, #womened and now #bameed, through #teachmeets, #leadmeets and #researched I have met a plethora of fantastic educational contacts who have inspired me, empowered me and connected me. Through these connections I have ended up meeting brilliant educators and collaborating on some fantastic projects. These collaborations have reignited my passion for my profession.

I tweet and blog a lot about my network and how being an outward-facing leader who is connected to a wider educational community fuels me. It the last few years - through Twitter, StaffRm, #womened and now #bameed, through #teachmeets, #leadmeets and #researched - I have met a plethora of fantastic educational contacts who have inspired me, empowered me and connected me. Through these connections I have ended up meeting brilliant educators and collaborating on some fantastic projects. These collaborations have reignited my passion for my profession.

‘Man Stuff’! Preconceived ideas of what men do and women generally don’t. Unfortunately, coding has found its way onto the list too… I’m going to start with the white elephant here. I’m a bloke. I like man stuff. I have a man drawer full of cluttered rubbish which may one day come in handy. My wife’s drawers however are borderline OCD. When I was younger I played rugby and went mountain biking which was all about taking risks and getting covered in dirt.

I tweet and blog a lot about my network and how being an outward-facing leader who is connected to a wider educational community fuels me. In the last few years, through Twitter, StaffRm, #womened and now #bameed, through #teachmeets, #leadmeets and #researched, I have met a plethora of fantastic educational contacts who have inspired me, empowered me and connected me. Through these connections I have ended up meeting brilliant educators and collaborating on some fantastic projects. These collaborations have reignited my passion for my profession.

The line up of high-profile industry pioneers at Bett Academies (16th-17th March 2017, NEC, Birmingham) has grown to offer inspiration for senior leaders in academies, MATs and schools exploring academisation. Running alongside The Education Show at the NEC Birmingham, Bett Academies is free to attend and offers visitors the highest quality continuing professional development (CPD), advice and guidance. Innovate My School will be at Stand D8, so be sure to come by and say hello.