Wholesome Leadership with Tom Rees

Tom is the Executive Headteacher of Simon de Senlis Primary School and currently work across eleven primary schools as the Education Director of Northampton Primary Academy Trust.  Tom is a former Advanced Skills Teacher who has spent the last 17 years leading in schools across different contexts, counties and countries.  He has spent the last 10 years as a Headteacher in Northamptonshire.

In between Headships, Tom experienced life in industry via an 18 month secondment in the EdTech industry working alongside schools, academies, local authorities and multi-national companies.

Tom is  married  with three beautiful children, he  occasionally plays in a Beatles Tribute Band and is the Chairman of Ups ‘n’ Downs – a  charity supporting families affected by Down’s syndrome.

I nattered to Tom about:

Usual journey to point question- selected highlights from your career to date . As much or as little as you like .

Wholesome leadership has been a game changing leadership text . You discuss in the intro whether the world needed another education book , what were the 4 reasons you decided the book was worth writing ?

For those new to the book tell us about your H4 leadership model .

Moving into section 2 and the first of the Hs , how self aware are we as leaders?

Do we all have a particular style of leadership and what are the advantages of this and the potential pitfalls ?

 In chapter 4 you outline 10 building blocks for great staff culture , could you share some of those with listeners and how do leaders build ethos and professional culture ?

 Into the second H , you use sir David Carters 4 stage model of improving a school. Have you seen this model being used and how do leadership styles fit into it ?

How do you establish a culture of accountability that doesn’t rely purely on the fear of OFSTED ?

 Into the hands now , what responsibility do leaders have for sustained professional development , how do we strike the balance between the priorities of the school and the development of individual teachers ?

 Use of external expertise also vital for example , the ambition ECF work , a vital strand to our CPD which also ties into school priorities whilst meeting the needs of the individuals. 

 Could you tell us about the leapfrog conversations model and it’s importance in people management?

   Lastly into health , how can leaders create a healthy balance whilst still maintaining credibility in the staffroom ?

 How do we guard against becoming a martyr ?   Is it like the aeroplane safety demonstration where you put on your mask first before helping your child ? 

 How do we move from superficial wellbeing gimmicks into clear systems and pathways ?

 Where can we see you next ?   How can we find out more ?

In podcast pedagogy

I am looking at Daniel Sobel's Leading on Pastoral Care and listener Nikki Smith is talking about the influence of Jill Berry's work on her practice. 

Shameless plugs

South Shore Academy Teach Meet 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ssa-teachmeet-tickets-79868126717?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Brew Ed Ossy

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/brewedossy-tickets-78805006897?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Don't forget #teacher5aday . I am continuing to #exercise via my daily cycle commute.