Author Archives: Joe Kirby

About Joe Kirby

School leader, education writer, Director of Education and co-founder, Athena Learning Trust, Deputy head and co-founder, Michaela Community School, English teacher

Taking feedback well

Posted on October 9, 2021 by Joe Kirby

As school leaders, we need feedback from staff on how things are going; we can’t be present in that many hotspots, CPD sessions, lessons or conversations. But it’s hard for staff to be fully honest when their jobs, livelihoods and … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | 5 Comments

Honest upward feedback

Posted on October 2, 2021 by Joe Kirby

Staff don’t often tell school leaders what they truly think about what matters most.. Why does seeking honest upward feedback from staff matter? Being ignored is demotivating. We want staff to be able to share their struggles and mistakes without … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | 4 Comments

How can school leaders create great staff culture? 

Posted on September 25, 2021 by Joe Kirby

‘I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else in the world. This culture, this staff, this school… being part of a team like this is what keeps me going’. What is staff culture in a school?  Staff culture is the mass … Continue reading →

Posted in Staff Culture | 3 Comments

Knowledge-led strategy

Posted on September 18, 2021 by Joe Kirby

How can we think better about school improvement?  Schools are prone to overstretch.  We need a way forward that doesn’t overload us as school leaders.  But we should also beware of oversimplifying and boxing ourselves in to templates.  The history … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Staff Culture | 3 Comments

Strategy: a 2,500 year-old history

Posted on September 11, 2021 by Joe Kirby

In 10 years in schools, I’ve always been prone to frazzling overstretch. I think we as school leaders often are: it’s tough to know what and how to prioritise. I reckon the history of strategy can help us out.  I’ll … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | 3 Comments

Overstretch: how and why to say no

Posted on September 4, 2021 by Joe Kirby

   Every September I’ve taught in schools, I have to admit I’ve felt a bit frazzled! School staff are beset by a dizzying dazzle of pressing decisions, concerns, dilemmas, and requests; cudgelled with urgent demands, requirements, conflicts, pressures and pickles.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Staff Culture | 7 Comments

Teachers lead the scientific revolution in education: 44+ seminal articles

Posted on August 28, 2021 by Joe Kirby

‘The scientific approach to identifying best practices is the best long-term bet.’ Prof Rob Coe The scientific revolution dramatically improved medicine.  Doctors applied scientific research evidence to vastly improve healthcare over time. Infant, maternal and preventable mortality fell worldwide; longevity … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | 9 Comments

Essays

Posted on September 1, 2018 by Joe Kirby

*** How can we improve our schools and our leadership? http://<div style=”background-color: #000001; color: white; padding: 20px; border: 1px solid #bedbe5; text-align: center; border-radius: 10px;”> <h3 style=”font-size: 84px;”>✉</h3> <h3></h3> </div> Here are the 100+ essays I’ve written and shared online. … Continue reading →

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Three Assessment Butterflies

Posted on July 1, 2017 by Joe Kirby

Winston Churchill once said ‘success is stumbling from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.’ Looking back now on assessment in our first year at Michaela, I can now see what I was blind to then: we stumbled and blundered. What mistakes … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Teaching | 9 Comments

Staying stoical in school

Posted on April 29, 2017 by Joe Kirby

Some two thousand years ago, a teacher, a playwright and an emperor asked: What is the best way to live? How can we deal with the difficult situations we face? What does it take to improve our minds? Their answers … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | 10 Comments