Introduction

This day, in exactly 365 days time, will be first day away from education after 35 years working in four schools, 18½ of those as a Head. I will be slipping off into retirement; at least, that's the plan.

I'll be ending my career literally a couple of hundred metres from where it all really started, on a bicycle, with an unavoidable decision to become a teacher; a decision that I have never regretted in the slightest, however tough life has got from time to time in a profession that has seen so much change over that time. The story of that decision is for another time...

So, in the (possibly vain) hope that I might find some opportunities from time to time this year to reflect on the many facets of a hugely fulfilling career, I thought I might start a blog to capture some of the things that I believe I might have learned over that time: about education; about politics; about human nature; about myself. It is intended primarily as a personal exercise, but if it proves to be of interest to others, that would be a happy bonus.

Let's go...