Meet Geoff Holmes, Retired Headteacher, Weston Church of England Primary and Nursery School
For Geoff Holmes, successful leadership has always been about people. During his time at Weston Church of England Primary and Nursery School, he focused on recruiting great staff, supporting their development and ensuring that every decision remained centred on what would make the greatest difference to children. As he enters retirement, he shares the leadership lessons that have guided his career.
"Getting the right people in and then working with them to ensure that what they do every day in the classroom is the best it can possibly be."
Looking back on your time as headteacher, what are you most proud of?
The quality of education at the school - which is down to the quality, and motivation, of the staff team in the classroom.
Getting the right people in and then working with them to ensure that what they do every day, in the classroom, is the best it can possibly be to help our pupils make progress with their learning and development.
This begins with putting the time and effort into recruitment and selection of staff and then doing everything you can to ensure that your team focus on what really matters. This includes updating our pedagogy through engagement with proven, research-backed sources of training and expertise (e.g. working with English and Maths Hubs on a new Phonics scheme or on teaching Maths for mastery). It also includes freeing your staff from the tyranny of unnecessary paperwork and demands from, that small number of, unreasonable parents.
What have you learned about leadership that you would pass on to those considering headship?
Prioritise everything in my first answer.
In other words, distinguish between the 'truly important' and the 'merely urgent'.
What would you like your school community to remember about your time as headteacher?
That I achieved the above!
What’s next for you as you begin this new chapter?
Retirement - hopefully a long and happy one.