Every new year we are encouraged to set goals and look ahead with renewed ambition.

Often these goals are focused on practical things. But my new year’s resolutions are not about tasks - they are about staying true to what matters, for myself and for school leaders who believe in education that is inclusive, bespoke and rooted in the communities we serve.

As such, here are 13 resolutions, or even mantras, that I think all headteachers should use to guide them in the year ahead.

1. Remind yourself you are doing a great job

We do not hear this often enough, and many school leaders struggle to believe it. Yet every day we hold the calm for hundreds of children and families.

We make decisions that alter lives. We shape cultures where children feel seen and staff feel valued. No external judgement can ever fully capture that impact. It is tough, but you are doing a great job and are there for a reason.

You have earned trust. You have guided your school through challenges and moments of joy. You have shaped the culture children walk into every morning and will continue to do so.

2. Remember you know your community better than anyone

Frameworks and policy can guide us, but they cannot understand the lived experience of each school. They cannot know the families we support, the difficulties they face or the stories that shape our children.

Our leadership begins with deep understanding of place and people. That knowledge should give us confidence in our decisions.

3. Recognise crisis and its impact

Crisis rarely looks neat or predictable. It appears in behaviour, falling attendance or sudden changes in confidence or concentration. Often when pupils struggle, families struggle, too. Many contact the school directly, sometimes in distress. This is not a burden - it is a sign of trust. We must meet it with steadiness, empathy and clarity.

4. Adapt boldly to meet the needs of learners

Children deserve schools that are willing to evolve. If something is not working, stop doing it. If something better is possible, try it. Be brave. Be curious. Innovation is not indulgence - it is often essential.

5. Praise your team loudly and often

Staff carry the emotional climate of a school. They lift children, comfort them, spark curiosity and create safety. They spot the quiet child, the worried child and the ready-to-fly child.

Celebrate them. Recognise them. Mention them by name and specify what they have done well. Schools are built on people and relationships.

6. If you have been labelled ‘stuck’, remind yourself it’s not a destiny

Being given the label of a “stuck school” does not reflect the richness of improvement, the safety created, the culture nurtured or the ambition sustained. Work with challenge when it is constructive, but do not let narratives diminish what you and your staff achieve each day.

7. Surround yourself with research and professional friends

This job can feel lonely. Surround yourself with colleagues who challenge your thinking, support your wellbeing and remind you of your purpose.

Professional friendships strengthen judgement and keep us open-minded. They protect us from becoming isolated in decision-making.

8. Look after yourself physically, mentally and emotionally

Self-care is part of the job. Leadership without boundaries cannot last. Schools do not need exhausted leaders, they need steady leaders with clarity of thought and calm attention.

This only happens when we make space to rest and recover.

9. Find the gaps in the hedges

Some of the best thinking grows in the spaces where no guidelines yet exist. These spaces allow creativity, innovation and solutions that no document could prescribe.

Notice the gaps and explore them. That is often where the most powerful change begins.

10. Question tradition

What are we doing simply because we think we should continue it? Every school has inherited systems and routines that have outlived their purpose. List them.

Ask whether they help children, support staff and reflect the school’s values. If not, give yourself permission to let them go. Purposeful practice matters - tradition alone does not.

11. Be creative with finance

Budgets continue to challenge schools, but imagination still matters. Some of the richest learning experiences come from resourcefulness, partnerships and creative use of space. Funding may restrict us, but creativity allows us to work around limitations.

Leading with courage

New year’s resolutions for school leaders should never be about productivity. They should be about purpose.

They should remind us why we lead and who we serve.

This year, let us choose courage, clarity and care. Let us challenge what no longer serves children. Let us protect the humanity of education. And let us hold on to the simple truth that our work changes lives, because it does.

James Searjeant is headteacher at Wyborne Primary School in south-east London

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