So by now there’s no denying it: we are back to a new academic year.

For all of us it will be a year that will hold such promise and optimism that for once we will see the changes necessary to positively change our education system.

So can we look forward to an exciting new year? Can our optimism be maintained? Can we finally see some positive momentum in the profession?

Unfortunately, there are some obstacles to overcome:

• There is no doubt that there is a lack of both relationship and communication between government and schools. For many years it has been deteriorating.
• Morale. Teachers who believe the child should be central to the process of education and who work so hard building relationships with them have such a lack of respect from the government that teacher morale is as low as I can remember.
• Ofsted is still largely a negative body designed to grind schools into the ground. It is always a hope that this body could actually work with school leaders. But, the reality is it hangs over us all like a thunder cloud ready to deposit its contents. What could be an acceptable accountability system has become akin to teacher cruelty.
• Failure in Ofsted leads, of course, to acadamisation.
• Academies could soon be joined by more ‘grammar’ schools. Social inequality will be enhanced and those politicians living in their own time warp will rub their hands in glee.
• The never-ending pressure on senior staff will continue and more and more will leave the profession. Thus these roles will be as hard to fill as the spaces for newly qualified.
• The addiction to testing will continue unabated. This proven flawed and antiquated process will continue to ensure England maintains its leading position as the most over-assessed education system in the world.
• The curriculum will continue to narrow instead of broaden. Excitement, creativity and fun will be almost forgotten words.
• The workload of teachers will continue to increase, increase and perhaps increase more... but the government will, I’m sure, write another report about it.
• Funding will be cut again

But...

• Parents are starting to realise that this process we all call education, which we all feel passionate about, is not appropriate for their children, that it is actually affecting their wellbeing and that their learning is actually too narrow and prescriptive
• Parents can do something about it

Maybe the last two prove that despite decades in education, I retain some optimism.

On a personal note, this September sees me changing from being a primary head after 25 years to moving to supporting schools and staff in lots of different schools

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