This is the final Headteachers bulletin of 2022. It has been a very eventful term for me with so much to learn about Camden. I know it has been extremely busy for you too, rounded off by train strikes and snow disruption. I have spoken to several of you in the last week, who along with staff are feeling the strain, the break couldn’t come soon enough!

Meanwhile there has been some news in the wider world of education, with the much anticipated halting of the schools white paper. Schoolsweek gave a handy summary of Gillian Keegan’s responses in relation to this at her first education committee. And in case you run short of holiday reading (or are seeking to escape the in-laws) Amanda Spielman also published the Ofsted annual report with a glimmer of Christmas cheer in the announcement that there is an improving picture of inspection outcomes for schools. This is quickly followed by the less cheery recognition of a number of issues that are either created or made worse by recruitment and retention challenges such as unprecedented increases in demand for the SEND system, shortages of teaching assistants, and widened opportunity and achievement gaps, hitting disadvantaged and vulnerable children hardest. This is a long list but not one that is unfamiliar to any of us. This all might seem overwhelming at times, but it is important to remember that you are not alone. As a community of schools, we have strength in numbers. This week an interactive map of Camden that shows geographical clusters has been sent to Primary schools, and this will be followed by sessions in the Spring term exploring partnership and system leadership. Camden Learning is based on the principles of a locality based schools partnership, and there are already many great examples of this happening in practice. I look forward to opportunities to explore this further at our meetings in the new term with a Primary Headteacher monthly catch up on Tuesday 4th January at 1:30pm, followed by Primary and Secondary consultative meetings nearer the end of the month and a valuable opportunity to collaborate and learn at the Heads conference on the 23rd and 24th February.

It is now time for you to kick off your school shoes and forget about all of this for a while. Recharge, refresh and come back re-energised.

Merry Christmas!

Stephen Hall

Chief Executive Officer, Camden Learning