Dear KYRA Family,
It has been a huge privilege to meet, visit and collaborate with so many colleagues this term: middle leaders, senior leaders, school leaders and governors.
We know that colleagues are finding the current challenges schools are facing more stressful than ever, and possibly without a sign of calming down for the foreseeable future. I have heard colleagues describe this time as feeling “hopeless” and we have no magic wand to wave.
What gives me hope is that when times can feel completely overwhelming and leaving us in despair, the sense of camaraderie, strength and unity within our KYRA community burns brighter than ever. We are not brought together through force, but rather through invitation and a true sense of belonging. Through our shared trust, respect and support of one another, we navigate these stormy seas together and are stronger through our collective resolve. This is what makes the KYRA family unique. As Margaret Wheatley says:
There is a great paradox that points to the hopeful path ahead. It is possible to prepare for the future without knowing what it will be. The primary way to prepare for the unknown is to attend to the quality of our relationships, to how well we know and trust one another.
I hope that over the holiday period, you manage to turn off your worries and your stress, to spend time being present with loved ones, attending to the quality of those wonderful relationships and caring for yourselves. Have a truly fabulous Christmas and here’s to a brighter New Year.
With warmest wishes,
Lesley
Lesley Coulthurst, Head of KYRA Alliance
Included in this edition:
- KYRA Kids Council; making our schools a forever happy place .
- Peer Review; exploring the leadership of collaborative school improvement.
- Peer Review; getting the line of enquiry right for an impactful peer review
- Peer Review Case Study Two; the power of the Improvement Workshop Recommended Reading
- The Pearson National Teaching Awards; Celebrating KYRA, a special collaboration of schools