PMT

Whilst Tuesday is the official New Year holiday, staff are very upset. They want the Monday off too. Traditionally the celebrations are family based and some of them have a long way to travel. I ask Mr Z to guide me on the local customs and appropriacy and i allow him to make the call. He acquiesces to their request and it gives me an opportunity to hold the first Primary Management Team (PMT) meeting on the Monday as Ms J returns from her medical check-up in her native South Africa.

Ms J is the shining light of the school. Head of Early Years, she is the only one person who has any inkling of what good educational practice is, has trained her staff well, planned and mapped the curriculum and even has defined assessments. There is nothing in place in the Upper Primary school and i am quick to realise that although we are the Primary School, there is actually two schools. Part of my remit is to have continuity and progression throughout and leading into the Secondary division. At least i have a starting point.

My first point on the agenda is to bollock out both Mr Z and Ms J. They have a duty to the school beyond anything else rather than run around on errands for others’ benefit. I point out they have to be the highest role models and needed to formally apologise to their respective staff for their absents last week. They both look suitably apologetic so i don’t labour the point and move on swiftly. I share vision and my expectations and they are eager to please throughout the course of a very long day.

By 5pm we still haven’t finished the agenda and i’m tempted to call them in on the holiday as well, but i compromise and get them to run the bulk of the rest of the week as i prepare the tools for curriculum mapping.