In this blog, I reflect on the women who had the greatest influence on my younger self, those who continue to do so today, and how we can create an environment in which we inspire the next generation.
Sue Atkinson
As International Women’s Day approaches – this year it is on 8th March, I have been reflecting on the influential women in my life. The two most obvious people are my mum and my grandma.
Grandma Lydia was an interesting person! Not the stereotype of “granny” who bakes lovely cakes and spoils her grandchildren with treats their parents don’t approve of. Lydia was someone who fled her home in the early 1920’s, travelled across Europe to unfamiliar countries and had to learn new languages along the way. She experienced poverty, discrimination and conflict. Lydia’s childhood and early adult life explained why she hated any form of waste and why it was not in her nature to be overly effusive or extravagant. She was pragmatic, stoic and determined. Lydia was also fiercely intelligent and was accepted into the London School of Economics, which was unusual for women of that time. Throughout her life, she loved to travel, she was respectful and accepting of everyone regardless of their background, faith or upbringing and I have learned a huge amount from talking to her and hearing her life stories – she truly represents what “International Women’s Day” is all about.
My own mum was also in education as a primary Headteacher. She role modelled for me as I was growing up, that it is possible to be a parent and a school leader and to be good at both! This is something I have carried with me throughout my career and why I champion flexible working in schools and work with female leaders to support their development and growth in the profession.
Organisations such as @maternityCPD, @FlexTeachTalent and @WomenEd are a vital part of the work to support women in education and I am pleased to be able to work with them, champion them and share the information and strategies across the school community. We are still in a place where evidence suggests that women’s career progress slows when they become mothers, males are more likely to reach headteacher roles faster than females and women in their 30’s are numerically the biggest single group of people leaving teaching.
I am fortunate enough to be part of an Academy Trust with policies and practice in place to support women to stay in the profession, to progress if they want to or take time to pursue other interests if appropriate. At John Taylor MAT, we have a flexible working policy which works in reality, with part time senior leaders, Co-Heads in the Trust, our COO is female as well as our School Improvement Directors; we have great role models for all of our staff.
This week, I have been delighted to interview for our next Student Leadership Team. We interviewed both males and females and I was so pleased to hear about their commitment and determination to make their school, their community and the world around them a better place. It was wonderful to see the confidence of our young female students and how they want to shape their leadership for the benefit of others.
So, as we think about International Women’s day, I invite you to reflect on who inspires you; to consider how you can positively amplify the voice of women to make sure that everyone’s views are heard, everyone’s experience is valued and just like our student leaders – how we can make life easier for the next generation. Lydia certainly provided that for me!
I would like to thank Mrs Massey for being guest writer on the Headteacher’s blog! She has been working hard on developing STRIPE skills and metacognition with our students across the school. The STRIPE Journal plays an important role in this work – here, Mrs Massey explains why.
I would like to thank Mrs Massey for being guest writer on the Headteacher’s blog! She has been working hard on developing STRIPE skills and metacognition with our students across the school. The STRIPE Journal plays an important role in this work – here, Mrs Massey explains why.
As a teacher in a secondary school these underpin many of the struggles that I see in the classroom and beyond
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