“We want “flexible living” not flexible working. We want people to live really well; to be healthy and happy and feel like they can contribute.”
Emma Turner has been in primary teaching for 23 years, during which time she has worked as a classroom teacher in multiple schools and in many different leadership roles including forming one of the UK’s first all-female co-headships.
In this episode, we explore three main themes – flexible working, doing leadership differently, and ‘Being More Toddler’ (also the title of her first book.)
In this practical (and at times funny!) episode, Emma shares:
- How she has always worked flexibly, not just when she became a Co-Head (and how you can too)
- How to approach flexible working as both an employer and an employee
- Why change feels like ‘3 steps forward, 2 steps back’ at times
- A simple and practical questions to ask when thinking of flexible working
- The biggest barrier to flex
- What the Department for Education is doing to support flexibility
- Why she really can’t stand the term “flexible working”!
- How to think about your life in the profession, from graduate to retirement (around the age of 87!)
- Why it’s so important to be yourself as a leader and stop pretending that you’re something you’re not
- The skills she observed in her toddlers, that directly translate to school leadership
- And so many more pearls of wisdom from her career as a senior leader and a mother of three young children.
You can connect with Emma:
On Twitter
You can find her books Let’s talk about Flex and Be More Toddler or where all great books are sold.
Other mentions in this podcast are:
DfE Flexible Schools Ambassador program
TES Business Manager of the Year – Louise Barber
Abby Bayford – Letter to my NQT Self
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