Taking up a new post is often difficult for school leaders, with the pressure, doubts and fear that can come with the move. Having recently made such a move herself, Caroline Sherwood discusses the impact it had

What happens between colleagues and students when you decide to leave your school can be difficult.

Schools are a place of such huge emotional investment that relationships which once felt concrete and meaningful can become barren.

It is very easy to assume colleagues who have made the decision to leave, want to – or will – abandon all accountability; that they will leave before they’ve left. This isn’t – and shouldn’t – be the case.

With limited time left, the desire to have an impact didn’t wane for me, if anything it became even more pressing and urgent. In fact, the resulting drive and confidence I had from quitting motivated me to be the best I could be until the day I left. When your raison d’être is children – is inspiring them and challenging them to be as excellent as they can be – you can’t leave before you’ve left.

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