Happy Friday Reader

There's a question that's been stuck in my head since I recorded this week's episode with Sam Gibbs.

Are we honestly trusting our teachers?

Not "trust" as in letting people do whatever they want. That's not what I mean. We're talking about professionals who've worked hard, got the qualifications, gone through training and induction. People who chose this work because they want to do a good job for children.

Sam put it simply: we need to start from the assumption that teachers are professionals who come in wanting to do well. And then base our policies, our processes, our behaviours on that assumption.

Sounds obvious, right? But Sam made a point that I keep coming back to.

She talked about the difference between scrutiny that's about improving and developing, versus scrutiny that's really just about finding fault. There's a line there. And in some schools, we've crossed it without realising.

When I think about my own leadership over the years, I know I've been guilty of this. You see something that doesn't match your vision of what good looks like, and it's easy to slip into deficit thinking. To forget that the teacher in front of you has years of experience and training. To reduce them to that one moment you just observed.

Sam's challenge to leaders is this: how many of our systems are actually designed for the 99% of teachers doing their best? And how many are really about controlling for the 1%?

Think about your marking policy. Your observation framework. The hoops teachers jump through to prove they're doing what they said they'd do. If you're being honest, which group were those designed for?

When we build everything around catching out the exception, we send a message to everyone else. We create cultures where professionals feel watched rather than supported. Where the goal becomes compliance rather than growth. Where talented people start to wonder why they bother.

And the thing is, Sam reckons if you focus on the 99%, the other 1% tends to come along anyway.

One thing to try this week: Pick one policy or process in your school. Ask yourself honestly: is this designed for the 99% or the 1%? If it's the latter, what would it look like to flip that assumption?

I'd love to hear what comes up for you. Hit reply and let me know - I read every email!

Shane