How to shine at staff meetings

Bull at a gate. Dead duck. Snake in the grass. These unkind epithets have all been used to describe head teachers that I have known. Not, of course, to their faces, but most commonly during whispered exchanges after staff meetings or when drink had loosened their tongues. Anyway, you must know what kind of animal your head teacher is if you wish to understand staff meetings and perform well in them. As chairperson, your head teacher’s role is crucial; get to know them, observe how they work and learn how they like to run things.

The modern meeting