#WomenEd Blogs

by Denise Freeman @geography_DAF Recently, I took on a leadership role that has really pushed me out of my comfort zone. I began a journey that has already taught me so much and forced me to reflect on so many things that I do, including the way I use language and the words I use. It has become much more habitual to think about my language, to cons...

by Oanh Crouch Twitter LinkedIn My mother is a strong and powerful woman.  She is an influential leader who knew when to be blunt and firm, and when to be supportive and empathetic. I regret that I did not always think that way about my mother.  I did not see her as a leader. During my rebellious teenage years, I am ashamed to say I most ...

by Nicole O'ConnorTwitter LinkedIn Labels and identity are a staple of Northern Ireland's cultural landscape and are deeply politicised. The use of labels can often be contentious and weaponised, making them a complex form of personal expression. For me, my relationship with labels has been far from linear. For many, their labels are inherited and ...

by  Nasima Riazat @NSRiazat How can we be mindful of equity and equality as leaders? What is the difference between the two and how can we develop our existing practice, in view of DEI (Disability Equality & Inclusion) considerations, to remove potential barriers so we can retain talent and support recruitment practices? In this blog ...

by  Heather Reneé Spaeth I am very privileged to have had excellent leader role models in my life.  In recent years, I have been advised that being a leader means you'll be lonely, but I don't think that this has to be true. I have built an excellent personal network of diverse, strong women and femme leaders across the globe. They are my...

by Emma Howard @howgeography247 and Gurjeevan Malhi @missmalhislays This is the speech we made at the 2023 WomenEd Unconference with the aim of getting all women to think about how they are raising the women around them. Are we thinking about their strengths and giving them direct feedback on how to get better? Gurjeevan: Well a warm welcome t...

by Avani Higgins @avani_higgins As a child I wanted to have blond hair, blue eyes and be called Anne. It's not surprising, and let me tell you why. Growing up in the '60s in Uganda, I remember sitting in the back of my Dad's Cortina and driving past a leisure club. It was tantalising: a crystal clear blue swimming pool and red clay courts fringed w...

by Sandra Patterson @sandyzpatterson Belfast hosted the BELMAS (British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society) conference on 14-16 July 2023. @WomenEdNI were invited to attend to host an information stand and also a conference session. Over the weekend the team met educational researchers from around the globe who were resear...

by Miriam Hussain @MiriamHussain_ I became a leader in my teacher training year and those first few years of leadership are what I reflect on the most. Initiatives that I did well but more importantly what I could have done better.  Here are my top thoughts.  Mostly, I reflect on how I could have worked smarter and not harder. Communicati...

by Dr Kerry Jordan-Daus @KerryJordanDaus    As I draw breath on this rainy Saturday afternoon, I take this space to look back over my first year as CEO of Veritas Multi Academy Trust. This has been an amazing year, demanding of my depth of leadership experience, but also my self-belief in my leadership skills. Leadership of Learning ...

By Julie Hunter     @MsHMFL I gave a talk at a #WomenEd conference in January 2022 and only came across my slides again recently. With the background of leaders suffering from accountability measures in England, now seemed like the perfect time for me to put my presentation into a blog. I'd like to credit the beautiful image below to the ...

By Elaine Walker  @ewalkerbyrne As a former journalist, I always loved writing my weekly parenting column, apart from the time I had all three children off with chicken pox and the feature editor chasing me for my column! So when the communications team asked colleagues to blog a bit more, I decided I would seize the opportunity to delive...

By Sarah Moya  @SarahMoya After nearly twenty years of working in education, I find it is difficult to pinpoint where and how my experiences as a female professional differ from my male counterparts when it comes to career progression. Indeed, the subjective nature of my experiences, coupled with the suspicion that to raise them in the workpla...

By Keziah Featherstone   @keziah70     When I was younger and at the start of my career, I fought for myself and I fought for the kids. Having spent the vast majority of my career serving communities experiencing substantial and layered disadvantage, there was much to fight for. With regards to myself, I was a gobby working clas...

By Sue Prickett    @ruralSBM     The role of School Business Leader (SBL) in schools is often overlooked when describing the make-up of Senior Leadership Teams. Since the growth of the SBL sector joining social media channels, at last colleagues are finding strength and confidence in numbers, but are they finding the right suppo...