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Welcome To My Blog
Starting the Year Already Depleted: Why September INSET Should Build Staff Capacity, Not Just Deliver Information
An INSET day built around policy updates and information delivery might tick a compliance box, but it does very little for a staffroom that is already running on reserves before the pupils have even arrived. If your September INSET day is currently built around information, it may be worth asking what it would look like built around capacity instead.
Coping With Exam Results: What Comes After Any Big Outcome
A result is a single number, produced by one performance, on one day, after months or years of preparation that number alone can never fully capture.
Our latest blog piece looks at what genuinely helps in the weeks after results day, whatever the outcome, and draws on academic research showing that one-off, high-pressure exams have real limitations as a measure of ability, and can suit some learners considerably better than others.
Results Day, Whatever the Exam: Supporting Your Child on GCSE Results Day and Beyond
Somewhere this morning, a phone is buzzing on a bedside table before anyone's dressed. Somewhere else, a family is deciding, without quite discussing it, who opens the laptop and who leaves the room.
GCSE results day is one morning, but it never really belongs to one story. Some houses are celebrating. Some are quietly heartbroken. Some are just confused about how to feel. All on the same day, for the same exam.
I've written this week's piece on what actually helps across al
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Coping With Exam Results: What Comes After Any Big Outcome
A result is a single number, produced by one performance, on one day, after months or years of preparation that number alone can never fully capture.
Our latest blog piece looks at what genuinely helps in the weeks after results day, whatever the outcome, and draws on academic research showing that one-off, high-pressure exams have real limitations as a measure of ability, and can suit some learners considerably better than others.
Tamara@KeystoneCoaching
6 min read
Boarding Staff Wellbeing: Why Capability Matters as Much as Care
We hear a lot about supporting boarding staff through better rotas and protected time off. Both matter. But they miss something important: whether staff have actually been given the skills for the emotionally demanding work they do every evening. Our new article looks at why boarding staff wellbeing depends as much on capability as on rest, why supervision belongs in boarding the way it already does in clinical professions, and what schools across the UK and Europe are starti
Tamara@KeystoneCoaching
6 min read
Leadership Coaching and Supervision for Independent School Leaders: Holding Steady When the Sector Is Not
School leaders are under unprecedented pressure in 2026. Discover how leadership coaching and supervision help independent school heads lead sustainably — and why the government has just made it the professional standard.
Tamara@KeystoneCoaching
7 min read
What Exam Stress Really Does to Your Child: The Long-Term Wellbeing Risk Parents Need to Know About
New research confirms that exam stress at 15 is linked to depression and self-harm into adulthood. A positive psychology coach working with independent school families explains what to watch for — and what actually helps.
Tamara@KeystoneCoaching
7 min read
Why Forward-Thinking Independent Schools Are Adding a Positive Psychology Coach to Their Pastoral Provision
More independent schools are adding positive psychology coaches to their pastoral teams. Discover how in-school coaching complements therapy, impresses inspectors, and gives parents confidence — at no cost to the school.
Tamara@KeystoneCoaching
7 min read
Leadership Supervision in Schools: What the 2026 White Paper Means — and Why Independent Schools Shouldn't Wait
The government's 2026 Schools White Paper has put leadership supervision firmly on the agenda for headteachers. Here's what it means — and why independent schools shouldn't wait for state funding to act.
Tamara@KeystoneCoaching
6 min read
Leadership Under Pressure: Why This Time of Year Is So Hard— and How Leadership Coaching Helps
If you are a leader — in an independent school, a professional services firm, or any organisation where high performance is the baseline expectation — the spring term has a specific quality to it. The optimism of January has worn off. Deadlines are stacking up. The calendar is full. And somewhere beneath the surface of your professional competence is a quiet, persistent question: How long can I keep this up? For leaders in independent education especially, this time of year c
Tamara@KeystoneCoaching
5 min read
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