02/09/2026
๐๐จ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ค ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐งโฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง๐โ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ. ๐
As so many colleagues, past and present, return to their schools, colleges and educational workplaces this week, I thought Iโd share some of the emotions many of us experience at this time of year. ๐ญ
Whatever your role โ teaching assistant, subject specialist, pastoral support or senior leader โ the pressure can always be floating somewhere in the back of our minds.
Why? ๐ค
Because each year, the expectations can feel harder, heavier and more relentless. More demands. More responsibilities. More plates to keep spinning. ๐ฏ
The summer holidays can sometimes disguise those anxieties โ and rightly so! โ๏ธ Youโve earned that time to switch off, recharge and enjoy life away from work.
But as the new academic year approaches, those familiar thoughts can start creeping back inโฆ
๐ Itโs normal to feel anxious.
๐ด Itโs understandable to struggle with sleep.
๐ Itโs common to worry about workload and time management, especially if these have been challenges for you before.
๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ก๐๐๐.
๐ Flip the negative thoughts into positive planning.
โจ Give yourself small, achievable wins.
๐
Focus on what you can realistically
achieve today โ tomorrow can wait.
๐ง Prioritise your admin and protect your time. Itโs okay to be selfish with it!
โฐ Build a routine and stick to it so you can reclaim the time you deserve.
๐ง Keep your wellbeing at the forefront of your working life. Youโll work smarter, not harder when you look after yourself too.
And most importantlyโฆ
๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐. ๐ซถ๐พ
Whether youโre standing at the front of a classroom, supporting a young person one-to-one, answering the phone in reception, managing behaviour, preparing resources, keeping a department running or leading an entire school โ you matter.
๐๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐๐ค. ๐๐จ๐ฎโ๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ. ๐โจ
