Emma Gray – 1st Pillar

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The Earl and I: Sunday Roast at The Farmer’s Dog

This year, The Earl (my dining companion) and I made a New Years Resolution that we would step off the whirlwind of life once a month to go somewhere and have a proper Sunday Roast Dinner. February was the turn of The Farmer’s Dog near Burford, Oxfordshire, and we were excited to sample Jeremy Clarkson’s much publicised British pub. It did not disappoint. We booked in advance and were advised that we could have a table from 12-1pm, which seemed a bit rushed but with hindsight, and knowing the way The Earl bolts down his food, it was plenty of time and felt relaxed. The service was friendly, it was busy, but not overcrowded, and there were fun touches for the fans (no spoilers here). The Sunday lunch menu is a carvery, which always makes my heart sink a bit, but this one is done really well. They have perfected a system where you don’t spend ages queuing, and you get served by a member of the team, rather than having to wonder whether someone before you has licked the serving spoon. As we’re on a mission to find greatness in our traditional British meal, The Earl and I both had beef, yorkshires, cauliflower cheese and an amazing range of veg, even red cabbage,which I love. Everything is locally sourced and supporting British farmers, just the way it should be. Both The Earl and I took one point off our out-of-ten rating. Me, because I like a bit more kick in my horseradish sauce – yes that is all I could find to fault in the plate. The Earl deducted a point because he likes thicker gravy! In comparison, the January venue only scored a six from The Earl, who is super fussy when it comes to his roast dinner. Although we both promised ourselves that we wouldn’t have a pudding, who can resist apple crumble and custard? The portion was huge, and it was delicious, not overly sweet and there was still some substance in the apple. After our meal, we wandered around the enormous pub garden, the views over the Oxfordshire countryside are incredible, and we visited the farm shops housed in The Grand Tour tent. The Farmer’s Dog isn’t just a gimmicky experience, the food is really good, it’s well presented and served with pride. I love that everything is produced nearby. You can’t have coffee, ketchup or lemonade, but that’s OK, because what you can have tastes amazing. Sunday Roast (plus pudding) – £32.50 per adult – Score 9/10

How many stomachs does a cow have?

As part of my DfE LSO training subject ‘Communication and Managing Teams’ (of which you can find out more here) I talk about how SBLs might build their own teams. Of course, it’s unusual to build a team from scratch, but the SBL leads many different teams within their setting and it’s important to consider the skills you need in each one, how the team fits together, and where the gaps are. As an in-school SBL, I always felt rather awkward line managing the Science Technicians. Science and I just didn’t get along at school. My strongest memory in year 9 chemistry was a stand-up row between the teacher and a classmate over the structure of a cow’s stomach. You would think the teacher might have considered the fact that this pupil was the son of a dairy farmer before insisting that a cow has four stomachs, and not four compartments in one, as was maintained by my friend! Unfortunately, this fact didn’t come up in the exam. I’ve always thought that the role of the SBL is to lead their focused in-school support teams and supplement with external providers when it’s needed. When you are building a team, the most important factors are how the members will fit together, and their willingness to learn. Everything else, in my experience, can be trained. What is needed in schools is someone who can parachute in when you need them. For example, when an experienced member of staff leaves, and you have a gap during recruitment. you need a “where-are-we-now?” assessment to inform your improvement strategy. you need to bring a new member of the team quickly up to speed. you’d like another pair of eyes on an important piece of work. you need to put in a funding bid. something has gone wrong. My dream for 1st Pillar has always been to work with a team of experts within education support functions, offering a bespoke tailored service to fill short term gaps, rather than tying them into something. Typically of an SBL, I’m a problem solver with a cost efficiency focus. I’ve never pretended to have the answers myself, but part of my role is to make sure I know who to ask. My number one piece of advice to an SBL dealing with challenges in their teams is to properly assess the risks. Does the short term staff gap mean that others in the team might leave? If you don’t carry out an assessment before undertaking restructure or improvement, what could go wrong? Is it better to provide some intensive on-site training for a new member of staff rather than just hope they’ll pick it up? How important is that piece of work or funding bid? How can you make sure that mistakes aren’t repeated? As I’ve begun to explore my new world of school business consultancy, I have found that there is a lot of support out here, and it’s not all high-level strategy and long-term contracts. There are experts who will happily support and advise for as little as an hour, a day, or a week while your condition is assessed, your staff trained, or your problem is solved. And they don’t cost the earth! So the next time you have a gap, consider whether some short term expertise will fill it for you, while you get on with building your team. Got a query, problem or spot? Ask – we’re happy to help

Are you serious about sustainability?

We’re thrilled to be able to share a blog post from Helen Burge, a well-known oracle on sustainability, who has recently formed ‘Buoyant Impact’ to support schools and trusts in navigating their sustainability strategy ready for September 2025. If you’d like to talk to Helen about how she can help you and your SLT get started on your sustainability strategy, you can contact her via Helen.Burge@Buoyantimpact.co.uk (and say 1st Pillar sent you). Based on annual safeguarding training, and how I see schools respond to safeguarding incidents, I take it for granted that schools are serious about safeguarding. I believe that most schools are trying their hardest with health & safety, and I’m beginning to feel that more schools are beginning to consider their approach to sustainability. It still feels that there is a long way to go until sustainability is fully embedded in school culture like safeguarding, and hopefully health and safety, is though. Sustainability is no longer a choice or a buzzword it is an essential part of any responsible organisation’s strategy, including schools. School leaders have a duty to prepare the next generation for a rapidly changing world while ensuring that our institutions operate in a way that protects the environment, supports communities, and remains financially viable. But how many of us are genuinely serious about sustainability? Indifference Have you watched the Netflix political satire “Don’t look up”? Two astronomers attempt to warn humanity about an approaching comet that will destroy human civilisation. They are met with indifference and ridicule. The film is a metaphor for the climate crisis. I watched it with a mix of despair and hope. I was hopeful that surely people watching the film will see how dangerous their indifference to the climate crisis is and will therefore start taking positive action. I’m yet to be convinced that indifference, whether at governmental policy level or within corporate or industry, has shifted consumer or media output into a more informed approach, taking positive action to reduce their impact on the climate crisis. It feels to me that indifference to the climate crisis is still too dangerously high. Inaction In an article in Tapio eco blog, they referenced the triangle of inaction, which documents why Governments, Industry and the General Public blame each other for inaction and therefore create a vicious circle reinforcing respondents’ beliefs that there is nothing more they can do. Do you have a similar triangle of inaction within your school? Who are the stakeholders blaming each other for inaction? How can you reverse this negative cycle? This complexity of conflicting values, along with the seemingly never-ending list of demands placed on the education sector, establishes sustainability as a wicked problem for schools to resolve. There is no straightforward and simple solution, it is complex and its interconnectedness with other issues can see the prioritisation of sustainability rise and fall. Let’s face it, if it was an easy solution to resolve politicians, companies and the public would be rushing to demonstrate the solutions and accept the accolades that follow. Instead, for some in leadership, it appears to be easier to ignore, ridicule or attack the concept of the climate crisis. The reality is that sustainability in schools goes far beyond recycling bins and energy-efficient light bulbs. While these are good starting points, true sustainability requires a holistic approach that integrates environmental responsibility, social impact, and financial resilience. If we are to be serious about sustainability, we must embed it into every aspect of our school business operations, from procurement and facilities management to curriculum and community engagement. Embedding sustainability in school culture When sustainability becomes part of the school’s ethos, it moves beyond a checklist of actions and becomes a driving force for positive change by embedding sustainable values into everyday decision making, operations, and school ethos. So how serious is your leadership team about sustainability? If they’re not demonstrating a strong commitment to environmental and social responsibility, it’s going to be very hard for any sustainability vision to be realised and will be nigh on impossible for any sustainability leader to successfully implement initiatives and demonstrate progress to meeting sustainability goals. School business leaders are in a unique position to drive sustainability efforts. With oversight of budgets, facilities, operations, and procurement, they have the power to implement real change. However, this requires strong leadership, collaboration, a clear vision and data! The SBL who shares their environmental data with their leadership team, governing body or Trustees is one who is informing and influencing. This might be a slow burn approach, or you could target key stakeholders that you have identified are already informed and values driven to support embedding a culture of sustainability within your school. Reporting environmental data on a regular basis will help leaders see patterns in the data, and how they link to other areas of school operations. It may encourage them to make strategic sustainability decisions. The question remains: Are you serious about sustainability? If so, it’s time to move beyond token gestures and take meaningful action. Sustainability is not just about protecting the planet it’s about securing the future of our schools, our students, and our communities. How are you going to break the triangle of inaction? Helen