Planner 2023

Lucy: Hi everybody and welcome to tonight's Twitter spaces. I hope you've had a good day and really looking forward to tonight.

Jon: And it's been a busy week. You

Lucy: So, you know, and I feel a bit what's the word? Responsible, because the reason we are here tonight is because I'm a real stationery addict.

Jon: You are? Oh my God. You don't want to know what's on this desk at this moment, . We can have a planner for something. We

Lucy: got a planner for something. I've got too many pens. I must admit. I feel like there must be a support group for pens, staplers and rulers. Yeah. Yeah. Anything I just calendars love. I just love I felt it.

Lucy: Pen. I'm really, I'm really, I'm really smitten for a felted pen. So, yes. So basically tonight is all about the exciting launch of our new school leader planners for this year. And at the end of the show, we are going to be sharing a discount. We are our listeners tonight, so it is, it is good to listen in cuz you're gonna get a good discount tonight to celebrate the launch.

Jon: Yeah. So, Hello and welcome to Headteacher Chat Spaces. I'm Jonathan and I'm introducing my wife Lucy. We are husband and wife team from Norfolk. We are, and we are really excited today to announce the launch of Headteacher Chat Planners, a brand new design to help head teachers and education leaders.

Jon: Manage time, and stay organised.

Lucy: Yeah, so in this Twitter spaces, we'll be discussing the features and the benefits of the head teacher, chat planners, the story behind them, and as well as how they can be used to streamline your daily tasks and to achieve your goals.

Jon: But we we're gonna have to talk to Lucy who created these planners all those years ago, and they, they have evolved over the time.

Jon: It's I, it is, it is always a special day when we

Lucy: get them. It's, it's just magical. Absolutely. I mean, and. and boxing those planners is the best feeling in the world. And, and the whole family come together. We have a big celebration, we have a big meal, and everybody looks at the planners and we all talk about it.

Lucy: And because the whole family help us to create them, it means a lot to all of us. So y what you are looking at when you buy a planner from us is something that's been created by a small business in Norfolk with the help of local artists. Who are just graduating or still at university. So we like to support youngsters around this.

Lucy: And it's just a real buzz, isn't it?

Jon: It is, it is. It's very much so. And there is a good reason why we have the planners

Lucy: Yes, there is. Yeah. So basically when I was a school leader, I'm sure like many school leaders, I had so many hats on. I was in every, every year group you could possibly think of.

Lucy: I was doing many different roles. I was literacy lead, phonics lead, early years lead. I was doing so many different things, and at one point I was doing all of that and reception, teacher and acting head.

Jon: Yeah. So you have to contain a lot

Lucy: of information, don't you? I did, and my brain wasn't big. So Jack, not true

Lucy: So what I did is, I, I mean, it's crazy when I think back to it now, is I, I had one of those little trolleys. I bet all teachers out there are going, oh, I know what you mean. Those little trolleys. And I had a little trolley, and in my trolley I would put a notebook for every area that I was in charge of and me being me because I love stationery.

Lucy: I had a different colored notebook. You did. And I, and I had different highlighters for different sections within the notebook, and it was all a bit like color, crazy. And that's how I lived. I would go to work and often I'd walk and I would walk with my trolley and I'd get there and I'd pull this trolley around all day.

Lucy: until one day I thought, what am I doing? Surely that I can put all of this in one notebook. Do I need to have multiple notebooks? I know I'm in, you know, I'm responsible for a lot of areas, but I don't need to have multiple notebooks. So one day I went home and I got lots of notebooks and I stuck them together, and I created myself a.

Lucy: And that's the story behind how we've got our headteacher chat planners. Because once I did that, people were like, oh, that's quite nice. Oh, did you make that? Can I, could you make one for me? And that kind of thing. So then I started to think this is an actual product, cuz you can buy a teacher planner, but you can't buy a school leader planner very easily.

Lucy: You know, there aren't anything out there that really fits the role that we do. And we do so many different things. It's important to have one. One place to record all of those different things. So that's the story behind where the idea come from,

Jon: and it has evolved over time, hasn't it? So do you wanna tell a little bit more about the head teacher planners now?

Lucy: Yeah. And how they work? So basically this year we've really refined the DA weekly section. So the weekly page spread is a double page spread, and on there you have your key priorities, key tasks to do your appointments people to contact. And it's just a really valuable. Tool to use in your everyday life at school.

Jon: My management experience of that was a post-it note that you pull it down on and I put it on my desk and then when I got back to it, I never found it. Yes. But I,

Lucy: I, I go less that one and yeah. So this year we've really looked at how easy it is to write in the spaces that we've provided and we've given.

Lucy: Everybody more space to write on, cuz the feedback that we've got is, oh my goodness, we love the meeting notes section and, and we just would like a little bit more space on the weekly page. So we've listened to both of those. We've added far more meeting notes and we've given a much bigger space on the weekly double page spread.

Lucy: So, you know, we do listen and we do care. So, you know, you give us feedback and we will act on it. . So, but this year I am so delighted to say we have. Two local mil artists, as I said in the beginning, in the introduction, who have helped us to create the covers. So we have Julia, who's helped us with the Woodland theme, and we have Charlotte, who's helped us with the floral theme.

Lucy: And Julia has just graduated from. Norridge, university of the Arts, and Charlotte is actually still studying at Norry University of the Arts, and it's so special to help support young people like that. Not only that, but we also have Megan, who is our graphic designer who graduated last year. So I feel like we, we are giving something back.

Lucy: You know, these planners mean a lot to education and they're also helping. You know, young, young people who have either in education or who have just left.

Jon: One of the things I like in the the new planners is actually there's a whole section on how to use

Lucy: the planner. Yeah. Oh, thank you. That's really, that's nice to hear because that is new to this, this year.

Lucy: So we've got a whole new section. I'm just gonna grab one. I've got one behind me which talks about. , you know the reasons why you'll love for using your head teacher chat planner. You know, the first one obviously is you're going to be more organized, you know? Then you're going to be more productive.

Lucy: You'll feel less stressed, you'll feel more inspired. And also, and I think this is really important, we don't do this enough for ourselves, I don't think. We don't celebrate our own success. Yeah, you know, this, this planner has sections in for performance management and things like that, so you can keep track of all the fabulous things that you do cuz you do do fabulous things and I think we forget to sort of celebrate what we achieve.

Lucy: we're always thinking about what others people are achieving, and actually it's really important to think about what, what we achieve ourselves. So the planners have opportunities for you to record those really good, that good works that you are doing. So when it comes to a meeting with a stakeholder or a meeting with an inspector, you've got everything at at your fingertips.

Jon: It's so important, isn't it? So do you wanna tell a, tell us a little bit about each of the different types of planners that we got. And the difference

Lucy: tip between them. Yeah, of course. So the head teacher planner comes in three different covers. We have the contemporary woodland and floral, and that's the case for all of them.

Lucy: And the head teacher planner has a unique leadership section in the back for meeting notes, school improvement planning, self-evaluation form a teaching and learning tracker to help you record that important information about what you're seeing in the learning. Your a performance management section, which going back to what I just said, helping you today demonstrate your achievements.

Lucy: You have a C P D log reading list and items to purchase. You've also got assembly planning notes, newsletter updates, notes for governors, budget notes and notes and contacts. So there's an awful lot of content there. And what's in the head? Teacher planner is also in the deputy head, the assistant head, and the school leader planner.

Lucy: So you've. All of that information and what's, what was lovely last year is watching teams of s l T buy the same planner. So the assistant head would have one, the epsy head would have one, and the head teacher would have one. And I thought that was a really great idea, cuz then you all got the same information.

Lucy: Yeah. So when you go to those meetings together, you've got the same stuff. Goes back to that consistency. That's very important. Yeah, absolutely. So head teacher, school leader, and assistant and deputy all have those information in it, and you can get them in either cover, Woodland Contemporary or

Jon: floor.

Jon: Do you want to explain a little bit about the school leader plan because

Lucy: there, the reason behind that? Yeah, there is a good point. So we have a lot of people saying, oh, I, I'm not a head teacher, I'm not an assistant head and I'm not a deputy head, but I am in charge of, I am I am a leader. And obviously we can't print 5,000 different titles for planners.

Lucy: It wouldn't be you know, it wouldn't be a good idea a, for the environment and. It would be a very costly thing for us and for the customer. So what we've done is we've created a a generic school leader planner, which has all the same information as all the other school leader planners, like deputy head, assistant head, head teacher.

Lucy: It just doesn't have the specific title on the front cover. Some people then like to get a special sticker, which they get from a different shop, you know, which they put on top if they want to, but they don't need to. The school Leader planner is a really useful tool for those school leaders who don't fit into a category really, but they still need the stuff.

Lucy: Yeah. And it,

Jon: and we used to do a few more planners, didn't we in the past, like. Principal and then, but then we were finding out actually there was a much more different roles within schools. Like yeah,

Lucy: it's culture evolving so quickly and it's becoming more exciting. You know, there's different roles coming through and actually I think we should embrace that.

Lucy: And, and so that's why we have a school leader planner, because sometimes, you know, you've got a, a different name to what's a traditional name and as in terms of your role. So it's important that we, we look after you two. Okay,

Jon: so talk about the sanko planning because that is bespoke,

Lucy: isn't it? Ah, do you know what, I used to be a sanko.

Lucy: I was an inclusion lead and a sanko, and I loved that job. It was such a special, special job for me. And so I, I mean, whilst it was actually, whilst I was a cenko and acting head, I think I was, or, or at least deputy head that I produced. The first amalgamation of my, of the note, the famous planner, and so the Sanko information has meeting notes, just like all the others.

Lucy: Key information about your team and your schedule, policy and key document tracker, a duty timetable, blank timetables, topic plans, seating and group plans, parent and carers consultation, meeting notes, teaching and learning trackers. Impact of S E n provision. Impact of S E N interventions, including impact data performance management, section A C P D log reading lists, items to purchase your assembly, planning notes, newsletter updates, notes for governors.

Lucy: Curriculum area, monitoring notes, pupil information and key assessment points and notes and content. So an awful lot there. the same case to get their teeth into as well as, you know, as all the other planners, they all have a calendar and a diary, so Yep. You've got so much there, which is really helpful.

Lucy: Everything in one place. Yeah.

Jon: And one of the other planners is the school business leader planner,

Lucy: isn't it? Oh, do you know what that is? So popular. We have so many messages about when that's coming out, don't we? We do, and I'm so pleased that we are supportive of them. Everybody plays an important role in school.

Lucy: Everyone does. Yeah, and a school business manager has a huge task. So what we've done is we've created a planner, especially for them. Again, it has a calendar and a diary at the front, and then inside they have meeting notes just like everybody else. But they also have finance meetings, a single central record notes book, staffing updates, health and safety actions, key policy records, items to purchase performance management, C P D notes for governor's, budget notes.

Lucy: So there's lots of information there for school business managers and loads of pages for them to jot stuff down and they absolutely love it. I think last year we had a competition running, didn't we? And about 300 , 300 school business managers entered the competition to win the planner. It was just so lovely.

Lucy: It was so lovely to see. So we celebrate that. So if you've got a special school business manager or you are one or you know of one and it makes a lovely present, I think. And you did

Jon: consult school business managers about. Yes. And getting their

Lucy: feedback on it. Oh, and do you know what? I'm so grateful to them.

Lucy: I've got three or four very special friends who have, I've worked with as school business managers over the years, and they all gave me ideas of what they needed in their planner. And so that's what we've done. We've created it especially for them. And then we also have the teacher planner, which is different, isn't it?

Lucy: It

Jon: is, it is very different in many ways.

Lucy: So how we've created the teacher planner is we've created it as if we are wanting a teacher to succeed. . So a teacher ha a new teacher, especially an early careers teacher, has a lot to consider. You know, there's an awful lot going on. And so what we tried to do is give them the important information at the front of their planner that they're going to need every single day.

Lucy: So for example, right at the front is there's things like what are the key policies and key documents that you need to know about and have you read them you know, such as the safeguarding policy. Behavior policy, behavior, policy, health and safety. You know, have you read those important documents? So that's one of the first things there.

Lucy: There's also key information about the team that's around them and the hours that they work, because you know, when you are new to school, or even if you're just an established teacher, there's a lot of staff coming in and out sometimes, and you've got to remember all their hours when you can talk to them.

Lucy: So there's a handy place to put all of that information. Okay. And they also have their duty timetable. They have blank timetables, they have topic plans. I love the parents and carers consultation meeting notes section. Yeah. Means they can just, that's very important. Jot stuff down. Again, everything is all in one place, but I've also given them, because it is important, the impact of s e n provision and their interventions.

Lucy: They've also got a section for performance management and they've got C P D. Any notes for their newsletters, any notes for governor's meetings that they might have. They've also got curriculum area monitoring notes, and they've got pupil information for key assessment points. So teachers have also got a really fantastic planner, and it's been designed by myself as a, I was a teacher for many, many years, and but also by myself as a school leader, thinking if I, you know, I've created the perfect.

Lucy: Teacher planner, that helps them to do the best that they can.

Jon: And it's there to help people, isn't it? It's there to support them and really give them the the tools they need the to actually succeed. So all the information is in there and. . I don't think there's another teacher planner quite like this

Lucy: one.

Lucy: No, no. I don't think there is. I mean, there's similar ones, obviously there are. But this one has got productivity tips in they all, all the planners have productivity tips in and they all have wellbeing tips in, and I think, I think you can't lose sight of that in this day and age. You know, we all have so much to do.

Lucy: We need to be a productive and in order to look after our wellbeing. You know, if you're, if you're really focused, then you will look after yourself too. I'm just having a look whilst we're on it at the Woodland Lino Print Planner and it's Oh, lovely. It's absolutely beautiful, isn't it? Julia has created a lino print of a woodland theme, so there's acorns and oak trees and fur, fur cones.

Lucy: And, and little, I think they're wild strawberries. Just really beautiful. And she, she's hand printed it herself and then she sent us a really beautiful painting of it. So it's a lovely, lovely thing to look at. And then Charlotte's floral printer planet is just absolutely beautiful. , it's kind of, it sort of reminds me a little bit of a an old fashioned design really.

Lucy: It's just got the most beautiful flowers on a Navy background. And Charlotte has digitally created that illustration and, and the quote in the back of the planet is because we've done a spotlight on the artist. So in Charlotte's plan, it says, I love to create illustrations, which are special. And she has.

Lucy: And she has. It's absolutely beautiful. But my favorite. Yeah. It's, this is the contemporary.

Jon: Contemporary. I mean, what's the contemporary, oh, I did, I, I, I, yeah. It it, yeah. It, it is nice and colorful. It, it says what it's does on the tin really, isn't it? Yeah, it is the 2023. 2024. Yeah. Planet. And it is very striking in when you see it, it actually, it doesn't really look good.

Jon: I. I might have, I might have to buy one myself. .

Lucy: So the contemporary cover is our midnight blue, the head teacher chat, blue with white numerals, 2324 in it, and then the, the name of the roll on the front. It's it, I have to say it's really, really eyecatching and it's really super to look at and, and you just know, don't you just know by looking at it, these planners are gonna just be fabulous.

Lucy: Yeah. Oh, I met someone at the conference last year and she had one of our planners and I went up to her and went, oh, you've got them, you've got the midnight one. Bought the midnight one and it was all dogeared and it got bookmarks in it and elastic bands on it. And she said, do you know what? This has been a lifesaver.

Lucy: And I was just so moved. Yeah, so moved to see that actually it does make a difference. It made a difference to me. So I'm really hoping it makes a difference to you guys. So tonight we have a special offer, don't we, for those we do for our wonderful listeners tonight. So Jonathan, do you want to tell them how to get a really fabulous discount for tonight's show?

Lucy: Oh,

Jon: okay. So it's a Valentine's Day, so we thought we, we share a bit of love. Yeah. and actually the the code. Mm-hmm. for the next month. You can get, this is Valentine. Yeah. With a capital V. Yeah. And you get a 10% code that you can access into the shop.

Lucy: Ah, but I can do even better than that. Can you?

Lucy: Yeah. Oh, why? Because apparently if you sign up to our newsletter Ah, yeah. When you get, I wasn't gonna say that. . Yeah. You can get five pounds off. So when you get to the website, you should have a little popup come up. Yeah. So if you see that you get five pounds off your. Or you, alternatively you can put in the code Valentine's with the capital V and you will get 10% off.

Lucy: So we'll let you to decide what's best for you, but we hope you love the planners. They are all open for pre-order now. We are once we have the orders collated, we will then go to print and they will be delivered to you in around late April, early, late, late April. Yeah, would be the time to do it.

Lucy: Yeah. So we print all of the planners in the uk so again, you know, we're supporting fairly local printers too, so, which is really important to

Jon: us and that actually is important that we do on lots. Keep the planners in

Lucy: uk Yeah, lots of levels because we like to quality check them. You know, an awful lot of thought and consideration goes into the planners and once they're printed, we go through every single one ourselves.

Lucy: Don't we, John , we do our house. You would laugh if you saw our house, you would laugh. Your heads. It's honestly, we are surrounded by planners, but we go through every single one because there's a lot of love in those planners and we make sure they're all printed correctly and that they're nice quality before they're sent to you.

Lucy: So it's really important that we use local printers of a high quality that we know and that we trust and we love and,

Jon: Where can people get the planners?

Lucy: Oh, that's a very good question, . Well

Jon: you never know , it's an important one. They might not be, they might not know where

Lucy: to get it. So you head over to the website, head teachers.org and it says, find a planner.

Lucy: And then you can have a look there. You'll see the three designs, and all you do is I choose your. Design under role that you would like on the front cover. We hope you love them. And we hope it gives you as much joy as it gives to us and that it helps you. If you do have some feedback for us, please let us know cuz it's really important to us.

Lucy: We do, we do love to hear, you know, how well you're getting on with them. We, it's, you know, it matters. And we do listen. So please let us. Okay,

Jon: I'm gonna finish with a quote. I'm not quite sure why I chose this quote today, but there you go. Good checklists are precise. They are efficient to the point and easy to use even in the most difficult situation.

Jon: They do not try to spell everything out. A checklist cannot fly a plane. Thank goodness. Thank goodness. Yeah, I know. Yeah. But we do like a checklist. instead, they provide reminders of only the most important, critical, important step. The ones that even the highly skilled professionals using them could miss.

Jon: Good checklist are above all practical, and that our tool go one day from the checklist manifesto. I like a checklist. I do go through. I've been going through the checklist today to getting everything ready for today. You have? Yeah. You have. So and it is one of the principles behind the head teacher chat planners is actually creating your checklist and making sure you are focused on what you can do.

Jon: Yeah. And all the important

Lucy: focus on your priorities so you can look after your wellbeing. Yeah. And that's the whole point, you know. We, we do the things that we can then enjoy ourselves. And the planner does have quite a few checklist, you know, tick box opportunities in there. I love the tick box. Me too.

Lucy: But yeah. But thank you so thanks everybody for listening. And oh, should we, we have a question. How much difference is there between assistant head and deputy head? None at all. It's just to cover the title on the front cover, so because actually this, it, Polly. Hi Polly. Because actually, you know, whatever role you are, once you're a school leader, you're a school leader, and actually you need, you need everything

Lucy: Yeah. So we've, we've provided you with everything that you need. So hopefully that helps. Any other questions come through? I don't think so. And if you've got any questions at any point and you want to ask us a question, there is a little chat box that comes up on the website. You can always fill that in or you can DM us on Twitter.

Lucy: It doesn't matter. But I hope that helps. Yeah,

Jon: I hope it does. I, yeah, that is head teacher chat spaces, talking about our new planners. And Lucy, he's still very excited about

Lucy: the whole thing, . Yeah, I am. I'm so excited.

Jon: Yeah, so if you have any questions, do let us know and have a very good rest of your valentine night.

Lucy: Yeah. Happy Valentine's everybody. Thanks for listening.

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