Even deciding to go for the promotion was a dilemma in itself. Having been at the school since my NQT year I wondered whether taking the role at the same school I had grown as a teacher was the best move. The transition from class teacher to SLT member is a tricky one; will the other SLT member's value my opinion as much bearing in mind they remember me as that young, experienced and emotional NQT? Will the other teachers respect and follow me, even though I have been teaching less time than them? Only time will tell but I felt that the opportunity was too good to pass up; I felt ready for the challenge and so there was no harm in applying, it was all interview experience and if I was given the post then......bonus!
It's been hard to know how to play the last few months, particularly in the last few weeks as everyone is looking to the next term. I've found out that I will be KS1 lead and teaching year 1 - so on top of taking on a new role I am also having to get my head around teaching a new year group! So although I haven't technically started my role, many decisions made now will affect me in September. I began trying to be careful not to tread on the current phase leader's toes (particularly as she is remaining at the school.....) but I have soon realised that I need to be getting things in place now so that we are ready to go in September - the way that I want both my subject and phase to be run. Tip-toeing around people won't get the job done!
So as I sit at my laptop trying to get my head around bandings and ELGs and how on earth we are going to get our writing results up next year I think about how far I have come as a teacher. Never did I think that I would be embarking on this level of responsibility this soon in my career. I just hope that I can do it justice and make the difference that I hope to.