19/05/2026
“I don’t know how I pulled it off.
I honestly don’t know how I pulled it off.”
I have heard this from headteachers more times than I can count.
Not in a staff meeting.
Not in a performance review.
In private.
Quietly.
After they have already dealt with the grievance, the governor, the staff member who is barely holding on, and the parent at the door.
They pulled it off because that is what headteachers do.
They absorb it.
They manage it.
They keep moving.
But nobody checks on the person at the top.
“There are so many things when you go into headship. You do not know. And nobody told you.”
SAID ONE HEADTEACHER, IN A PRIVATE SESSION
That gap: between what you were prepared for and what you are actually carrying, is exactly where I work.
With the real conversation: the one you cannot have with your deputy, your governor, or your partner at home.
I am a former headteacher.
I know what this feels like from the inside.
And I know what changes when you finally have somewhere to put things down.
If you are a headteacher who is doing the job well from the outside, and carrying more than anyone knows on the inside: send me a message.
Nobody needs to know.
…………………………………………………………
👋🏾 I help headteachers plan, pivot and prosper, behind and beyond the school gates.
📣 I am Shirleyann Jones NPQH | FCCT, Life Coach, Leadership Strategist, Author, Speaker, former Headteacher and Founder of SJ Educoach.
If this resonates, I would love to hear from you. DM me.