My year in review: Shabnam Ahmed, Head of Faculty (English and Media)

As the 2022/23 school year draws to an end we've been asking educators to share their highs and lows to celebrate the hard work and achievements of everyone working in education. Here Shabnam talks about her experiences from her first year as a faculty head.

We want to hear from you as well, share your year highlights with us in the comments below.

Shabnam's story:

They say your first year as head of faculty is tough, I can confirm this is 100% true. It’s been a test of patience, willpower and strength.?

My friend and I worked together for 10 years, and we used to do a ‘highlight’ and ‘lowlight’ of the day, every day. It was a great chance to debrief and celebrate the day.?

So here are mine for the year…

My lowlight:

1. When you’ve not been the driving force in the Year 11 cohort’s previous year, it feels quite unpredictable; do they know all of the required content? Are they ready? Are there any gaps? Trying to coordinate mocks, deliver ‘walking, talking’ mocks, fill in gaps in knowledge, build rapport and marking (oh the marking!) has been difficult to say the least.?

My highlight:

1. We’re having a refurbishment of the English corridor and classrooms! Having a healthy budget and control of what’s being ordered is a dream. At times it has truly tested my mathematical ability, but my vision is so close to manifestation. I’m waiting with bated breath (and probably popping in over summer with a hard hat and clipboard) and I can’t wait.?

This academic year has been turbulent. Any changes I’ve wanted to happen, haven’t and so I’ve had to make changes in what I can control. I'm so proud of the development of our Year 9 curriculum; we’ve injected diversity and curiosity into it. From Caleb Femi’s Poor?to Alan Gratz’s Refugee?- our students have had such a rich experience.

Outside of school, I’ve been lucky enough to present at my trust’s PD day and at the national LitDrive conference. These two events have been great for my own personal growth and I've a newfound hunger for it.

I’ve learned a few lessons in my first full academic year as a HOF. I’ve realised how precious time is and how much of it has to be given over to other people. My advice to others would be:

1. Block out time where you can get your HODmin done; make yourself physically unavailable at least once a week.?
2. Allocate time which is planned to death: an agenda with reflection time and action points.
3. Ensure clarity at all times, in fact, over-do the clarity and coherence of your communication.
4. Get a copy of the forward plan and map out your weekly HODmin. Use this as your bible.?

Next year, as my school undertakes a huge amalgamation of combining a middle school with an upper school, between two sites, I’m hoping for a smooth running of the school day. I’ve worked on two sites before, and it is hard. But with clarity, communication and consistency, it can be really successful and enjoyable.?

I’d also like to foster a bigger curiosity and thirst for pedagogical knowledge within my department. I have a few great ideas already and I'm excited about this!

And finally, a huge thanks to Tes for all the wisdom, advice and support through their articles. I’ve spent hours scouring the Tes site for the exact article I need, and I always find it. It’s been a gruelling year for all of us in education, with uncertainty, disruption and exhaustion. But as always, the solidarity and support between teachers is immense and continues to fuel my fire.

Thank you to everyone?in education.

What happened in schools in 2022/23? Read Tes Magazine's review of the year for a recap of the big stories, insightful analyses and essential teaching articles published in the past 12 months.