La rentrée - back to school

1st September, an INSET day - and the first thing on the Agenda is the Headteacher's State of the Nation Address and rallying the troops speech after the examination results of the summer. I've not slept well, so I'm gulping coffee - I've got in the habit of getting up late over the holiday, but none of us are bright eyed and bushy tailed. Nine o'clock creeps up, but no one is particularly inclined to be the first to go down to the hall - I listen as a friend describes the difficulties with selling her house. Eventually someone moves, and we all go down, where I sit at the back, so I've go some chance of seeing the new staff when the Head points them out. There are a lot of new teachers this autumn.

The Head beams, we've done very well, once again exceeding our target for GCSE higher grades - yes, it is good, we have done well, and it is very motivating to be on a winning team. I still feel tired, and look at the scummy dregs of my coffee. However, it's not all good news - we're scheduled for an OFSTED inspection again this year, so we are given key issues to focus on, these will come up again in the later pastoral meetings.

Through the day we meet, discuss, target, plan. I eventually get away so that I can begin to think about making sure that the scheme of work for KS3, years 7 to 9, is in place, as well as talking to the new teacher in our department about what she's doing this week. Lunch is hurried, then it's off to print out work - new booklets, plans of work and some notes I wrote up for a colleague over the break.

In the afternoon meeting session my Head of Department is not around, although we need to discuss things with her, so I try to orientate our new colleague. She's concerned about when she can get hold of her laptop, but locked up and unavailable today. There are so many new things for her to take in. She's a mature entrant to the profession, and clearly very experienced in industry, but she's surprised that we don't do some things the same way as her last school, where she started her qualifying year. "That worked well," she says. But that's not how we do it, and I don't have the clout to get it changed. Teachers are constrained by frameworks, traditions in the school you are in, and at the end of the day - funding.

Our HOD turns up, so we flick through the work I've prepared this summer, checking for her agreement on my changes to the scheme of work. She's happy, so I put it in for photocopying. We carry on discussing a few things and I get a phone call from my husband. "Where are you?" "At work." "Still? - It's nearly four, I thought you'd be back before now."

It turns out he wanted to go and meet with some people from the canal on their boat which was moored in Milton Keynes - he didn't tell me when the meeting was - I thought it would be the evening. So I drove home, and we went straight out again.

We had a good time, drinking tea, and then wine and talking about lots of canal based things - it was nice to meet Tony and Mo, and Sue, who had also agreed to meet them. Tony looks remarkably well despite currently undergoing chemotherapy.

Driving home took far less time than expected, a quick meal, then writing the final couple of days of my blog about our summer cruise, which I hadn't finished because of preparation for the new school term. I went to bed after 12, but I had so many ideas whirling through my head that I couldn't sleep for ages.