In this episode, Claire chats with Katie Morigi-Eades (a fellow parent at her daughter’s nursery) about her new role as a PhD education researcher, specialising in school leadership. They discuss what Katie has done so far and what others in the field believe good leadership in schools looks like.  Katie did not originally want to become a teacher; she wanted to be a musician. Graduating with a degree in music (and being able to play 7 instruments!), Katie went into retail where she soon found that she was enjoying training others so decided to embark upon a career in teaching. Her excellent rendition of ‘Skip to My Lou’ on the piano earned her a job in a Leeds primary school where she taught for 8 years.
After management in the school changed and Katie came into some money, she decided it was the perfect time to pursue a Masters in Teaching and Learning but was advised that, due to her talent in that area, she should look into studying Leadership and Management instead. This is the route that Katie chose to follow and she has since taken up her new role as a PHD researcher, a role in which she admits she feels like a bit of an imposter after all her years in teaching!
In the podcast, Katie discusses what effective leadership looks like in schools from first-hand experience and what research says about it. Claire and Katie also explore how the two correlate, and how they fit with OFSTED’s vision of what leadership should look like in schools. Katie also gives advice on things you can do to become a better leader at whatever level you are currently working. 
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Leadership is about knowing your people, your profession and yourself.Before you can begin to lead other people, you should know yourself and what your values are, as well as having some expertise in the field in which you are leading. It is also necessary to know and understand the people you are leading, and what their strengths and challenges are.
• Anyone can be a leader.Being a leader is as much to do with mindset as it is to do with other things. Sometimes, filling a leadership role that has previously been led by someone more experienced/someone who has done the role for a longer time, can feel intimidating but it’s about what you believe you can bring to the role as much as what has gone before. Ask yourself how you can do it, and then do it.
• Be a member of a union.As well as the protection that membership of a union can provide, there are also CPD opportunities that are offered at either a free or discounted rate.
• Sign up for associations.Many CPD opportunities are offered here too; not just in the form of events but also journal articles, audio recordings etc.
• Get on Twitter.Twitter has a wealth of information shared not only by teachers, but also academics and researchers. There are many people sharing things for teachers, middle leaders and senior leaders on Twitter so it is a quick and free way to stay informed about the latest issues and developments in education.
• Put yourself out there to find out how to become a better leader.In these times of budget cuts, it is necessary, now more than ever, to be more entrepreneurial in leadership roles and seek out other people who are doing the same as you in order to share good practice. 
• You are not alone.Teaching is hard. Sometimes it feels too hard, but you are not alone. There are people who hear you and are trying to get research into the hands of people who can make decisions that will lead to better working conditions for teachers. 
BEST MOMENTS “The first lecture I ever went to about leadership…I walked in and after 3 hours I walked out and suddenly thought, ‘This is what it feels like; this is what leadership should be.’”
“When you’re in school you know, as a teacher, you think, ‘I’ll just do my job and my boss is my headteacher and I’ll do as I’m told to do,’ and then when you go away and you learn something new and you think, ‘Ooh maybe it wasn’t right.’”
“I learned that leadership i