The Final Stretch: Leading with Purpose, Not Pressure.

As we enter the final third of the academic year, school leaders everywhere are shifting into high gear. Whether you work in mainstream or specialist school; in early years, primary, secondary, or post-16, this is the season of tests, exams, reviews, and accountability. It’s the time of impact reports, performance data, and progress measures.

It’s also the time many leaders start quietly questioning themselves.

Have I done enough? Did I make the right calls? Will they see the work, or only the gaps?

This is judgement season. But not just of your school or team. Often, it feels like a judgement of you. Of your leadership, your decisions, your worth.

The Weight No One Sees

What few talk about is how exhausting this season can be. Not just physically, but emotionally. I remember having to manage my own tiredness, my own decision fatigue, while still keeping everything and everyone moving forward. It was relentless. And yet, I kept going , just as so many of you are doing now.

Having someone simply say, “You’re doing great. Keep going. You don’t have to carry it all alone,” would have meant so much. So let me say that to you now.

The Numbers Can’t Tell the Whole Story

Yes, data matters. Yes, there are standards to meet and scrutiny to withstand. But numbers alone can’t capture the true depth of your leadership. They can’t reflect the time you spent mentoring a struggling colleague, the culture of care you’ve created in your team, or the moment you changed a young person’s trajectory by listening, really listening.

Progress tables don’t show the hours you spent calming anxious parents, planning for unseen needs, or putting your own feelings to one side to protect your team’s morale.

That work matters. It always has.

Lead With What You Know Matters

It’s easy to second-guess yourself in this final stretch, to wonder if your instincts have served you well, if you’ve pushed hard enough, or if you’ve missed something. But I want to remind you: you’ve led with care, you’ve led with integrity, and you’ve led with your values intact.

That’s not nothing. That’s everything.

This Isn’t the Finish Line — But It Is a Checkpoint

So use this moment, not to panic, but to pause. Breathe. Reflect. Recalibrate. If something needs your focus for the final term, turn toward it with clarity, not fear. And remember, this isn’t just about closing a year well. It’s about leading in a way that lets you keep showing up for the long term.

Your work is important. But so is your well-being. Don’t lose sight of one trying to prove the other.

In Case No One’s Said It Yet

You’re doing alright, you know.You really are. Thank you for all of it - the seen and the unseen.

This term may stretch you. But it doesn't have to break you. Stay rooted in purpose. Stay connected to your values. And if you need a reminder of the difference you’re making, come back to this line:

You’re doing great. Keep going.