The Education Architect

Personal development in schools often gets squeezed between deadlines, duties and the relentless pace of the academic year. Many teachers want to grow, want to reflect and want to think more deeply about their practice, yet find themselves operating with a mind that feels overstretched and slightly foggy. This is not a lack of motivation. It is a lack of mental space. Coaching offers that space.

On Tuesday I had the absolute privilege of spending the day at the BRILLIANT Festival in Liverpool – this time not just as a wide-eyed delegate, but as a judge and a speaker. By the time I left the Exhibition Centre, my notebook was full, my brain was fizzing, and my heart felt… hopeful. Not “toxic positivity” hopeful, but the grounded sort that comes from seeing real people doing real things to make education better. This wasn’t a conference where you sit in the dark being t

If every student could plan for their obstacles instead of being surprised by them, how different would their progress look by summer? This simple but powerful question sits at the heart of WOOP, a cognitive science-based method for transforming wishful thinking into practical action. It’s not about positive thinking alone, it’s about mentally rehearsing reality.