Diary of a headteacher: Learning how not to say thank you

Someone once said to me that many of the principles and approaches we use with students can be just as effective with teachers. Being consistent, firm but fair, honest, approachable and empathetic are characteristics that I would expect to see in great teachers and I would also expect to see great school leaders demonstrating these in how they work with staff too.

Using praise and rewards effectively with students is one of the staple aspects of teaching that most people master quite early on in their teacher training. It is undoubtedly one of the enduring components of a teacher’s armoury and as classroom practitioners we will invariably use praise and rewards with students of all ages to encourage, motivate, inspire and reinforce expectations. This got me thinking about how we use praise and rewards with teachers.