Another two days of the summer holiday gone and just three left now. Yesterday I spent the day in school; face to face meetings, remote meetings; and sorting. Also watch a few episodes of Wolf Blood – I recommend it.

I have a small budget to use for school improvements and the first meeting of the day was with a potential provider to give one of the three quotes needed. A quick half-hour meeting as the requirements are very much known having done the same several years ago. When you have done something before that works very well and will have no benefit to change it, no need to waste anybody’s time.

That is a very interesting area in education now and the organisation will no doubt affect that too. Some organisations, are keen to crack on, get things done and move onto the next thing – counting the seconds. Others ask needless questions, create a new process to make things difficult and take an age to get things done, by which time they are possibly outdated – counting the weeks. I have worked in both and the difference is huge and I know which one the children benefit better in.

As we prepare for the return to school, diary dates, events and the numerous visits need sorting. I guess from somebody looking in, it seems like a really simple, 10 minute task. I can tell you it actually takes days. To check clashes of spaces and timings to work for both the classes and parents, takes take and edits. Yesterday I managed to get this particular task finished and on the school’s website, although many events have not been added yet whilst we await to know what we can do. Swimming, visits and the like are currently omitted which is a great shame. We will explore ways, as best we can, to organise events so we are still doing various things. One idea is using the minibuses to take children out to places and enjoy the outdoors.

Two remote meetings later and the finalisation of the dates, it was time to head home.

Onto today and it was a lazy day. I think the fast approaching return to school is probably not being looked forward to as much as it has in the past. The children and parents are great, as are the staff team we have built over the past few years. Other reasons, possibly Covid are affecting the mood.

A few tasks were on the list for today and completed quite quickly: I picked the bikes up from Halfords, having had two of them serviced and all cables replaced, as well as a gear service. The third, Kate’s, just needed a gear service so now, they should all be great for the year ahead. Quite amusing though getting the services done after we have been on three breaks, cycling, rather than before.

Dan played a friendly football match in the evening, starting for the first time this season and being put in defence. He played on the right of a back three and off-side apart, he played well. The issue is he didn’t enjoy it and said it was boring. I played most of my life as a defender and did enjoy it, as I led from the back and went on a number of runs. I went up for corners and took the penalties. I will do my best to help Dan do the same but sometimes coaches don’t see defenders as capable attackers – Dan is, given the chance.

It was interesting the see at the game how some parents help and some do sod all. Two different parents ran the line today (a half each). I referred the game. The same parents and myself (plus a couple more) helped set up the goals and put them away, corner flags and respect barrier. I am not sure whether I notice these things because I lead a school and organise events. Either way, I think it is poor.

Not the most of exciting two days but they can’t all be, can they?