HMC The Heads' Conference

Among the highlights was our roundtable on identity during mergers and co-ed transitions. Taryn Kallie, Senior Interior Designer at Pinnacle, was joined by Simon Burgess, Culture & Leadership Consultant, for an open and honest conversation with the Heads who took part. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences.

A few things stuck with us:
- Change is an event. Transition is the long journey either side of it.
- Badges and logos cause huge anxiety beforehand, then quietly become “just the logo.” The harder thing to protect is the feel of a school.
- Some opposition disappears the moment the change actually happens.

“Again and again we heard that pupils adapt far faster than anyone expects. The adults spend months worrying, and the children walk in and just get on with it. Maybe the lesson for the rest of us is to trust that a school’s culture lives in its people, not in its badge.”
Taryn Kallie, Senior Interior Designer, Pinnacle

Simon’s advice summed it up: be proactive, be intentional and communicate consistently. Big emotions will come, but they will pass.

Read our full reflections from the HMC Roundtable 

It was also great to speak with so many Heads about their future projects, and to share how our SPACE model uses co-creation and innovation to help schools create environments where teaching, learning and wellbeing can thrive.