Claire Chisholm was appointed principal at Lomond School in January 2024. Previously, she was academic deputy head at the independent school in Helensburgh for almost a decade. She has led the implementation of the school’s International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes, making Lomond the only school in Scotland to offer both IB and Scottish Qualifications Authority courses.

She tells us about putting people before paperwork, the dangers of being too eager to please and the CPD that made her feel like “a plant that had been watered”.

1. What I wish I’d known when I started teaching is…

There are three things. I wish I had known that the best education doesn’t prepare pupils for a test, university or a job - it prepares them to love learning for life. To me, this is about developing curiosity, creativity and compassion.

Good teaching isn’t about imposing what the curriculum dictates on passive recipients. That is a safe and easy approach - but it doesn’t prepare our pupils for the complex challenges of the future. They need to be creative, brave and bold for that.

When I started teaching, the culture was very much driven by test results - that was how your success was measured. That is still important to me but making sure we value and measure the right things is my priority now.

Secondly, that teaching is not for the faint-hearted; it is an incredibly demanding vocation. If we are to educate pupils about the importance of wellbeing and equilibrium, we must live that way ourselves.

Lomond School has a spirit of the outdoors and adventure coursing through its veins, and this is something that has inspired me to bring into my own life.

The third thing is simple: that teaching is the best job in the world.

2. The most important qualities a school leader needs are…

Flexibility: strategy is a marvellous and necessary thing, but life happens. You can either march on alone or change course and take everyone along for the ride with you.

Humility: admit when you are wrong and take ownership. Being able to reflect and say sorry does not equal weakness - quite the opposite.

Belief in your colleagues: I am not a micromanager, and my greatest joy is seeing my teams grow and develop through supporting their professional development and playing to their strengths. That comes through trust.

3. The most important lessons I’ve learned from doing this job are…

Eat the frog every morning. Get the big, challenging jobs out of the way first, as these are usually the ones that will have the most positive impact on your life. A school is no place for procrastination.

Also, tackle issues with empathy and kindness, but remember that everything we do impacts the life chances of our pupils and therefore some things are non-negotiable.

I also encourage my team to avoid initiative overload. By this I mean to be reflective, scan the educational horizon to see what’s going on but always make decisions as a team founded on evidence-based research.

4. The best change I ever made to my school was…

Although I am relatively new in the job, I am already very proud of two things. Firstly, is that I have an excellent team whom I trust to live and drive forward the school’s vision.

Secondly, I have introduced two new vocational courses to our already dynamic curriculum: HNC engineering and NC activity tourism.

I believe education should be about preparing our pupils for a complex future and given our biggest challenges are around artificial intelligence, sustainability and climate change, I want to give our pupils at Lomond the best opportunity to go out there and change the world.

5. If I could change one thing about Scottish education it would be…

I would like to see every student get the opportunity to study either the IB Diploma or Career-related Programme in S5-6. Bold, I know, but the time is right for Scottish education to be world-leading again, rather than being stuck half in the past and half in limbo.

We have so much energy, creativity and potential in this country, and the consensus in research is that our pupils are being over-assessed on an outdated curriculum, using outmoded methods. It’s not good enough.

At Lomond, we are onto our third cohort of IB and our priority is expanding our Career-related Programme. Already, our students can study HNC business over two years alongside up to three other subjects of their choice, and we are introducing engineering and activity tourism from August 2024.

The IB is not perfect, no education system is - but the values and philosophy behind it are incredible. It is innovative, with flexible assessments that allow for resits, removing the pressure on students to rely on a final result from one just exam sitting.

It is concept-based, with the curriculum drawn from real-life global and local issues that students can relate to. It equips them for real-life career pathways.

6. My most memorable moment as a leader was…

Undoubtedly it has been seeing the IB programmes come to fruition and the fabulous scores the students achieved. Gaining IB authorisation for two programmes simultaneously is a pretty difficult thing to do, and leading that - with all the staff professional learning that went along with it - was very special.

7. The worst mistake I ever made was…

I have made so many mistakes, but I am proud to say I learned from (most of) them. A pretty spectacular one was - as an overenthusiastic deputy head many moons ago who was desperate to impress and tick things off her to-do list - I appointed the pupil heads of school without even checking with the headteacher.

It taught me, despite my good intentions to be helpful, to clear any decision with senior staff and work collaboratively.

8. My top tip for an aspiring school leader is…

Maslow before Bloom - always. And that goes for your teams, too. Care about your people, and I mean the entire school community, as it is more important than the paperwork.

Our pupils are the most important thing to us at Lomond. Usually, I find that the paperwork and strategy will happen with a lot less hassle if people are engaged and productive.

Also, be authentic (warts and all) and avoid perfectionism - it is the enemy.

9. When dealing with challenging pupils, my go-to strategy is…

Always remember the problem is the situation - not the person. When you have decided a course of action, replace their face with your own child’s - or a child you love - and consider again.

Always leave them a way back to redeem themselves and don’t preach - they switch off. I used to lecture and preach a lot, but there is a reason we have two ears and one mouth.

10. The best CPD I ever did was…

My training to be an IB workshop facilitator. I felt like a plant that had been watered.

It was an enormously competitive process to be selected and it pushed me to my limits, but resulted in the most rewarding and enlightening experience. I am looking forward to delivering my first workshop as an IB educator in Casablanca around Easter.

Claire Chisholm shared her answers with Henry Hepburn, Scotland editor at Tes

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