On this episode of Mind the Gap, Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by Patrick Cozier, long-serving headteacher of Highgate Wood School in Haringey, London and author of the forthcoming book Calm Leadership. Patrick shares insights from nearly two decades in headship, and the conversation explores the tension between personal identity and professional responsibility, the evolving role of school leaders in their communities, and why representation matters. Patrick introduces the “CALM” framework - Confront, Adapt, Lead, Mature - designed to help leaders develop perspective, build resilience, and lead with confidence and humanity. He discusses how embracing vulnerability, seeking support, and accepting complexity have shaped his approach to leadership over time. “You can be confident about the things that you're good at,” Patrick says, “but you have to always know that you're still learning.”

Patrick Cozier is a successful and experienced secondary school leader. He has been a Headteacher of a large comprehensive school for 19 years. He is also the chair of the Haringey Secondary Heads Forum. Patrick sits on the Racial Equity Steering Committee as part of Haringey Education Partnership and leads the HEP Racial Equity Conferences. In addition to being a Co-Vice Chair of trustees at Show Racism the Red Card, he also serves as a trustee of Horizons, which is the charitable arm of the Haringey Education Partnership. As a member of the black community he is passionate about seeking equality, justice and fair outcomes for people of colour. His upcoming book Calm Leadership will be released in October 2025. You can find more about Patrick on https://uk.linkedin.com/in/patrickcozier-calmleadership

Tom Sherrington has worked in schools as a teacher and leader for 30 years and is now a consultant specialising in teacher development and curriculum & assessment planning. He regularly contributes to conferences and CPD sessions locally and nationally and is busy working in schools and colleges across the UK and around the world. Follow Tom on X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@teacherhead⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Emma Turner FCCT is a school improvement advisor, education consultant, trainer and author. She has almost three decades of primary teaching, headship and leadership experience across the sector, working and leading in both MATs and LAs. She works nationally and internationally on school improvement including at single school level and at scale. She has a particular interest in research informed practice in the primary phase, early career development, and CPD design. Follow Emma on X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emma_turner75⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

This podcast is produced by Haringey Education Partnership. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk/