The Headteachers Blog Issue 6

The Power of Direction Over Perfection

I was recently listening to the What’s Up Docs? podcast with the Tulleken brothers, where Alasdair Cant was talking about how people actually make change. It is timely, as this is often the point in the year when we talk about change in terms of New Year’s resolutions.

Cant’s message challenges that idea. Change rarely happens because of a single decision on a particular date. Instead, it is relational, collaborative, and often uneven. People don’t change by comparing themselves to an ideal version of who they should be, but by being supported to move forward from where they are.

Cant highlights that others play a crucial role in change, helping us notice patterns, offering perspective, and supporting us when motivation dips. Lapses are not failure; they are part of learning. Change is sustained not by willpower alone, but by understanding what sits underneath behaviour and by being comfortable with your current self while growth is taking place.

This way of thinking fits closely with our work at Burford School, where we understand behaviour and development as a process of constant, gentle evolution, shaped by context, relationships, and readiness. This applies to young people and adults alike.

Our values help us hold this in practice:

Respect – recognising the individual behind the behaviour or practice, and responding with dignity, curiosity, and care.

Participate – understanding that change happens with others; progress is built through collaboration, reflection, and shared responsibility.

Reach – keeping a clear sense of direction, even when the path includes pauses, lapses, or changes in momentum.

These principles also shape how we approach professional development. We deliberately see staff as learners, not as people measured against an idealised model of practice. Growth starts from where someone is now and moves forward through support, dialogue, and trust. Practice is expected to evolve—not overnight, but over time.

Recently, as a whole staff body, we received excellent training from Dr Hester Riviere, Senior Specialist Educational Psychologist at the Oxfordshire Attachment Team, on relational practice, reinforcing the importance of connection, collaboration, and understanding in supporting behaviour change.

At Burford, the aim is not perfection. The key is direction. We know that young people—and adults—will move through phases where confidence, capacity, and readiness for change shift. What matters is that no one is doing this alone, and that we keep moving forward together.

By keeping relationships at the centre and starting from where people are, we create the conditions for meaningful, sustainable change across our school community.