james wilding 🦩
@james_wilding
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Husband since 1975,School Principal since 1981, two grown-up sons, scientist, psychologist and educator; Google Certified Teacher, FRSA, FCCT & Flamingo of Hope
Maidenhead
Joined January 2009
"Making the 'Magic' happen in 2026." Our teaching and learning initiatives have consistently been innovative and, at times, ground-breaking. More here...
jameswilding.blog
Claires Court Academic Faculty returned for the school-wide in-service training this week, held in the Baylis Theatre at Braywick Leisure Centre in Maidenhead. In our lead presentations and age-ran…
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Welcoming in 2026: radio broadcasting over the break has covered the appalling Labour government failure to win the country's trust to govern. Sure they were issued a poor hand; in educational terms, people including me offered them some help - guess what?
jameswilding.blog
In my fifty years in education, I have watched the pendulum of school reform swing back and forth with dizzying speed. We have seen the rise of the “knowledge-rich” curriculum and a las…
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https://t.co/Y2v7vqqALl Beyond the Breaking Point: Concluding 2025 and Challenges Ahead in 2026. My closing post at the end of Autumn Term 2025
jameswilding.blog
Connected thoughts from an Independent School Principal
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Lethal Mutations - When the direction of Government Policy is fundamentally flawed
jameswilding.blog
“Lethal Mutations” – When the direction of Government Policy is fundamentally flawed or damaging from its conception, and which ultimately leads to severe harm or the eventual col…
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Delighted to be at the toddle School Leaders Meetup London. @DanFitzpatrick leading the thinking for session 1.
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Half-term is on its way, and with that our formal report on the last Academic year at #clairescourt. Entitled ‘Diamonds in the Sky’ – hopes and values in 2025/26, I hope you like it! https://t.co/f4bS76nFEp.
jameswilding.blog
This half-term, we publish the Court Report, our annual statement, which covers the various successes of last year, and includes my commentary on the times ahead. You can see the website copy here,…
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"Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures" - World Health Day 2025
jameswilding.blog
World Mental Health Day, observed on 10 October each year, is a global initiative that highlights the importance of mental health to overall well-being. It serves as a timely reminder of the critic…
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It's not just Tax policy that meets human behaviour causing the spreadsheet to crash. How come so many more employees can be found on a golf course on 'Working from home' Fridays? Why do the number of sick days climb when employee entitlements rise? Loads of examples everywhere.
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Great post by @antoniamedlicott on Insta - https://t.co/NK1en5jspo "When tax policy meets human behaviour, it's the spreadsheet that breaks first". Straightforward room 101 stuff. @anaboultertv Just up your street 😁👏👏
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Why is it we need an American to explain what's needed in the UK. Why do so many families use independent schools to support their child's SEN? State support simply isn't available quickly enough.
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"Ta to U.K. U have given Canadians a real-life case study, with conclusive results: kneecapping educational entrepreneurialism & school variety doesn’t solve problems; it compounds major issues like crowding & teacher shortages & ultimately increases the cost to the public purse"
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50 years teaching, 45 years in January as a head and counting - my thoughts for now and the time ahead...
jameswilding.blog
As we reflect on the past year and look towards the promising horizon of “Claires Court Futures 2025,” it is with immense pride and profound gratitude that we present this annual report…
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Claires Court returns Academic Year 2025-26 https://t.co/LdqBiBUWih via @YouTube My starting blog for the new academic year, highlighting just how badly our sector has been damaged by the imposition of VAT, changes in rates, NI and NMW. @anaboultertv @ThisisRudi
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@tobyg2026 Because the Labour Party is punishing ordinary citizens for being aspirational. It’s the hypocrisy of - do as I say, not as I do - that pisses people off.
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King Alfred's annual fee was £6k per annum. https://t.co/TSsVkGRISo Remind me what the state allocation per child is? Similar. Labour's imposition of 20% VAT, a unique tax in the developed world was a deliberate act of sabotage. 54 schools closing since January 2025...
@vickygrayson_ Poor wording Victoria. This sort of education was already unaffordable for most families even before the imposition of VAT. Extra taxes made a difference, but I’m left wondering why you NEVER ask why these schools don’t look for ways to reduce fees. I repeat, never.
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@IrritableChris Disgusting. If only we had a @ChildrensComm willing to speak up for the abuse of the displaced children.
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"Be Curious, Not Judgemental" - Walt Whitman My take on the failings of Bridget Philipson MP to understand the contribution made by the Independent School sector in England.
jameswilding.blog
Connected thoughts from an Independent School Principal
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#CCAchievement We included an elite tennis programme 10 years ago at CC. We've made the finals for boys/girls each of the last 4 years. These amazing 5 players, flanked by coach Tom & team manager Jo won Bronze medals on Saturday, beating a great Millfield team 3/4 spot playoff.
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The first of 3 blogs to finish the Academic year 2025, 50 +years in teaching, 44 in leadership.
jameswilding.blog
26 June 2025 As we reach the conclusion of this academic year, I’m writing 3 blogs to summarise all the joys, fears, pains and hopes that have populated my world of work as Academic Principa…
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