Our thoughts are with friends and colleagues across the Middle East at this concerning and unsettling time. We are thinking of you and all staff and students in your schools, and we hope for peace and stability soon. AMC offer […]
As we near the end of 2025, in this December edition of Head’s Up we are pleased to share some of our highlights this term. We wish you all a happy festive season and a restful winter break, and if […]
We are very sorry to share that Nigel Archdale passed away earlier this week. One of the wisest and kindest educators we have known, Nigel was a friend to many and will be much missed. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences […]
AMC very much enjoyed spending time in Riyadh this October, when Floyd was leading presentations to staff at Misk Schools Leadership Academy. Here we are enjoying the wonderful company of Dr Steffen Sommer, Director General at Misk Schools, and Lucy […]
With the new school year under way AMC are pleased to share our September Head’s Up Newsletter. Now into our third decade, AMC are as dedicated as ever to supporting excellence in education and we take care and pride in […]
Nash Cohen’s recent post below, is a wonderful testament to the impact of truly great leadership. AMC Director, Floyd Steadman OBE DL, was Nash’s head of sport and rugby coach in the 90’s. Floyd’s inspirational leadership style, as a rugby […]
As AMC has entered our THIRD DECADE we are pleased to share our June edition of Head’s Up. Read on to see some of things we’ve been up to recently. Also if you are planning Inset programmes or staff / […]
AMC Director, Floyd Steadman OBE DL HonDEd received a special award from Brunel University in December when he was awarded the Doctor of Education. This award is another fitting tribute to recognise Floyd’s endeavours and outstanding work. A former Head […]
In today’s complex educational landscape, the role of school leaders is continually evolving. Beyond managing schools, leaders are expected to be strategists, build communities and have the business acumen to enable the school to thrive. They need to be kind, […]
We wish you all a happy festive season and a restful break. As we near the end of 2024, in this December edition of Head’s Up we are pleased to include news of recent appointments at schools we have thoroughly […]
September brings excitement for the school year ahead, and it is not just the students looking forward to shiny shoes and new stationery; many teachers also have a spring in their step as they launch themselves into the start of […]
Founded in 2004, AMC is proudly celebrating its’ 20th year! Here we are at the COBIS Annual Conference in May 2024, with Anthony, Natasha and Nikki. When reflecting on the last 20 years, Anthony says he “feels proud of all […]
At the COBIS Annual Conference on 13 May, Rod Grant, AMC Managing Director and Head at Clifton Hall Edinburgh, gave a superb presentation about how ‘Self-Knowledge is key’. He shared tales of some of his own life experiences and power […]
AMC is a boutique agency with global DNA. With 20 years in international education, we are excited to accompany our knowledge and experience with original research. Our studies will answer critical questions at the overlap of education, culture and generation. […]
Name: Rod Grant Occupation: AMC MD and Head of Clifton Hall School, Edinburgh Chosen specialist subject: Headship We are putting Rod Grant in the hot seat so that aspiring and current Heads can ask the questions. “The trickier the better” […]
Anthony Millard and myself will be in attendance / speaking at upcoming conferences over the next three months. As a boutique education agency with global DNA, we are always interested in educational conferences that tackle issues in domestic and global […]
AMC today announces a celebration of 20 years and new leadership for the future. Founded in 2004 by Anthony Millard when international British education was increasing, AMC quickly became the go-to firm for school leadership search and recruitment. As Housemaster […]
2023 was full of innovations – with AI taking centre stage certainly in the UK, and considerable debate on how to harness ChatGPT. Listening to the conversations of educationalists has been fascinating, but equally exciting is the sizeable increase in […]
AMC are thrilled to be back in South East Asia over the next few weeks. As members of EARCOS and FOBISIA, these important annual leadership conferences give us the opportunity to re-connect with international schools, candidates, clients and colleagues in […]
Aimed at those new into Headship this term, or those who have recently stepped up to being a Principal, this session will help negotiate those initial hurdles of being in a top job in a school. Rod Grant, Head at […]
Technology runs through every stage of the international education recruitment process but should there be more emphasis on human contact, and is tech and IRL (in real life) mutually exclusive? Teachers and leaders shape young people’s lives so it’s imperative […]
Not quite. Our long-standing thought leadership evenings each take a pressing issue of the moment that is surrounding education today. Previous topics have included: 📚 “Finding the Balance – homework, learning and wellbeing”💷 “Coming in from the Cold: how for-profit […]
AMC are thrilled to once again be partnering with FUTURE FWD – the reimagined creative conference, and are also heavily involved in the planning of the event for a second year. Hosted by Warwick Schools Foundation on 3-4 July, FUTURE […]
Floyd Steadman attended Buckingham Palace this month to be attorned the OBE by HRH The Princess Royal. Floyd’s three sons, Ollie, Lewis and Josh, were able to support their father at this special moment as Floyd was attorned the Honour. […]
As the gilded coach passes through central London carrying the new King and Queen on Saturday, across the river at The Intercontinental London, The O2, the AMC team will be setting up for the 41st annual COBIS leadership conference, ready to welcome 300 'reigning' Heads from British schools around the world.
As the gilded coach passes through central London carrying the new King and Queen on Saturday, across the river at The Intercontinental London, The O2, the AMC team will be setting up for the 41st annual COBIS leadership conference, ready to welcome 300 'reigning' Heads from British schools around the world.
Floyd Steadman has received the OBE in the King’s first New Years Honours for services to rugby, education and charity. Floyd’s careers have spanned elite rugby, as captain of Saracens, and education as Headmaster at several prep schools. Amongst his […]
When 🎒 becomes 💼… It’s been 22 years since I was backpacking down the Khao San Road in Bangkok in my faded shorts, torn t-shirt and reefer sandals, without a mobile phone (not invented) and ducking into an Internet cafe […]
You’re a newly appointed Head and you’re a week or two in. Does the word ‘whirlwind’ spring to mind? Over the past couple of weeks we asked our team of former Heads to cast their minds back to their first […]
Please, Dear Postie look and see Is there a letter in your bag for me? So sang the Marvelettes in 1961 when the post was reliable and A Level or Highers results always came through the letter box on results […]
Hands up if you’ve been inspired by the heroics of the Lionesses at the weekend, and not just in a sporting capacity… Sport has set an agenda this summer that has transcended itself. Leadership lessons have permeated into other areas […]
One of the biggest talking points in Next Gen search trends was highlighted At Fortune’s Brainstorm Tech conference last week… Google’s Senior Vice President Prabhakar Raghavan, quoted Google’s own data research, saying that young people are now starting their searches […]
‘Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.’ Winston Churchill. The harsh reality of becoming a Head for the first time is the sense of isolation that can quickly develop. This is […]
The Council of British International Schools (COBIS) is a membership association that represents more than 450 schools and organisations, globally. High-quality COBIS schools, which educate over 165,000 students and employ more than 17,000 teachers, can be found in 80 countries […]
A new concept in education conferences; Future Fwd, will be hosted by Warwick Independent Schools Foundation this summer, and AMC is delighted to be a Champion Partner of the event. Future Fwd is focused on Next Generations, and how educationalists […]
What an extraordinary world our Generation Alphas are growing up in. The oldest – aged 12’s have already been exposed to a plethora of major world events – Brexit, US elections, climate change, a global pandemic, and now a war, […]
I have lost count of the number of assemblies I gave during my 20 years as a Head on the theme of ‘Change’ and often played the students in to the hall with the wonderful Bob Dylan singing that great song.
About 15 years ago my wife, Denise, suggested that I write a book on my life. She was one of a very small number of people who knew my life story. She planted a seed that remained at the back of my mind for many years. I liked the idea of writing my autobiography but had no idea how to get started.
Celebrating determination and diligence this World Teachers Day. This year’s UNESCO World Teacher’s Day champions the central role that teachers have played during the pandemic and subsequently in education’s road to recovery.
We believe school leaders and teachers need an understanding of that generation, dubbed ‘Gen. Alpha’. Gen Alpha, born between 2010 and 2024, will be the biggest, wealthiest, most diverse generation to date.
Fingers crossed but the vaccinations seem to be holding up against the third surge and a partial reduction in restrictions is in sight. So after four terms of the greatest upheaval in education since the evacuation of schools and children […]
Prior to Applying for Jobs During the last 12 months many job interviews have been held on online platforms and therefore more prominent checks on candidates are being carried out as such. Everyone understandably has the right to a personal […]
Educators thrive in a landscape of planning, scheduling and structure. Recent events have resulted in many teachers and leaders finding that their lives have been turned upside down.Conversations over the past few months have seen talented education professionals in a […]
The Covid-19 pandemic has provided challenges that every school leader across the globe has had to grapple with over the past 12 months. From supporting senior staff who have been under enormous pressure; ensuring a rapid shift to a successful […]
Governance can be the weak link in contemporary schools. Inadequate strategic planning, confusing governance and management, not having sufficient real time information on how well their school is doing – all these are on the charge sheet together with failing […]
Enrolments are the backbone of the school’s future, for without a solid set of bottoms on seats in Reception the school really is only heading in one downward direction. Attracting and retaining the children from your local community to choose […]
This was the title of a recent Times leader article which was rapidly taken up in letters by many heads in both the state and independent sectors. The term “Lost Generation” is extreme but not wholly misleading. While the immediate […]
In my first stint of headship, and following a board coup of which Trump would have been proud, I was faced with a new presiding culture which saw education as a business and the role of head as being little more than a general manager.
The events of last summer that led to the death of George Floyd and a rise in the Black Lives Matter movement were a reminder that minorities still face many challenges in our stive for equality.
Applying for the role that you really want – some practical tips to help you with your Curriculum Vitae By Franciska Bayliss, AMC Business Development AssociateOctober 2020 A great deal of serious thought is required when applying for a senior […]
“The realisation of how much AMC can reduce its carbon footprint and save time. The Zoom meetings and interviews we have conducted have been amazing (from Team & Accountant Meeting Zooms to LL and final interviews). AMC’s REFLECTIONS
All that we can really ask of politicians is that they govern with moral purpose, whether we happen to agree with their line or not. Sadly this is not often appearing to be the case. To choose just two of […]
As with so many things preparation is key and thinking about the likely questions and working out your answers will not only build your confidence but will also help you decide if the school really isthe one that you want […]
In the age of well-being and at a time when awareness of mental health has markedly improved are we in danger of losing sight of the need for resilience? In education the “snowflake” generation have sought protection from those such […]
Foreign ownership of UK independent schools increases. UK State sector schools continue to grow in achievement & confidence. Retention of teachers becomes a bigger problem than recruitment. Leadership churn means that few heads serve more than 5 years in post, […]
Ebenezer Scrooge’s famous description of Christmas in Charles Dicken’s “Christmas Carol” could be rolled out as headlines for much of what we are being promised by politicians in Election 2019. Not just in the pledges being made for education (actually […]
The new OFSTED inspection framework has landed, and Teaching and Learning (or even Learning and Teaching!) has been relegated. While the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) will paddle its own canoe it will not want to be too detached from the […]
Not an exact fit but there is a parallel between the profiles of leading heads and politicians. Both careers are stressful and I am sometimes struck by the closeness of the current political chaos of BREXIT and the turmoil facing […]
Call me an old fogey if you want but I am still in love with the notion of the Sixth Form. Nostalgic for the world of Dr Arnold and Edward Thring it was the draw of the Sixth Form which […]
Of course we are all committed to diversity and equality! Great schools such as Eton and Winchester were founded to provide needy boys with great education; the classic grammar schools of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries were veritable engines of […]
Call it navel-gazing if you want but at AMC we take bias, normally unconscious bias, very seriously in our work searching for the best leadership talent in education. Apart from the proper need to be compliant with the legal and […]
As with the other autumn conferences the sage heads at HMC Manchester, when taking time from righteous condemnation of sexism in certain London clubs, were reeling from the shock waves of the hike in employer contributions to the Teachers Pension […]
The magic of that first day at school is special for all families, even the Grundys of Archer’s fame or for that matter Nikki Naish, AMC’s Business Director. Both Poppy Grundy and Jaxon Naish had their first day at school […]
When we set up Dine & Discuss ten years ago few of us imagined it would continue into its second decade. The plot was to create a private dining club (strictly “Chatham House” added to the intrigue) limited in numbers and modelled […]
AMC is already excited about the next COBIS Conference taking place in London 14th-18th May with the noble theme of “Leading Learning”. While appointing leaders to international schools and providing strategic advice to UK schools contemplating international projects are our “bread […]
I have been to a few in my time – HMC, IAPS, SoH, ISBA, BSA, COBIS, FOBISIA – but the latest BSME (British Schools of the Middle East) conference in Abu Dhabi was certainly one of the best! Well-attended, brilliantly […]
Anthony Millard, the Chairman of Anthony Millard Consulting and an experienced former headmaster, discusses Mashujaa day and his own personal heroes I have started to write this article on Mashujaa Day — a Kenyan public holiday where extraordinary individuals and […]
My first visit to the East India Club was in 1986. Then deputy head of Wells Cathedral School I was ordered to 16 St James’s Square by the legendary Alan Quilter to collect his umbrella which he had left there. […]
Or is it? The twilight days of 2017 are bringing more than their share of gloom and cynicism. The year of Brexit and Trumpery has been a difficult time for school leaders to maintain their inner optimism and faith in […]
I am sufficiently curmudgeonly for the term “Head Teacher” to grate. What was wrong with Headmaster and Headmistress? Androgynous political correctness has, I regret, passed me by. But I do like the word teacher, and also admire HMs who still […]
My driver through Nairobi’s rush hour paused in the way people do when unsure whether to trespass on private grief. “We Kenyans seem to be better in running election campaigns than you mzungus!”. I had to see his point but […]
I was briefly General Secretary of AEGIS from 2001 while transitioning from headship and politics to the business world of education. Guiding AEGIS was both a pleasure and a privilege. With the support of some wonderful AEGIS stalwarts such as Andrew Sutherland, […]
Financial literacy is a prerequisite for the best leadership jobs AMC manages, maybe not a Harvard MBA but at least the ability to construct and abide by a budget. And yet … do we see matching economics rationality in the […]
AMC was pleased to have organized and led a special seminar on “Securing Schools” held recently at the Royal Overseas league. It was chaired by Sir Roger Tomkys KCMG and major contributions were made by John Clarke (senior solicitor with […]
Three cheers for Jo Heywood, Headmistress of Heathfield Ascot! It takes a forthright headmistress to state the obvious and this Jo has done recently in taking on UCAS and the university establishment in their attempt to discriminate positively against sixth […]
Ownership of the curriculum and appointment of the head are the two cardinal rights of governance! Abandon these and boards will be quickly adrift. And yet in their obsession with compliance and budgets I see many governors finding little time […]
Where do we draw them? As this term draws towards its end and a time for recuperation and reflection approaches it might be timely to consider where we draw our personal lines in the sand; as governors, heads, consultants or […]
What a start to the new school year! Last week we welcomed Neil Carmichael MP to speak at Dine & Discuss. Neil is chairman of the Commons Education Committee and an old friend from my political past. I am also […]
This article recently appeared in the summer edition of ‘Conference and Common Room‘ “Always be nice to Head-hunters” is some stock advice I give my own children. But looking over my shoulder I feel I am increasingly skating on thin […]
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