Embracing Vulnerability and Self-Awareness in School Leadership With Matthew Burfield

Every educator has a story, but few are as riveting as the narrative Matthew Burfield, Principal of GEMS Founders School, Dubai, and Senior Vice President of GEMS Education, shares with us. From his humble beginnings in Norfolk to the corridors of leadership in one of Dubai's most prestigious schools, Matthew's journey is a testament to resilience and vision. As he unveils the layers of his professional ascent and the driving force of his mother's influence, we explore the intersection of personal growth and career milestones. This episode isn't just a look into the life of a top educator; it's an inspiration for anyone who's ever aspired to transform passion into purpose.

Peeling back the layers of traditionally stoic masculinity, this exchange with Matthew turns the spotlight on vulnerability, self-awareness, mental health, and the constructs that shape our understanding of strength. Delving into the transformative power of acknowledging one's struggles and seeking support, we discuss how holding space for hobbies and personal wellness can be revolutionary. Matthew's candid sharing about his affinity for comic book collecting and the importance of self-care crafts a new narrative for male leaders, showing that true strength lies in authenticity and emotional intelligence. Join us for an episode that's as much about the heart as it is about the head, illuminating the essence of what makes educational leadership truly impactful.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:27

You are listening to the Teach Middle East podcast connecting, developing and empowering educators.

Speaker 2: 0:38

Hi everyone, welcome back to the Teach Middle East podcast. My name is Lisa Grace and today I am chatting with Matthew Burfield. He is the principal of GEMS founders school, dubai, and he's also a senior vice president of GEMS education. We are going behind the principal's desk to get to know Matthew a little bit better, to get to know what makes him tick. What does Matthew like to do when he is not dressed in a three piece suit and adorned with his badges on his lanyard? What does Matthew get up to? Welcome to the podcast, matthew.

Speaker 3: 1:17

Thank you so much, Lisa. That's a great introduction and hopefully I can provide you with lots of insight into what is Matthew when he is not wearing a three piece suit. I'll do my best.

Speaker 2: 1:28

I'm sure you will. Matthew is a good sport. I have known him in the space for a few years now, so I know that Matthew can get down with the get down, and my listeners know that I like to get down with the get down. So let's get into it. Matthew, give me some early snapshots. Where are you from, where did you start your teaching career and what led you to Dubai? That's a lot, but let's go from the beginning.

Speaker 3: 1:54

All right from the very beginning. So where I'm from, or where I was born, was in Norwich, in Norfolk, back in the UK. So I started my education, or my own as a child education journey, in Norfolk and I moved, though quickly, out of Norfolk. I don't know if you've ever been there, lisa, but there's just one road in and one road out, so you want to get out of there pretty quickly, although I do have fond memories of childhood in terms of where I grew up. It was definitely a place to get out of if you wanted more, and so I will say that most of my young adult and adult life was more in South East London, little bit in South West London, but mostly South East London. So I lived in Peckham for a good number of years, lived over in Brixton and then moved out to West East London for a little bit into Leydenstone, and then went to Athens, greece, for five years. So I'm just giving you all of it, and then we jump it whichever you want, and then, eight years ago, moved out here into Dubai.

Speaker 3: 2:52

And to answer the bit about, I guess, where I started was, my mum was a deputy head of primary school and a Senco, so I'm sure we'll touch on those things that are important to me in education and so that's why special educational needs are really really close to my heart. I watched my mum in her role as a Senco for many years, be very happy in her role but obviously deal with something really challenging, as it would have been back then particularly so I kind of got this excitement of teaching and education as a very early age. I used to see a lot of my friends parents come home and then be a bit miserable and not so happy, but my mum used to come home buzzing and really happy. So it was one of those things. I thought well, that looks like a good job.

Speaker 3: 3:34

I had a lot for history which was absolutely instilled in me from my year seven history teacher, mr Watson, and so I went on to study history at university, came out, thought what am I going to do with this degree, and history teaching seemed to be a really great idea. So then when I did my PGC and started teaching in Herne Hill in southeast London, which is just near Peckham, for my first five years and NQT developed and grew my career and we can talk about all those little bits as we go through, but that's what got me through and that's where I started.

Speaker 2: 4:07

Okay, brilliant Teachers kid what were you like in school then, matthew?

Speaker 3: 4:13

I was an absolute nightmare at school. I mean I fortunately my mum's school was different to my school. Otherwise it may have been different, but my mum was in school in a different town to me. Yeah, I don't. I think I was a very challenged child. My home situation wasn't a particularly nice home in many ways. My father had lots of mental health issues and so that home life situation it was difficult. It wasn't easy. My mum made a lot of it a lot easier and did everything that mothers around the world who still astound and amazed me. I'm not sure how they managed the way they do, but I was, I wouldn't say, raised by a single parent, but it felt like that a lot of the time. So I had a difficult time at home and that meant what I wanted to do was get out of that home and wanted to start down a different journey.

Speaker 3: 5:04

And yeah, so my school life. I'm sure I had good days and bad days, but I wasn't particularly easy at school. I can't imagine my teachers will recall me very well, except for mr Watson who I mentioned. He'll recall me well, I'm sure. But then I did too great at school. I wasn't great.

Speaker 3: 5:21

My exam results, I think I didn't really find Myself, if you want to use that phrase, but, in fine, who I was, who I was and what I was all about, until I left that Rather challenging family home, went off to university and then went, okay, this is who I want to be and where I want to get to them. Then I did quite well it's in my studies and things. But school and my GCSEs in a levels they're nothing to shout about and I I do tell children that on a regular basis that I've done quite well for myself, even though I only got seeing that such GCSE and you know it wasn't the end of the world for me. So, yeah, it was being a teacher's child a mixed bag. I guess there's definitely that mixed bag.

Speaker 2: 6:01

Yeah, no, I was just curious. And. And so Peckham and Brixton, and so you're talking to a Jamaican British, so you know it's my ends. What was life like there?

Speaker 3: 6:15

Yeah, so Well, I mean you will know then the rice and peas shop and a Kalein in bricks and which was one of my favorite places to stop. But I lived in, I lived in Peckham for five years I was, I was in Peckham and then I worked as well in Brixton for a little while and moved, moved across that little South-East to Southwest border. I didn't like to go north at a 10s, I wanted to stay south of the 10s, obviously. But look, it was a very diverse multicultural society in Peckham and you know and you will know yourself, but it's more of an African community. So I was surrounded by gun man's Nigerians and you know all that wonderful, beautiful African color that you get. And so I was surrounded by all of that for most of my early career and literally until I left Londoner. That was pretty much my experience as a young man growing up, if that's what I did. So I love that. I mean the colors and the smells and all those wonderful flavors. And then moving across to Brixton and the more Caribbean side of things. It was definitely different and it was amazing seeing that cultural shift and the way things were. But I enjoyed that just as much and I've still got wonderful memories and still some really great friends that draw me back to London Whenever I get the chance to go back and catch up with them and sit down and talk to them. So it was a very interesting experience, but it was filled with. It was filled with what I hope I then took into my teaching profession. It was filled with diversity and it was filled with different and it was filled with new ways of thinking, or at least different ways of thinking. Then perhaps I'd experienced growing up, and so that allowed me to come into a classroom when you know, to be honest, in some classes I may have been the only white person in that room and but it allowed me to at least get an idea. Okay, I understand a bit where you're coming from. I'm never gonna get it completely, but I have a little insight, a little door opening to help me understand what you're talking about and why you're reacting the way you were. So, yeah, it was incredibly exciting part of my life. I met my wonderful wife during that time, so who still continues to put up with me. So it's incredibly exciting part of my life and I think it made me I know it made me become a really outstanding teacher Really quickly, because in in those communities that I was teaching in, that were quite challenging state schools.

Speaker 3: 8:31

If you weren't really good straight away, you didn't put the effort in, then the lesson will be kept. You know, chairs will be thrown around. It would just be chaos and I had a few of those experiences, don't get me wrong. But you learn really quickly. I've got a deliver. I've got to know my children. I've got to build relationships. My materials got to be good. It's got me thoughtful. It's got to be considered because if it isn't I'm gonna lose them in the first 15 minutes and then I'm gonna end up, you know, kelled up in the corner Hoping that the lesson ends, which I'm fortunate. I saw a few colleagues go through my time at that in those schools.

Speaker 2: 9:03

Yeah, no, for sure, like you're talking, I mean, obviously I'm not south of the Thames, you know. And if you went to school in London you know that South London man and North London man, them don't mix. So let's not let's not get close, kill the people out here. No means Lisa Gray, so I'm gonna keep it polished here's. Here's a question for you, matthew Dubai, you've been here eight years. What's your journey been like out here as an educator?

Speaker 3: 9:32

Yeah, it's been an incredibly interesting part of my career journey and my life journey. So I Was sitting in a little school in Athens. I have to give a bit of context, lisa, before I buy answer. So I was sitting in a lovely little school in Athens-Brice. I was a headteacher In a in a beautiful school in Athens-Brice called Byron College. It had 200 children when I first got there. All through school 200 children, so you can imagine, one class all the way through. It was 500 children by the time I left. We grew it to its capacity, but it was still small. Even in the well, certainly in this context, but even in international school context it was still small. And I was sitting there was my fifth year and I love this school. I still love it now.

Speaker 3: 10:15

For what it? What it helped me learn as a leader. And I had a LinkedIn request from somebody here in Dubai, an executive search person who actually worked for gems. I met them, obviously afterwards, just do you want to have a chat and come out and see what we do? So, which I said well, why not go and have a look and see what it is? And so I got on that plane and, you know, got flown out here and you know, sure, as everybody arrives here, you just get that wow, what? What is happening here? It's just amazed, you know, absolutely amazing. And as a history teacher Country, 52, 53 years old you just think how have they done this to begin with? And, of course, there's all that initial wow factor.

Speaker 3: 10:54

So I got out here it was 2000 and end of 2015 and then Was off of the job, was appointed, but I was still a head teacher back in Athens. So I was working there in Athens during the week and then on Sundays because we still work Sundays. Back then, on Sundays I was jumping online and then in half terms and holidays I was being flown out to do meet the parents and then all the wonderful stuff that we do before we open a school. So out here, I arrived actually finished in Byron on the 1st of July and I flew here on the 2nd of July and I landed and started to. I started at James on the 2nd of July, officially, contractually, I started there and and we had what was then eight weeks before we opened James founder school.

Speaker 3: 11:39

So, with the school that I'm now stood in today, we we opened that in September 2016 and at that stage we've reached a fairly record enrollment number for the company anyway. We were just breaking through the thousand in terms of enrollments and then hit the 1881 in the September that we open. So it was a monumental opening. I do remind, do remind my bosses regularly that I signed a contract on 320 children as an opening number. So when we hit 1881, you know I was, I was asking for a review of that contract pretty early on, but it was an amazing opening for our school. And then that leadership journey. I was a founding principal Surrounded by just the most amazing people I'm genuinely, who are all still here with me today, the most amazing people. We opened the school. It wasn't, you know, as you would open a school into, by that generator still running some of the electricity, there was water still be, you know, the normal, normal school opening, I think, and although it was Accentuated to a level of stress because it was 1881 children.

Speaker 1: 12:42

So it was a little bit more hard than the normal but normal opening.

Speaker 3: 12:45

By Christmas we had all that done and then we kept opening different parts of the schools. We opened a new phase two. We moved to 3200, we opened the phase three. We're now at 6200 in the school. So the growth of the school has been exponential and I hope my colleagues would agree, my growth as a principal during that seven-eight-year cycle has been exponential as well. I've learned things from colleagues and people around me, parents and from children regularly, all sorts of things that I never knew before, even though I've been a head teacher for five years in an international school, completely different context, and learned so many new things here.

Speaker 3: 13:25

So yeah, I think that learning journey that I've taken is phenomenal and the way that the company Gems I work for has invested in me and therefore I'm now a senior vice president of education, as you said in your intro, which means I get to look after six other schools line, manage those six principles and help grow their schools and support them in their educational journey. So it's been just the most phenomenal journey. I mean, each part of that we could probably spend an entire podcast talking about, but it's just. The entire journey has been really quite special for me professionally. Personally, I've also had another child since we've been here, so I got a little son who was born here in Dubai and joined our family of three as we were at the time. So personally, that journey has been something else as well. I've become a father for the second time and have a little boy in my life now who's just started school this year, actually.

Speaker 3: 14:17

So yeah, our whole journey all wrapped around in some wonderful, wonderful experiences.

Speaker 2: 14:22

That's amazing. I love that, and the founder's brand is growing because there will now be founders Abu Dhabi. Tell me a little bit about that.

Speaker 3: 14:31

Yeah, that's right. So I mean, obviously we're full, with a fairly long waiting list here in Dubai. Gems founders Mizzar we added a new face to them this year. That's going to be full by next year as well. The demand is just so incredible on our brand.

Speaker 3: 14:47

So the third one in Abu Dhabi is opening in Mazdar City. It's going to be founders brands that therefore will look and feel very similar but, like Gems founders Mizzar will also have some unique parts to it. So obviously Gems founders Mizzar has got a large Emirati community so it obviously recognizes that and looks at that in a different way than for me, who I only have 101 out of my 6200, a local people in my school, so it's slightly different feel, even though the brand and the model is almost identical. So Mazdar City, as it is in Mazdar, is going to have a very unique selling point and a very unique feel in terms of it's going to be net zero energy. So we have designed the entire plot of land and it is a wonderful plot of land, unlike so many schools. It's got access roads all around it, so it's going to have access all over it, but we've got solar panels everywhere. Every car parking space is covered so we can put solar panels into it.

Speaker 3: 15:44

Every single bit of technology going into the school is being thought about and considered. Is it at this rating so that it can meet this net zero energy demand? So that's going to be a really interesting project for us to deliver. It's the first in the region to do it at that level. There's loads of great sustainable projects in our schools and in Dubai schools all over the place but this is going to be a really nuanced net zero energy which, if we do it and we have the capacity to do it, it's going to be something, I think, that can then be replicated across all schools because we'll be able to bring that part of it into the rest of our schools and reverse engineer them. That's the plan anyway. That's my plan, that's what I'm looking at.

Speaker 2: 16:25

It sounds fab, I can't wait to see it. I was reading a bit about it and I thought that looks good and it's not too far from where I live, so I was like, okay, that should be an interesting one to look at.

Speaker 3: 16:37

Well, we'll definitely bring you over for a visit. The ground breaking's happened, the pylons happened, the building is going up and it's opening in September 2024, so we're really excited about it. Enrollments have started and the flood of enrollments as often happens when you launch your founders brand has started, and so we're really looking forward to opening that in September 24, and when I'm up there, I'll invite you over, we'll have a walk around and I'll show you what I've been talking about.

Speaker 2: 17:04

Yeah, I'm excited, and let's change gears a little bit and talk about Matthew at home, right? So Matthew is a dad of young kids. How do you make sure that you stay connected to them and their development as such a busy professional school leader and, you know, senior vice president of education, so that's like huge roles that you play. How do you keep connected to the little ones?

Speaker 3: 17:35

Great question, lisa. So I've got a 12-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy, so there's quite a difference between them. So they're both very different, as you can probably imagine, and maybe so the best work to answer that because it is a tough one, because I wrestle with this constantly exactly as you just described me that busy professional with all these responsibilities. But I am a father and a husband and actually those will always and should always be my anchor points in life. They will be. I forget about it sometimes as I get drawn into all the work, but they absolutely draw me back in.

Speaker 3: 18:07

So how do I remain connected in a really practical way? One of the things that I always do. So I start relatively early in the morning. I'm usually in the office by between half five to six and I usually work until about sixish, sometimes a bit later, but usually until about that. So one of the practical ways I always stay connected is I'm always home for bed and bath. So I will always, except for exceptional circumstances, be home to do bed and bath time. So that means for my little boy, I mean, I don't need to put my 12 year old in the bath anymore, but I'm there for bedtime and I'm there for story time and bedtime reading, which we do, you know, always. It's just such an important part of the routine of going to bed so I'm always there for that. So even though in the morning I'm gone by the time, you know, anybody else is up usually, this part is really important for me to get back for that and that helps me have that instant connectivity. It helps me understand how their days been. We have a quick catch up and we talk about at least the way their days been and I am, at least I hope, daily in their life in terms of that.

Speaker 3: 19:11

But in reality, the way that I cope and the way that I can manage and I mentioned, you know, once my wonderful wife, maria is absolutely the reason why this works and I've told her this 100 times, but you can probably never say it enough but she's the reason this works because she is an exceptional professional herself, has a PhD from Imperial College in molecular biology, was a cancer researcher. When I met her you know she could be changing the entire world, I'm sure. But she has taken that time away from her profession, as many mothers do and have to do sometimes, and taken that time to instead look after the children, look after the home, do her best to look after me. She's still doing courses and degrees and all sorts of things when she gets the chance to stretch her brain, because it really is quite an amazing brain, but she's taken that time to then be that glue that keeps us all together. That reminds me when I'm running late, that reminds me that I should be there, that tells me that there's this thing that we need to do on Saturday and we have to do that.

Speaker 3: 20:14

And without her, and without her as that real nucleus of our family, it wouldn't feel like this, it wouldn't be as wonderful and happy and you know, and fantastic as they are. I certainly wouldn't probably still be sane. I don't think so. In terms of that, she is absolutely the glue behind all of it. So there's some practical things I try and do, but in truth, lisa, 100% I would give well, let's say 99% is Maria keeping us all together, keeping us all sane and bringing in because she's Greek, her nationality is Greek, and so that family ethos and that meaning of family and sitting around the dinner table, which I try to get home most of the time for that. Even that's still really important. And at the weekends we always have breakfast, lunch and dinner. We sit around the table together and it's just, it's what you do and it's what she expects us to do, and it's absolutely that connectivity. So yeah, 100% down to Maria why this still works and why I'm still alive and well and hopefully will be for a lot longer to come.

Speaker 2: 21:15

Yeah, no, that's brilliant Kudos to Maria. How do you keep Maria happy? What do you do for Maria? What special things do you do for her to keep her happy? Because you know you need to.

Speaker 3: 21:26

I mean, I probably never I don't do enough. I find me a husband that does, but I don't do enough. But what I try to do is try to be there in terms. So I think in the early parts of our relationship if I go back, I was there I was thinking in my case of gifts and this and that, and I know that's nice and we all don't get me wrong, yeah, who doesn't love a nice gift? But I think quickly I understood that Maria is not particularly materialistic but also it was nice and it was something that made her happy for a few moments, but actually that wasn't really going to sustain the relationship that we've had for 23 years now.

Speaker 3: 22:04

So I hope what I do and I hope she would say that I try to make sure that when she's talking to me and when she's speaking with me about things that she wants to speak about, whatever they are, that I don't give them any less importance to all the things that are going on in my brain which I perceive to be really important, because of course, work's important and this job is important and those children are important and in my head and again, I know I don't get this right all the time, in case she listens to this.

Speaker 3: 22:37

I don't get it right all the time, but I really try to be there when she's talking and be there for her, because that for me seems to be what she needs is that person in her life who genuinely is going to be there, no matter what else is going on.

Speaker 3: 22:52

You're going to be there for them when they need you, and sometimes that is just needed to talk through the day and just to say what happened and it may be very simple things that went on, but you just want to convey that to somebody because for her, with this great mind that she has, she has a 12-year-old and a four-year-old and that is pretty much her world all day, every day, run around, and sometimes she just wants to talk with an adult about adult things.

Speaker 3: 23:17

And so I learn, hopefully and I'm going to keep getting better but I learn that that's probably the most important thing in my wife's life for me to be there when I'm there, to actually be there and to be present. And I definitely haven't done that well when I started this role definitely not very well, and the phone was constant and I never stopped and it was. I'm trying to get better at that, and so when we go on holidays and we do things, I'm much more there than I know I was before round the dinner table. The phone doesn't come round the dinner table anymore. I make sure that that's not there, and these are the little things, but they have such a big impact on you know, hopefully, and keeping this amazing woman happy and content in terms of what we've decided to do and what we've chosen to do together in this journey that we're taking there at the moment.

Speaker 2: 24:06

Yeah, no, that's actually very refreshing to hear you have a good sense of self-awareness, because some people would just say, oh, I'm, but I love that vulnerability because it does show that you want to do better. So, maria, if you're listening to this, matthew wants to do better. He's going to take you on a nice fabulous holiday where there will be no phones and he's going to get sitters for the kids and it's just going to be you two and you're going to really rekindle the love that you have for each other, and it might even involve some kind of private chef cooking five-star Greek food a nice kleftico, a nice spandagopitas.

Speaker 3: 24:46

Thanks for that, lisa. Thanks for committing me to that. I really appreciate it. Yes, he will.

Speaker 2: 24:50

He's going to use some of that. Gems found us money for that. Okay, Now here's. Here's something I really love to ask school leaders how do you take care of you?

Speaker 3: 25:05

Self-care is something that we've started to now think about and talk about. I think it's not something that I grew up with anybody talking about this concept Maybe they were and I just wasn't plugged in at the time. But that concept of self-care and thinking about what you need is very new to me, and I think I mentioned before about the challenges of my world as I grew up. I don't want to downplay it or overplay it, but it was not a very nice place to be most of the time in my home. So I think I developed as children do, children who've been through trauma and all sorts of things. You develop this thick skin where you don't get affected quite so much. You may be infected internally but you can get through it and you develop resilience and you work through it. So I think that I grew up thinking that's what you do and you develop that thick skin and you just get over it. You just get on with it. And I think I definitely grew up in a world where and as a man, it was like man up and those sort of phrases that are still out there. I know they're still used, but be a man and man up and all that utter, utter nonsense. That, I realise is utter nonsense. Now I'm a man and I'm actually a father to a boy. I realise what a load of rubbish that is, but I grew up in a time when that was the case and so that's what I thought you had to do, and so, yeah, look, I've been on a mental health journey myself.

Speaker 3: 26:32

Throughout all of this I've had to take times and pause and speak to somebody, and I've been open with colleagues. This is nothing that is not necessarily public, but not something that I don't wish to share. I've been to a counsellor before. I've had therapy before. I've spoken to somebody when I needed it. I also have the most amazing executive coach now, dr Helen Wright, and you know she's worked with me for a good number of years and she's just phenomenal, and so that really helps, because although it is a professional executive coach, it's of course you're getting some personal stuff every now and then. You know she's just such a wonderful person to talk to.

Speaker 3: 27:10

So I try to take care of myself more now than I ever did. Honestly, I would say the first 30, maybe 35 years of my life I don't think I even thought self care or this concept even existed. You know you're a man, get on with it, get on and do these things, was the narrative in my head. So clearly, as I say, as I start to get a little bit older and maybe a bit wiser, I understand what silliness that was and that I need to get that self care. So there's an element of reaching out and talking to the right people when I need to and looking for those triggers when it comes up and going OK, that's a time when I probably need to give Helen a call, or that's a time where I actually just need to not come in and work on Saturday or Sunday, which I do sometimes, and just be like no, I'm not going to do that this weekend, it's going to be a pause. And so I'm starting to see those flags more as I start to open my own mind of what that means. That's definitely part of it.

Speaker 3: 28:03

And then another part of it that I've done more in the last five, six years, I would say, is really investing in my own hobby that I've had for the last 26, 27, 28 years and is I'm a comic book collector. So I collect, you know, comic books from all over the ages and ranges, and so last five, six years I've really thought, I've really invested more, and I mean as in, obviously financially, but actually more in my time, investing in that collection and opening the books and reading them. You know, not just keeping them in the bags and keeping them safe, like most, but actually reading them and engaging in them and reminding myself of how important that fantastical world of comics was to me as a child, because it was a world that I jumped into very often to release, where I was actually physically to release, where I was to go somewhere else. So it's reminded me of all those wonderful stories that are told and all those things that can be created and the amazing vocabulary that is in comic books. You know, I know people think it's quite a child thing for children, but actually some of it is not and it could be really deep and thought-provoking, in my opinion, anyway. So I have definitely invested more in that and I've been very fortunate enough I've got a little room in my house where I can go and you know I have my collection and I pull out the books and have a look through those.

Speaker 3: 29:25

So five, six years I've definitely done more of that, when I can feel the points coming, rather than perhaps what I would do before we just get annoyed or, you know, shout or do something silly that I then regret really badly at home or with a family.

Speaker 3: 29:39

I just retreat into the room for a few hours and then come out, hopefully a refreshed person. So I'm trying to do more of that, but definitely self-care and mental health, and particularly male mental health, and that's not to take down the fact that women need to be well as well, but that male mental health thing for me has been quite important because I've at least had that recognition in my brain and that awareness that it is important and it's OK to not be OK. And sometimes I can have those days where I just got that I want to face the world and that's OK. I don't have to man up or any of that silliness that we talked about. So, yeah, that's what I'm trying to do, but it's a journey and I'm nowhere near even the middle of that path in terms of taking care of myself. It's certainly not not as good as I would like it to be at the moment, but it's a journey and I'm taking one foot in front of the other, which is the way you get through life, I think, in most cases.

Speaker 2: 30:32

Yeah, no, that's brilliant. It's brilliant to first of all recognize that there is a need and a space needs to be made For that. Men generally don't like talking about these things. I think women are an advantage in that we've got this kind of girlfriend sister circle that we normally find ourselves in and we do offload and it is therapeutic, even though it's not officially known as such. But men tend to bottle things up a lot more and when they do come out, you know, sometimes it's not expressed in the most constructive ways.

Speaker 2: 31:05

But you're quite a driven person, matthew, and you've done very well. Congratulations on all the achievements. I know I was at the I can't remember the, I think the the excellence awards. You were named principle of the year for that and you know I can see, obviously from the news feeds, because I do get all the news that comes across my desk all the different things that are happening. But I wanted to just find out from you where do you see yourself as you progress in your career? Like, what do you have on your roadmap, your personal roadmap?

Speaker 3: 31:41

Yeah, look, it's a question that's come up multiple times in the last couple of years in my mind and with line managers and with mentors that I've been talking with. You know I'm 44 years old at the moment, so I know I know you don't think that Lisa looking at me with all this gray hair, and you know they're not so much hair on the head, but I'm just 44 years old. So in my mind I've still got quite a long stretch of career left. You know I'm only halfway through really that bit of my journey. So I've got quite a long way to think about. And obviously at the moment I'm leading seven schools and that's wonderful. And I get to open new schools and work with amazing principals that are transforming schools all across the UEA, because I have a school in Chagrin and one opening up in Abu Dhabi, as we discussed. So I get to do all this wonderful work with people and I think, if I was to say where I want to get to in the future, I'm fascinated by operating models and the way schools operate. I'm fascinated by that. So I still have obviously a love of education and pedagogy and all those things, but I think I've just now stepped to a point in my career where you know I never tell them openly I'm not going to go back into a classroom being outstanding teacher like they are now. You know I could probably get through on a bit of charisma and some old stories, but I don't think I could be outstanding like teachers out here in my school are doing every day. I probably couldn't do that anymore. So my love of education is coming to me.

Speaker 3: 33:06

Well, how do you make those schools work and how do you create those cultures in the schools and how can you make sure that all those, all those bits of the operation you know human resources, the buses, the traffic I'm just looking out as my parents come to pick up now, you know, in the car park. So, and particularly, I've been out here in Dubai and just seeing your school of 6200 children how, how can you make that operate is number one. So I like that problem solving concept of that and I've been very blessed with, you know, people around me. Hannah Davis was our MSO for so many years here with me and she really helped me understand all those operating principles which I didn't know before I came, and so I'm fascinated by that.

Speaker 3: 33:46

But I'm fascinated by those concepts, because I then want to be able to understand how you make something at this scale, this size, this sort of complexity, still maintain a culture within it where, I would say, the vast majority of people that come and every visitor I've ever bought into the school always says what just doesn't feel that big, it doesn't feel like you've got that many children. You know, and it's obvious, you can't miss the school. It's obvious that we have, but they don't feel that when they walk in and that's a really intangible piece of information, you know we don't feel that. How do we then unpick that and break that down into culture? And you know there are there are lots more eminent people than me that are doing great research on this, about school culture and how that would look.

Speaker 3: 34:30

But I'm really fascinated on how you connect operations and culture and make sure those two things work really well together and my, as I said, many more eminent people who are much better researched than me. But my initial conclusions all come down to one simple thing, which is people. It sounds really obvious, doesn't it? But it actually is people, because the thing that I know has made this school successful and you know, james, founders is just the most successful story in so many ways. In so many ways, and particularly with the news this week coming out of our very good in DSIV.

Speaker 3: 35:04

You know it's just a success story like none other, but that's happened because all of the people have fully invested in one single vision in a set of values that wrap around that vision and make sure that we know we're true to ourselves because we're not for everybody and that's OK. So we've made sure we wrap those values around and we know who it is at the very core and heart of that. And I mentioned to you earlier, lisa, about my mom being a Senco, and I'm actually still the line manager of inclusion. I'm still the Sen champion in the school, which I'm not sure whether I should keep any more, but I just love it. And so my head of inclusion, nalika, and I still work on that. And so if you keep that core of inclusion and you make sure that that is the mentality of everybody walking in, you make sure that that vision and values are all in place. But, most importantly, every person in the building is an advocate, for that is a person that you can visually look. You can see that they are walking and talking those vision about. And when you've got and I've got 707 employees in this building now and 345 teachers, that is a huge challenge to make sure that all those individuals get inducted really quickly, get into the classroom, inculcate that with all of the people around them. You know, address parents in that way, look after their colleagues in that way, take care of all those wonderful little people that are running around our school, or not so little people as some of those six-formers are.

Speaker 3: 36:30

But you know how do we do that? It has to be getting the right people and it's not the right people at principals, I mean, I know, you know we're part of the puzzle, I guess, and you know. But reality, it's the right receptionists, it's the right pair of relations person. I look at them, looking at the window. So I'm looking at Simon, my head security guard. You know getting him. Who is the first person my parents see every time they drive through that gate is Simon. It's not Matthew's face, it's Simon. And they see that man and he is just wonderful, absolutely wonderful.

Speaker 3: 37:02

So it's getting all those key components, all those administrative people, right. They're making sure, of course, your academic leadership is correct and they want it, and then making sure that all the recruitment of all those teachers is as effective as possible. So how can we do this? How do we get that lovely sort of end result? It's through people, and I'd be fascinated in my future to answer the question, and I know I've gone a long way around to get there at least about.

Speaker 3: 37:30

I promise you I was getting there to answer your question of where I've seen myself. I would love to be given the opportunity a bigger level, a wider level to look at those components of the operations of schools, how culture can be captured and how we make sure we look after the people so that those three parts of the triangle I hopefully described well are protected and well maintained, because that means that the people in the middle, the children and the parents they're going to be well taken care of and they're going to be well looked after and they're going to have amazing outcomes, because that is the ingredients you need to get where you want to get to. So I hope I answered that, lisa. I took the country route to get there, but I hope I answered it.

Speaker 2: 38:09

I loved it. You did the scenic tour and we don't mind. We don't mind because obviously you kind of gave us all the different ingredients that are needed to make sure that culture works simultaneously, and works harmoniously is the word I needed. Works harmoniously. Thank you, matthew. This has been lovely. That's good. I'm glad. I'm glad, it's been lovely having you. Thank you so much.

Speaker 3: 38:36

Look, I've really enjoyed it too. We didn't prepare anything. I'm sure it's your listeners are used to with you. Nobody really gets to see the questions first with Lisa. I've actually been on stage with Lisa at a conference and she likes to throw the odd curveball as well. That weren't even on the pre-prepared questions. I still record you doing that to me once at a conference. But that's the way it should be, because that's how you get authenticity. I'm sure the people that you choose to come and speak with you that's what you're looking for and that's certainly what your listeners will be looking for is they want to hear the real story which I hope I've given them about well, at least me and who I am and what makes me tick and what keeps me as sane as maybe I am. But it's been a real pleasure talking to you, really lovely to answer the questions and look forward to seeing you soon and giving you a tour around Maastar and Abu Dhabi when we open that.

Speaker 2: 39:25

No, thank you very much. I think to encapsulate the podcast, maria turned out to be the hero of this story, so shout out to Maria. Thank you so much and thank you Matthew. Thank you Lisa.

Speaker 1: 39:37

Thank you so much. Thank you for listening to the Teach Middle East podcast. Visit our website teachmedaleastcom and follow us on social media. The links are in the show notes.