Hi Everyone,

I really hope you had a great half term break and the start of Term 2 has been positive for you. I spent a bit of the break finally catching up with the latest season of Ted Lasso. Yes, once again, I’m rather late to the party!

Some of you might remember my previous CEO Thought, A Little Lasso Wisdom, when I reflected on the line “Doing the right thing is never the wrong thing” and what that means in the everyday moments when we choose to step forward for a child or colleague.

The latest season has given me another one:

Believe and…

The familiar Ted Lasso “Believe” sign makes a return, but this time belief on its own is challenged. The players already believe. What matters is what comes after it. Their response is to start adding their own “and…” to the message.

Across Infinity, we rightly have ambitious beliefs about what our children deserve and what our schools can become. But those beliefs become meaningful through what happens next: the conversation with a child who needs someone to notice; the colleague who quietly steps in to help; the lesson adapted because something hasn't quite landed; the phone call home; the difficult question asked kindly; the extra bit of care when somebody is having a tough day.

And I think there's something in that for us.

We can believe in every child's potential.

Believe and create the opportunity.

We can believe colleagues matter.

Believe and notice when someone needs us.

We can believe in stronger schools and communities.

Believe and play our part in building them.

We can believe in Love, Curiosity, Unity, Hope and Integrity.

Believe and live them.

Belief gives us the starting point. What comes after the “and” is where we make the difference.

So perhaps that's a question worth carrying with us this week:

Believe and… what will you do next?

Thank you for everything you do for our children, each other and our communities.

Best Wishes

Gavin