红桃影视

鈥淲here do failed headteachers go?鈥�

That was the question keeping Patrick Cozier awake at night as he awaited publication of a critical newspaper article about Highgate Wood School back in 2009.

The piece detailed how the school, where he had worked as head for three years, had dropped from 鈥榞ood鈥� to 鈥榮atisfactory鈥�. It was in financial deficit, facing industrial action and exam results were sliding.

Cozier鈥檚 face was pictured on the front page.

With three young children at the time he was contemplating quitting the sector he loved, in disgrace.

But his dad, a postal worker who had come to London from Barbados, told him: 鈥淪on, there are other jobs. But you chose this one. Either walk away or dig your heels in and do it.鈥�

So that鈥檚 what he did.

He鈥檚 now been head at , in Crouch End, North London, for 18 years, and spends his spare time coaching and mentoring other school leaders to overcome such turbulent moments.

Gold standards

Cozier used that pivotal moment to make some bold decisions that he鈥檇 been reluctant to take.

For instance, 鈥渟truggling鈥� year 11 teachers were moved to different classes and retrained. He had been 鈥渙verly worried鈥� about the impact this would have on them, instead of prioritising pupils鈥� outcomes.

GCSE results quickly improved. Ofsted returned in 2011 and rated the school 鈥榞ood鈥�.

Cozier felt 鈥渏oy and relief鈥�, knowing 鈥渋t could have been a very different tale鈥�.

The 鈥淣orth Londoner born and bred鈥� has now come to embody his school in unexpected ways.

He has a distinctive gold tooth (he lost a front tooth after a friend elbowed him in the mouth in a primary school swimming lesson).

When his pupils were asked to design a mural representing their community they made its central feature a mouth with gold teeth as it was 鈥渟ymbolic of them and their school鈥�.

While he sees being black and having a gold tooth as a 鈥渟tereotype,鈥� he鈥檚 鈥渂een fighting stereotypes my whole life鈥�. And looking 鈥渁 bit odd鈥� helps pupils 鈥渞elate to me more鈥�.

Stop and search injustice

Growing up in Tottenham, Cozier was stopped and searched 鈥渕ore times than I could count鈥� despite never having carried a weapon or stolen anything.

Instead of reacting with anger, it always made him feel 鈥渜uite sad鈥�.

Cozier said the suspicion of others 鈥渟tarts to make you behave as if you are guilty, even though you know you’re not because you’re anticipating it鈥�.

This meant that if someone who looked 鈥渧ulnerable鈥� was walking towards him, he鈥檇 often 鈥渃ross the road to avoid making them feel uncomfortable鈥�.

鈥淚t made me feel better about myself, because I was taking their feelings into account. But I fundamentally believe that I should never have had to do it.鈥�

Cozier鈥檚 love of learning comes from his older sister, who read to him every day.

His mum, an auxiliary nurse, was 鈥渁damant鈥� he鈥檇 go to university, but as a young teen Cozier saw the route as 鈥渇or posh people, not people like me鈥�.

He changed his mind when his favourite teacher at the 鈥渟truggling鈥� Langham School in Tottenham he attended told him that 鈥渋f you don鈥檛 go to university, Patrick, then nobody at this school will鈥�.

He says: 鈥淲hat we say as trusted adults really does matter, sometimes in profound ways that we don’t acknowledge at the time鈥�.

Cozier was one of only three pupils to stay on for A-levels, and the only subjects on offer were maths, physics and chemistry.

鈥楽cary鈥� career rise

Determined to study economics, he quit two weeks in, causing the entire sixth form to be disbanded.

鈥淚 was the one who ruined it,鈥� he admits. Instead he attended Fortismere School in Muswell Hill, which was much more 鈥渨hite middle class鈥�. Cozier 鈥渟truggled鈥� with feeling 鈥渙ut of place鈥�.

Whereas his former common room had 鈥渟ome old staff chairs and a kettle in the corner鈥�, Fortismere had a 鈥済ames room, a ghetto blaster and table tennis鈥� and students were served 鈥渢eas, coffees and toasted sandwiches all day鈥�.

But they 鈥渕oaned all the time about their facilities鈥� which Cozier found 鈥渞eally challenging鈥� and planned to quit.

Enter his dad, again, who said: 鈥淭here are plenty of jobs in Tesco 鈥� go stack shelves鈥�.

鈥淭hat was his way of saying, 鈥榙on’t be so silly鈥�,鈥� Cozier adds.

He stuck with it, and started teaching at Southfields School (now Southfields Academy) in South London, before returning to Langham, which had been relaunched and renamed Park View Academy, as head of year.

He then joined Highgate Wood as deputy head in 2006 and was made head the following year. It was a 鈥渟cary鈥� career rise which happened 鈥渜uicker than I was comfortable with鈥�.

He also ruffled feathers with his governors.

Highgate Wood sits in an area Cozier describes as 鈥渁ffluent鈥� and 鈥榓rtsy鈥� with pockets of deprivation. He felt the school was 鈥渧ery much geared towards the middle classes鈥�, and 鈥渧ery relaxed to the point where it wasn’t serving the needs of children who needed a bit more.鈥�

There was no uniform, and Cozier disliked how children congregated in 鈥渙bvious groups based upon how they were dressed鈥�.

It took him three years to convince governors, but a survey showing overwhelming support from parents meant uniforms were introduced (despite a 鈥渧ocal minority鈥� of parents seeing him as the 鈥渄evil incarnate鈥�).

There are also the occasional fallouts with Haringey Council over admissions and SEND, but 鈥渁t every point鈥� he reminds them 鈥渢here are not many of us local authority schools left, you need to look after us鈥�.

Voice of experience

Cozier is doing his bit to influence government policy. He sits on the Headteachers鈥� Roundtable policy group and was part of the Beyond Ofsted inquiry which recommended scrapping one-word judgements.

But he was particularly irked by the former government鈥檚 low-key announcement to 鈥渂an鈥� mobile phones.

His school insists phones are switched off during lessons but Cozier has not mandated a ban because 鈥渢here are children whose parents need to be in contact with them on the way to school鈥�.

Meanwhile, some parents are 鈥渢rying to force the school鈥� to go further. It links to a wider concern he has about the growing number of parents who 鈥渘ever accept the end point鈥� in a complaint, 鈥渆ven though we鈥檝e exhausted everything鈥� it becomes quite vexatious in nature鈥�.

He also believes that Covid left a 鈥渞eally difficult鈥� legacy of strained relationships between staff and pupils, which his school has done extensive work around rebuilding.

He puts tensions down to how schools had to behave. 鈥淟ineups, bubbles and kids being sent home if they tested positive鈥� left 鈥渟taff on edge鈥�. 鈥淓verything was pressurised,鈥� he says.

Cozier鈥檚 own relationships with staff are not always easy; tight budgets led him to embark on a restructure which recently resulted in pay cuts for a handful of staff and prompted strike action.

Coaching his peers

When Cozier became head in 2006 he says there were only 11 black male secondary head teachers from a Caribbean background in the country. He knew four of them. Most of the spaces Cozier occupies are 鈥渟till mostly white and middle class鈥�.

He鈥檚 now trying to change that. A large proportion of those he coaches are from ethnic minority backgrounds, and he also provides coaching sessions for 鈥楲eaders like Us鈥�, a programme run by the Church of England which helps ethnic minority senior leaders progress into headship.

His private coaching work is done over Zoom in the evenings, which 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 always go down well with the missus鈥�.

Sessions sometimes feel 鈥渕ore like counselling than coaching鈥�. One recent client, the head of an overseas British school, was being undermined by the school鈥檚 owners. Cozier helped them reach the conclusion they needed to quit.

Whereas Cozier initially joined the education sector believing his 鈥渓ife purpose was giving children opportunities鈥�, he鈥檚 learned through coaching that he derives 鈥渁 lot of fulfilment from supporting people 鈥� not just children.鈥�

As a young and inexperienced head, he reflects that he was guilty of 鈥渁wfulizing鈥� 鈥� where 鈥渢he small stuff is magnified in your brain to see everything as a catastrophe鈥�.

He鈥檚 realised that the secret of success as a head is to be 鈥渕ore resilient, deal with imposter syndrome and embrace the difficulty of leadership鈥�.

鈥淥nce you do that, you don鈥檛 waste a lot of time lamenting the fact that it’s hard. You just stay focused on finding solutions.鈥�