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Influence

An article in the TES on 22 July named SHA as one of the unions with the most clout in government education policy. It said: "The workforce agreement has increased the influence of union leaders such as Chris Keates, of the NASUWT, and John Dunford, of the Secondary Heads Association, within the DfES."

Behaviour debate

Commenting on the debate on behaviour in The Independent on 19 June, John Dunford once again made the point that schools need the support of parents and the community: "It's always going to be an uphill struggle for schools trying to restore respect in a society that has largely lost respect. Far more important than any measures the government might take is the context in which children come to the school. It is the norms of society that need questioning."

Name change

The TES has kindly offered its own contribution to the SHA name change debate. In the 15 July Diary section, the paper suggested that SHA change its name to the 'Professional Association for New headteachers In Charge', with a silent 'h'.

If that doesn't appeal to members, they offered 'Maintaining Educational Growth by Leadership Organisation and Management through Achieving Notional Institutional Acceptance of Change'. Who was is that called the summer holidays 'silly season' in the media?

No vote for choice

At the Learning and Skills Development Agency conference in June, Martin Ward led the debate against a motion that 'individual choice can only be met effectively by extending the choice of providers'.

Martin argued that a free market is not appropriate for education, saying: "A plethora of providers in education generally means that the providers choose their customers, not the other way around." He clearly won over the audience, with the final vote three-to-one against the motion.