Instagram story viewer> @educationwithanna> Posts

Education with Anna

@educationwithanna

1.4K

followers

1273

following

Proud to be Headteacher at a beautiful school🏆
Well-being at the Core🧠
Level 7 Executive and Senior Level Coach
Author of Roxie, The Little Fawn🦌

POSTS STORIES REELS

The most chic thing we can ever do is raise children who know exactly who they are and never feel they have to change themselves to belong. 🤍

I will never stop talking about the things that matter beyond results and achievement. I will never stop reminding children that their worth was never something they had to earn, that their voice deserves to be heard and that being different was never something they needed to fix.

I’ll never stop championing childhoods where children feel safe enough to be completely themselves. Where they can clap loudly for somebody else without questioning their own brilliance. Where kindness doesn’t mean people pleasing. Where confidence doesn’t mean being the loudest person in the room. And where belonging never requires them to make themselves smaller.

Because perhaps one of the greatest gifts we can give a child is the certainty that they are already enough.

And if we can raise a generation of children who truly know that, imagine the adults they will become. 🤍

That is the heart of everything I believe about education. And it is the heart of Roxie too.

Be kind. Be brave. Be you. Always. 🦌🤍 This post is inspired by @jess_shand_ by @educationwithanna

October 2026🤍 by @educationwithanna

This was a little hard to write. 🤍

For so much of my life, I’ve been a people pleaser. I’ve worried about what others think, said yes when I wanted to say no, and spent far too much time trying to make everyone else happy.

And somewhere along the way, I forgot that my happiness mattered too.

I’m 47 and still learning. Still overthinking sometimes. Still finding it difficult to disappoint people. But I’m slowly realising that I can be kind, compassionate and loving without sacrificing my own peace.

I’m sharing these seven lessons not because I’ve mastered them, but because I wish someone had told me these things years ago.

And because I have two daughters who I want to grow up knowing that their worth will never be determined by how much they do for others or how many people like them.

You can have the softest heart and still have the strongest boundaries.

Perhaps the biggest lesson of all is that I haven’t stopped caring about other people. I’ve simply started including myself among the people I care about. 🤍

If this helps even one person feel less alone, then sharing something so personal will have been worth it.

With love, always. 🤍 by @educationwithanna

I started Pilates thinking it might change my body. I never imagined how much it would change my life. 🤍

The confidence, the friendships, the strength, the courage to follow my dreams and, most importantly, learning that making time for myself isn’t selfish. It’s essential.

As a mummy and a headteacher, life is wonderfully busy, but Pilates has become my little moment of calm in the chaos.

Thank you @pilatesbybryony for creating something so much bigger than Pilates. You’ve changed more lives than you’ll ever know. Mine included. 🥹 Love you @bryonydeery

8 ways Pilates has changed my life and only one is about my body. ✨ by @educationwithanna

The most perfect 48 hours in Copenhagen with my beautiful mum. 🇩🇰

I finished the first half term feeling completely exhausted and knowing I needed a little time to recharge. I absolutely adore my job, the children and the families I feel such an enormous responsibility for, but sometimes it’s important to remember that looking after yourself matters too. To find that strength again, to give your very best and to continue doing the job you love so much.

And what better way than 48 hours of beautiful places, endless walking, coffee, laughter and the simplest pleasure of all… uninterrupted time with my mum. 🤍

A little reminder that life is about making memories and cherishing the people who mean the most.

Feeling very lucky, very grateful and a little more like me again. 🤍 And Copenhagen, you are one cool city and now hold a very special place in my heart🤍 by @educationwithanna

Happy Birthday to beautiful Sparkles. Hope that you enjoy your special cake with the girls tonight🤍 Thank you for bringing us so much love and joy🥰 by @educationwithanna

Today was a tough day for my beautiful Sophia and her pony, Sparkles. A fall and a moment when confidence disappeared. But what happened next has stayed with me.

Two incredible young people, Carys Thompson and Max Usher, stepped in. They picked Sophia up, reassured her, got her back on her pony and helped her find her confidence again. They didn’t have to, but they chose kindness. 🤍

When I got home, I thought about how much criticism young people receive in the media. Yet today I saw everything that is RIGHT with this generation. Compassion without being asked. Leadership without a title. Kindness without an audience.

We are so lucky to be surrounded by wonderful young people where Sophia rides. I hope my girls always look up to people like Carys and Max, not because of what they achieve, but because of how they make others feel.

And Sophia, my darling girl, I am so proud of your courage today. Getting back up when things go wrong is one of life’s greatest lessons. 🤍

Surround yourself with people who lift you when you fall, believe in you when you doubt yourself and remind you of your strength when you’ve forgotten it. Those are your people.

Thank you, Carys and Max. You may think you simply helped a girl get back on her pony, but you did something so much bigger.

Perhaps we should spend less time talking about what’s wrong with young people and more time celebrating everything that’s wonderful about them.

Be the person who helps someone else get back on their horse. You never know how much they might need you🥹 by @educationwithanna

Some things are simply too special for words. 🤍

My beautiful friend Tally @tallygilbert_ wrote the most extraordinary poem, one that so perfectly captures the heart, soul and magic of our school.

And my other beautiful friend, the incredibly talented Tom Child, @tc_childie brought those words to life through this breathtaking film.

Between them, they have captured the spirit of a school that has completely stolen my heart, more beautifully than I could ever have imagined or dreamed of.

I adore you both, and I will never be able to thank you enough for creating something that means so very much to us at Froebelian.

But the biggest thank you of all goes to the absolute superstars who shine throughout this film. Our wonderful children. You are the reason we do everything we do.

What a school. What a family. What a privilege to be part of it.

And here it is… our beautiful school, through the eyes of two very special people. by @educationwithanna

Controversial Opinion

Somewhere along the way, we started confusing protecting children with preparing them for life.

We remove the challenge. We soften the disappointment. We intervene in the friendship disagreement. We explain away the poor behaviour. We rush to rescue children from anything that might make them feel uncomfortable.

And then we wonder why resilience is declining.

Children are allowed to be disappointed. They are allowed to lose. They are allowed to find something difficult. They are allowed to hear the word NO.

In fact, they need to.

Being a good parent or teacher doesn’t mean making childhood free from struggle. It means giving children the security, love and confidence to navigate it.

Of course, some children need additional support, and genuine distress should never be dismissed. But support and rescue are not the same thing.

We cannot spend 18 years removing every obstacle and then expect children to know how to overcome one.

Perhaps the greatest gift we can give children isn’t an easier childhood.

It’s the belief that they can do hard things.

Have we become so focused on protecting children’s feelings that we’ve forgotten to build their resilience?

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this post are my own personal reflections on education and childhood and do not necessarily reflect the views, policies or position of The Froebelian School. by @educationwithanna

This weekend, I had the most wonderful time at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), and I came away reflecting on so much more than horses. I found myself thinking about education, ambition, resilience and the extraordinary things that happen when children are surrounded by people who inspire them.

Watching such talented riders compete reminded me of something I believe passionately, both as a Headteacher and a mum. Children cannot aspire to what they have never been exposed to. When we give children opportunities to witness excellence, we open their eyes to possibilities they might never have imagined for themselves.

What struck me most was knowing just how much dedication sits behind those moments in the arena. The early mornings, the sacrifices, the disappointments and the determination to keep going. We often celebrate the finished performance without appreciating the hundreds of hours of hard work that nobody sees. What an important lesson for our children.

I have always believed that the people we surround our children with matter enormously. When children spend time with people who are passionate, hardworking, ambitious and kind, they begin to believe that they too can achieve extraordinary things. Not every child will become a champion, but every child deserves to believe that they have the potential to become the very best version of themselves.

Perhaps my biggest reflection, though, was as a mum. Watching my girls experience something they love so much reminded me that the greatest gifts we can give our children aren’t things. They’re opportunities, experiences, memories and our time. There is nothing quite like watching your children find something that makes their hearts happy.

Education extends so far beyond the classroom. Sometimes one experience, one person or one moment of inspiration can change what a child believes is possible🤍 by @educationwithanna

🦌 Roxie - The Little Fawn who made the Forest Feel Wonderful ✨

@educationwithanna
@johngilesart

I was recommended this book from the lovely @jess_shand_ 💛 a story about the magic of kindness and believing in yourself ✨

‘Meet Roxie, a gentle little fawn with a very big secret. She has a superpower that makes others feel truly happy, brave, and like the very best version of themselves.’

This book is perfect for classroom inspiration for KS1 and KS2 children alike or for bedtime reading 💤 A great autumnal book 🍂

#bedtimestories #autumnbooks #classroomideas #picturebooks #childrensbooks by @educationwithanna

Roxie is trending🥹

Apparently, deer print is trending. 🦌

And I can’t help but smile.

Because long before deer were appearing on clothes, interiors and mood boards… there was Roxie.

A tiny little fawn, born from a much bigger idea.

I wrote Roxie, The Little Fawn Who Made the Forest Feel Wonderful because I wanted children to understand something I think we sometimes forget as adults:

You don’t have to be the loudest, biggest or most important person in the room to change how somebody feels.

Roxie doesn’t change the forest through grand gestures.

She notices.
She includes.
She is kind.
She makes others feel that they matter.

And perhaps that is why seeing deer everywhere at the moment feels strangely emotional to me.

Because to everyone else, it might just be a trend.

But to me, a little deer will always represent something much bigger.

A reminder that how we make people feel matters.
That small acts can have enormous impact.
And that even the littlest among us can make their corner of the world feel more wonderful.

So yes… deer print is officially trending.

But in my world, Roxie always will be. 🦌

#Roxie #TheLittleFawn #ChildrensBooks #KindnessMatters #EducationWithAnna DeerPrint DeerTrend ChildrensLiterature EveryInteractionMatter by @educationwithanna