Making new headship burn brighter
“Life is no ‘brief candle’ for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”
George Bernard Shaw’s moving words about the importance of a purposeful life were recalled by former London schools commissioner Sir Tim Brighouse during his keynote address at our second annual Early Headship Conference.
His linking of Shaw’s words to the idea that headship is a torch which needs to be grasped and kept burning as intensely and as long as possible in a time of both unprecedented change and opportunity was a powerful piece of imagery that echoed throughout the day.