Book Nook - Calm Leadership: Developing leaders that last

The UK's National Association of Headteachers (NAHT) warns that school leaders have been driven to “crisis point”, with nearly two-thirds reporting that their mental health has suffered in the past year due to work-related stress.¹ Nearly a third of principals leave the post within five years.² For school leaders and educators of colour, who face the added pressure of systemic bias and discrimination, the tenure is shorter still.³

Calm Leadership, a new book by North London Principal Patrick Cozier, offers a solution to this problem: a framework for staying resilient, calm and grounded in one of the most demanding roles in education.

Patrick has been Principal of Highgate Wood School, a successful secondary school in Haringey, since 2006. When he stepped into the role, he was one of only eleven Black male headteachers in the UK and, since then, he has steered his school to success, overcoming a period of poor exam results, a disappointing school inspection outcome and a deficit budget, without burning out. It is his approach to the job, which he calls Calm Leadership, that has helped him navigate the highs and lows inherent in all leadership positions.

At the heart of Calm Leadership is Patrick’s ‘CALM’ model:

• Confronting uncalm feelings
• Adapting to the feeling of leadership
• Leading with humanity and understanding
• Maturing into the leader you are meant to be

The book draws on Patrick’s firsthand experience in the role to provide tools for managing stress, navigating impostor syndrome and maintaining a positive outlook for lasting leadership. It also shines a light on Patrick’s experience as a Black leader in a majority-white education sector, which offers inspiration to both current and aspiring leaders of colour.

Patrick says:
'I’ve seen, over nearly two decades as a principal, how the pressures of leadership can consume even the most capable people. Too often, leaders are left feeling isolated, overwhelmed, or forced into reacting rather than leading with intention. This book is my attempt to offer something different... a reminder that you can be strong and decisive without losing your humanity, and that calmness is not weakness, it is power.

It is about reminding leaders that they already have the strength and wisdom within them to thrive. Calm isn’t about doing less or lowering expectations; it’s about leading with balance, confidence and purpose, even in the most demanding of times.

My hope is that readers will close the book feeling energised, hopeful, and equipped with practical tools to sustain themselves and inspire those around them. Ultimately, leadership is a privilege. It's not what we've GOT to do... it's what we GET to do!'

Essential for current and aspiring school leaders at all levels.

Patrick Cozier is an experienced secondary school principal. He leads Highgate Wood School in Haringey. In addition to his day job, he is a member of the Headteacher's Roundtable, who consult and advise senior officials on national education policy. He serves as a trustee of the national charity Show Racism the Red Card (of which he is co-vice chair). More locally, he takes a leading role in the work of the Haringey Racial Equity Group (part of the Haringey Education Partnership) on its focus to reduce racial inequality and improve the outcomes and experiences for children of colour. As a member of the Black community, he is passionate about seeking equality, justice and fair outcomes for people of colour.

¹ ‘School leaders quitting amid mental health toll, union warns’, NAHT, April 2025. Available at: https://www.naht.org.uk/News/Latest-comments/Press-room/ArtMID/558/ArticleID/2708/School-leaders-quitting-amid-mental-health-toll-union-warns.

² Tom Belger, ‘A third of new secondary heads ‘leave profession within five years’’, Schools Week, 2022. Available at: https://schoolsweek.co.uk/headteachers-school-leaders-leaving-profession-pay-workload/.

³ What makes minority ethnic teachers stay in teaching, or leave?’, UCL, 2021. Available at: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/research-projects/2021/jul/what-makes-minority-ethnic-teachers-stay-teaching-or-leave.