Traitors?
31st January 2026
Another week passes. Another week of challenge, with the additional dimension of the Ofsted inspection at Oakwood High School. The first one in our trust with the new framework. It was incredibly challenging and a significantly higher bar to get over. The report will be out in the coming months and the narrative will be very strong. And, I’m sure, this will become an even stronger inspection outcome as time passes and more and more schools fall under this new regime. An enormous well done and thank you from all of the children and staff.
It’s been said, to me at least, that the most discussed weekly message from me was when I referenced traitors, sometime ago. Well, another series has ended and wow! – how do they manage to find something new and so riveting? Well done Rachel (my favourite all along) and the jumpsuit wearing, moustachioed master of the mis-direction Stephen. Last weekend’s finale lived up to all expectations. Wonderfully the Traitors remained true to each other, within the context of the murders and banishments – that will mean something to some of you, those that haven’t watched it… why not? And you wouldn’t understand.
As a side note; it has been suggested that Traitors is just a middle-class version of Big Brother. The chattering classes can put their snobbery to one side and enjoy what Traitors offers. Some of the nastiness of Big Brother isn’t really evident in Traitors. Why is that? Maybe it’s the people they choose. Maybe it’s the preparation and support they are offered. Maybe it’s because they are all encouraged to talk to each other and talk to each other in a civilised manner. Talking, communication and, importantly, listening are at the heart of the success of the programme and the success of the participants. We just love to watch people talking, openly with each other and, more directly to the camera – even if some of what is said has a degree of Machiavellian intent. The overwhelming percentage of the content is just the viewer watching groups or partnerships chatting away, getting to know each other, trying to see into the motivation and machinations of the characters. There really is something in the human psyche which suggests a need to talk openly and to listen dispassionately. In our increasingly dislocated or atomised world, where those social interactions may be more difficult to find on a personal level we crave the next best thing – and that may well be through our TVs and into The Traitors. It doesn’t have to be mean and nasty (Nick!); it can be warm and generous -as Rachel and Stephen were to the very end. And we have the fringe for all ages, Claudia, smiling through it all.
That nicely leads me into next week’s Mind ‘Time to Talk’ (5th February).
There will be some who groan or are even dismissive about having to formally set aside a day for talking, sharing, lightening the load. I can see those eye-rolling, it’s all woke, we didn’t have to do this during the war/fifties etc., nay-sayers – the mainstay of a certain section of our national press and some politically driven social media algorithms. Do you know what? Does it matter, if some want to natter? Let’s be content as a community to let those of us who need a nudge and a cuppa to sit down and chat to one of our colleagues next Thursday. If coffee and cake lubricate a little light relief then so be it. What harm? none, but much potential gain.
So, go on, be like a Traitor, get sat in the conceptual library, snooker room or kitchen and chat away, get to know your colleagues and do some listening. It might just brighten your day. It might just brighten your colleague’s day. It might light your load or theirs.
‘I did ‘Traitors’ and I felt like this would be super-fun. I had a great experience, honestly, meeting new people.’ Larsa Pippen
‘Jaw, jaw is better than war, war.’ Macmillan mis-quoting Churchill