Using anger as a spark for action

Anger isn’t an emotion I would normally lean into but it is helpful for me in this moment. It’s the emotional spark I needed after a January that has felt full of all the emotions.

There is so much to be angry about with all the injustice in the world and our communities. It can be overwhelming and I think a lot of people try to suppress feelings of hopelessness, sadness, and frustration.

I know I have done this over the last two years. I felt close to burning out and needed to focus on myself and my family. I have the privilege of being able to turn away or switch off. I can choose to not engage, at least not fully.

For one of the issues I care deeply about something changed last week. We have a regular meeting of the chairs of governors in East Haringey. Last Wednesday evening a fellow chair brought up the issue of school funding and the lack of outrage at how the current funding formula works and the choices schools are being forced to make. This struck a chord with me. Where was my outrage? Why am I not speaking up?

Across the country and in London in particular the number of children on roll is falling. With schools paid per child, it has created competition between schools and a situation where some schools have much larger budgets than others. It creates a vicious cycle for undersubscribed schools, which can’t attract families who want to go to the ‘best’ schools. But even full schools have growing deficits and need to cut funding for things like music teachers, SEND specialists, and trips for children. The elements of school life that bring richness and joy.

Teachers have been on strike about this very issue but their concerns about the state of school funding haven’t been able to cut through. People think they went on strike just for their pay. They went on strike for our children.

At the same time, I am working with a local authority where the cost for residential care for some looked after children is £15-£20k per week. The cost of caring for two of these children for a year far outstrips the income of the single-form entry school where I am a governor.

We are failing our children in so many ways, the system is broken and I’m angry about it.

I don’t have a lot of power or influence to change things but I have some. I also know I can’t maintain being angry for long and I need to channel it into something positive and hopeful.

The day after the meeting I sent a pretty grumpy email to chairs and a number of them replied, saying they were keen to be part of something, whatever that thing might be and however small it might feel to begin with.

That gave me hope and I’m going to need that this year.