TES Magazine articles

All articles by Kausor Amin-Ali published in TES magazine (formerly known as The Times Educational Supplement)

Why moral courage is such a difficult leadership trait

Moral courage is hugely important for school leaders and it’s something the international sector needs right now – but standing up to wrongdoing is far from easy

18th February 2026

Workload Around the World: No Monday morning deadlines

An international school leader in the UAE talks about how he manages staff workload to avoid a ‘live to work’ mindset creeping in

14th April 2025

Where do 21st century skills go from here?

A quarter of the way through the century, are we following the right path for the core skills we want young people to have – or do we need to revisit and refine them?

15th February 2025

The 5 Rs of leadership that are key for staff retention

An international school head recommends that leaders focus on these five themes if they want to keep their staff happy in their jobs

10th September 2024

5 tips for handling staff redundancy and contract non-renewals

Letting staff go is a difficult part of a school leader’s job – but there are some key principles that can make the process fair for all

29th February 2024

Safeguarding Around the World: Online risks and war trauma

A school leader in the UAE discusses the risks posed by the increase in pupils’ screen time and the safeguarding needs of children from war zones

7th December 2023

Embrace diversity and ditch the outdated ‘alpha’ leaders

If we want the best school leaders to emerge we need to give opportunities to all types of people, which means appointing based on merit, not stereotypes

16th May 2023

How to survive as a new SLT in an international school

Many will be starting a new senior leadership role in an international school this September – either having climbed through the ranks or moved over from the UK. Here one experienced international leader offers some key advice to help ease them into the job

12th August 2022

Three inspections and a funeral: finding resilience in testing times

An international head and chair of governors to a UK school explains how adopting the mindset of a submarine captain helped him through his toughest months in education – and life

10th June 2022

5 ways heads can get the most from governing boards

Working with governors is something most headteachers have to learn on the job – which can be tricky. However, there are some good ground rules to make it a smooth relationship for all

18th November 2021