Rustam School (@SchoolRustam) header
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A Saturday community school all about teaching Persian language and culture which inspires your present, embraces your past and enhances your future.

London, England
Joined October 2015
Photo by Rustam School (@SchoolRustam)Photo by Rustam School (@SchoolRustam)Photo by Rustam School (@SchoolRustam)Photo by Rustam School (@SchoolRustam)Photo by Rustam School (@SchoolRustam)Photo by Rustam School (@SchoolRustam)Photo by Rustam School (@SchoolRustam)Photo by Rustam School (@SchoolRustam)Photo by Rustam School (@SchoolRustam)Photo by Rustam School (@SchoolRustam)
Congratulations to our amazing students on their phenomenal results! 40% of all grades were A*-A, 70% A*-B, and 90% A*-C 🙌🎉👏 They are now off to some wonderful universities and careers, and we wish them all the very best for their futures!🎓💪
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Today was a sad day at @totteridgeacad as we said goodbye to our Principal, Chris Fairbairn. Chris has been a presence in my life since I joined seven years ago, and it's difficult to overstate what an inspiration he has been to me personally and professionally. Chris is the antidote to a lot of the things that worry me about education. Where others talk a good game and have no track record to back it up, Chris has close to no online or public presence. He doesn't do keynotes, panels, blogs, podcasts, interviews or anything. You've probably never heard of him, but you should have. Why: Ten years ago, Chris and his team took over The Totteridge Academy. At the time, it had the worst outcomes in the borough. It was half empty because nobody wanted to be there. Its sixth form had closed. The building was crumbling and uninspiring. It was about as close to rock-bottom as a school can get. Now, ten years on, it's completely transformed. The school is full and there are hundreds of children on the waiting list. Behaviour is excellent. Results place us in the top 20 in the country. The sixth form has reopened, and staff are happy. Ofsted awarded us - a turnaround! - five exceptionals and two strong standards. We host hundreds of visitors a year who come to learn from the school. It is a joyous place to work. There are many things I could say about Chris's leadership, but to pick just one: a few years ago as our roll increased, the % of students on free school meals decreased accordingly. Chris didn't want that, and wrote new admissions policies that prioritise the most disadvantaged students. This move, almost guaranteed to reduce headline metrics, showed that it's possible to do turnarounds inclusively and with a deep sense of humanity and justice. I visit a LOT of schools. I'm lucky in that. I see a lot of places and talk to a lot of people, and I can say with confidence: Chris and his team have built the best school in the country. It's been an honour and a privilege to work for him.
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تهران، شهر عجیبی است. شهری که بیشتر از آنکه شیوه‌ی خندیدن را بلد باشد، آیینِ گریستن را از بر است. از کودکی، قبل از آنکه جشن را یادمان بدهند، سوگواری را یادمان دادند. قبل از آنکه رنگ‌ها را بشناسیم، سیاهی را شناختیم. قبل از آنکه زندگی را بفهمیم، از مرگ برایمان گفتند. دیشب میان ازدحام آدم‌ها ایستاده بودم و فقط به این فکر می‌کردم که این شهر، چند بار دیگر باید برای تاریخ گریه کند، در حالی که هنوز فرصت نکرده برای خودش عزاداری کند. من سال‌هاست برای #ایران عزیزم سوگوارم؛ برای خیابان‌هایی که خاطره‌هایم را بلعیدند، برای کودک درونم که لابه‌لای دود و اضطراب گم شد، برای نسلی که بیشتر از رؤیا، داغ به ارث برد. نمی‌دانم از چه زمانی این همه حضور سنگین، برایمان عادی شد. از چه روزی یاد گرفتیم کنار خودروهای تیره‌رنگ، حصارها، خیابان‌های پر از مراقبت و صحنه‌هایی که زمانی باید استثنا می‌بودند، زندگی روزمره‌مان را ادامه بدهیم. شاید ما آن‌قدر مردم صلح‌طلب و آرامی هستیم که حتی با این همه، باز هم زندگی را متوقف نکردیم. قرار گذاشتیم، خرید کردیم، از خیابان رد شدیم، به خانه برگشتیم و وانمود کردیم همه‌چیز عادی است. دور میدان تجریش می‌چرخم و با خودم فکر می‌کنم چقدر عجیب است که چشم‌هایم دیگر از دیدن این صحنه‌ها متعجب نمی‌شوند. آنچه روزی باید غیرعادی می‌بود، آرام‌آرام به بخشی از منظره‌ی همیشگی شهر تبدیل شده است. خدای من… احتمالا تلخ‌ترین اتفاق همین باشد… که انسان چقدر توانایی عادت کردن دارد. که اضطراب، بی‌آنکه متوجه شویم، آرام‌آرام در تار و پود زندگی‌مان ریشه می‌دواند. که گاهی فراموش می‌کنیم امنیت باید یک احساس بدیهی باشد، نه آرزویی که هر روز در جست‌وجویش باشیم. عجیب است؛ می‌شود از شهری رنج کشید و باز هم عاشقش ماند. می‌شود هر روز از او زخم خورد و شب، دل‌تنگ کوچه‌هایش شد. #تهران برای من همین تناقض کشنده است؛ زخمی که نمی‌شود عاشقانه دوستش نداشت. زخمی که درمانش نکردم و درد و رنجش را بیمارگونه دوست داشتم هر روز از خودم میپرسم میشود روزی برسد که این شهر، به جای آنکه فقط برای رفتگانش جمع شود، برای زندگانش نفس بکشد؛ روزی که صدای موسیقی از صدای اندوه بلندتر باشد، روزی که کودکانش خاطره‌هایشان را با جشن تعریف کنند، نه با ماتم؟ تا آن روز، هر بار که از تهران می‌نویسم، در حقیقت از خودم می‌نویسم؛ از آدمی که هر روز و هرلحظه زیر این همه گردوغبار، دنبال تکه‌ای امید می‌گردد و با تمام دلخوری‌ها، هنوز این شهر را عاشقانه دوست دارد.
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Sunday morning. I'm putting my feet up and doing some knitting. Whatever you're doing, LISTEN TO THIS ACE EPISODE WITH A GENUINE EXPERT
Is behaviour worse in primary schools than secondary schools? HUGE new episode with @cathiehewitt exploring all sorts of things: behaviour, leadership, literacy, curriculum and more! Tune in and share if you can 🙏 open.spotify.com/episode/437…
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In an emotional sense, being a safeguarding lead is surely the hardest job in a school. In a workload and "juggling sheer number of things" sense, being a head of department is surely the hardest job in a school. In a technical sense - I.e. actually being able to execute the thing you want to do - being a T&L or CPD lead is surely the hardest job in a school. So many things need to be worked out, thought through and strategised for. You have to be an expert in classroom practice, staff culture, policy construction, relentless communication, radical candour, negotiation, idea selling and much much more. So let us help. Please. Come see us tomorrow evening and I can show you how we can support you. Please. Trust me!
We've been absolutely blown away by the reception to Carousel Teaching this year. Hundreds of school leaders and teachers getting in touch to say that it has made them better at teaching. If you'd like to know more about the best CPD going come along to our webinar this week! I'm genuinely so so proud of what we've managed to achieve, so please do come along and share if you can - would love to see you there! eventbrite.co.uk/e/developin…
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By sheer coincidence, it was my turn to do Thought For The Day at TTA this morning, so I chose to talk about the horrific attack in Golders Green yesterday, and what it means to be a Jew in 2026 Britain. Please give it a few minutes of your time if you can.
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New Post! In many classrooms, lots of students aren’t listening, which means they aren’t learning. In this post we outline a few common mistakes and simple techniques for building classrooms where ALL students expected to participate. Please share if you can, link in reply 🙏
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What do pastoral leads in private schools do all day? What do you say to colleagues who are choosing rubbish activities that they think are great? Is it better to teach in specialism or share classes in science? All this and more, tune in and share! open.spotify.com/episode/2Dv…
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Dreaming of #ISFAHAN Via: instagram.com/reel/DV1hFkwDe… #IranStyle💚🕊️🌹🌿
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In a world where understanding matters more than ever, learning another language is far more important than remembering vocabulary & grammar. It's about seeing another point of view, & making new human connections. It's a bunch of skills that makes you better at whatever you do.
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Happy Yalda Night 🍉 Celebrate the Persian winter solstice (Shab-e Chelleh) with family gatherings, pomegranates symbolizing dawn, Hafez poetry, stories, and staying up to welcome longer days. For the full history, traditions, and more: livingintehran.com/2025/12/1…
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A medley of fabulous #Yalda🍉 posts by @arefadib @MarjaneSaidi @Nabauti88 & #DastanNuts, for those of us who celebrate SUN's Rebirth after the longest night of the year. Happy☀️Dawn, Happy✨LIGHT🌞 #WinterSolstice🌞✨☀️ #IranianWIN @iranstyle
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This is how #Yalda / Sun’s Rebirth was honoured @SissinghurstNT, as its owners Harold Nicolson a British diplomat born in Tehran, & Vita Sackville-West were inspired by #Iran in their writings & the design of Sissinghurst Castle Garden. #IranStyle #WinterSolstice 🎉❤️✨🍉☀️🍎
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اسطوره آموزش و ادب فارسی در لندن با گوشواره شب یلدا🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
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FIRST SUNDAY OF HALF TERM Perfect time to sit back and listen to a deep dive into teacher labour markets! Please share if you can, it's a fascinating episode!
NEW EPISODE This week, we're joined by @JackWorthNFER, an economist studying the teacher labour market, to explore the history and future or recruitment and retention. It's MEGA nerdy, and super fascinating. Tune in and share here 👇👇 open.spotify.com/episode/20P…
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#Mehregan, the Persian #ThanksGiving Festival of Harvest & Love🧡: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mehr… An ancient festival dedicated to Mehr / Mithra, the goddess of Light, #Love & Friendship. Images via #ShirazTagram #AshpazBash & Google. #ArtOfPersia #culture #lifestyle #LoveIran💟
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#Mehregan #Weekend: A time to give thanks for #harvest🍐🍂 with family & friends. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mehr… Image via #Taabizza. #PersianFood #Thanksgiving🙏🏾#gratitude #PeaceWithIran🕊
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Happy #MEHREGAN Festival of Love❤️ Light✨ Harvest🌻 Photo credit: instagram.com/my.hasti?igsh=… #IranStyle
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Anzali Lagoon in Gilan. Clip by Mohsen MohammadiKani via #BEInIran #IranStyle🌸🌱 #SummerTime
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Well done to everyone achieving a language GCSE today - Spanish, French, German, Polish, Chinese or any other! You’ve taken the first big step on an exciting lifelong journey, filled with new perspectives, new faces and new possibilities. It’ll take you beyond your imagination.
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