New shoes, new books, new CV

If September is for fresh starts, why not for your CV?

30 August 2025

Fliss Falconer

In our house, the new year doesn’t begin in January — it begins in September. Like so many families connected to education, our calendar is set to the school year: new classrooms, new teachers, new routines. This September feels especially significant, as my youngest starts Reception. It’s a vastly different experience from when my eldest began school in the middle of the pandemic, with homeschooling from January to March of 2021. If I'm honest, it lasted all of two weeks before I gave in to the chaos of a newborn. But September can always bring fresh starts: not just for children but for parents - and, I think, for professionals too.

Watching my son preparing for Reception has made me reflect on how often we talk about fresh starts in education, but how rarely we give ourselves the same gift as professionals. Children begin each year with a new teacher - or many of them - new targets, and the reassurance that growth is expected. Attendance figures revert to 100% and a clean slate is given.

For adults, particularly in leadership, the rhythm can feel more relentless: one deadline after another, with little time to pause and take stock.

That is where updating a CV, even when we are not actively seeking a new role, becomes so valuable. It is a simple but powerful way of pressing pause. It allows us to see how far we have come, to recognise the skills we have quietly built, and to remind ourselves that progress is not only measured by promotions. For me, adding experiences from my current role into my CV has highlighted how much I have learned since leaving the classroom - skills in operational leadership, further development in equality and diversity, safeguarding, and collaboration across services. I might never have stopped to acknowledge those achievements without the act of writing them down.

This reflection also connects directly with my Senior Leadership Apprenticeship. The programme has challenged me to look critically at my practice, to evaluate what works well, and to identify areas for growth. Keeping my CV updated mirrors that process: it is about noticing, reflecting, and then planning forward. Just as schools adapt their provision at the start of each year, we as leaders need to adapt our own professional story, keeping it relevant and alive.

I have always loved picking out new stationery for the new year, but even I feel I have saturated myself on the blush pink bougie lifestyle and glitter Post-its. Sensibly, I also updated my CV and LinkedIn profile. I have no intention of leaving my gorgeous Lead, team or role. But once a Girl Guide, always a Girl Guide, and prepared I must be.

Just as children start the academic year with a fresh set of books and a new classroom, September gives us, as professionals, the same opportunity for renewal. Updating a CV is not about searching for the next role; it is about taking stock of what we have achieved, what skills we have developed, and where we want to grow next. It is an act of reflection as much as preparation.

My son beginning Reception has reminded me that fresh starts are woven into every stage of life, whether it is the first day of school, a new leadership apprenticeship, or the quiet task of refreshing a CV. Practising what we ask of others - to reflect, to prepare, to be ready for the future - helps us lead with authenticity. I've finally removed that I make an excellent cup of tea. I have taken out my home address and my well-being hobbies. Key searchable words with short, punchy vocabulary that fits with algorithms (and potentially short attention spans) now populate my life's list.

It's not to find a new job. What it has done is make sure that I am fully prepared for what this academic year will send my way.

So as September rolls around, I encourage you to take half an hour to review your CV. Add the projects you have led, the skills you have honed, and the lessons you have learned. It is not just about being ready for change, but about celebrating progress. After all, every September offers us the chance to start again with a clean page.