A quiet revolution in school leadership

A journey begins

Jon recently retired from the position of Principal at a large secondary school in Norwich, working with young people from communities facing many challenges. He began meditating with The School of Contemplative Life during the Covid pandemic and then introduced the practice to his entire staff team. What began as a personal experiment grew into a quiet revolution in how his school approaches leadership, wellbeing, and connection.

“Career pressures have, in the past, left me completely broken,” Jon shares. “I struggled deeply at that time, and it was through appropriate professional support that I began to recover and return to work.”

It was during the exceptional pressures of Covid that Jon was invited to an introductory workshop on Christian meditation run by The School of Contemplative Life, offered to support headteachers.

With a science background and a secular worldview, Jon was sceptical—“I didn’t expect much,” he admits. But what he found was something unexpectedly profound. “I was struck by the simplicity of the practice,” he says. “And for the first time, I glimpsed how meditation might help me deal better with daily challenges.”

Finding stillness in the storm

From there, things unfolded naturally. Jon began attending weekly online practice sessions. Soon, he was meditating every morning and evening. “It’s hard to put into words the difference it has made,” he reflects. “Apart from feeling calmer, colleagues began to comment on how much more grounded and balanced I seemed—even during our most difficult times.”

One colleague told him, “In over ten years of knowing you, I’ve never seen you so calm. And it’s contagious.” That insight confirmed something Jon hadn’t been fully aware of: the practice wasn’t just changing him. It was rippling out and shaping the culture of the school.

“I can’t fully explain how or why it works,” Jon says, “but I feel more connected—to those around me and to God—than I ever have before. The practice is simple, but the effects are profound.”

A quiet movement

Now, Jon and many of his colleagues are committed to this path. “It hasn’t just helped us cope. It’s started a movement—one of calm, compassion, and hope. I’ve come through the toughest of years with a smile in my heart.”

If you’d like to listen to Jon and some of the senior leadership team reflecting on the practice and the impact it’s had across the school, please click here.