PPA Buddy

I’m Claire, a UK teacher advocate and founder of PPA Buddy on Skool. No pupil data, ever. If you’d love your evenings back, join us 👇

I help busy teachers use AI for planning, marking and admin so they can reclaim 3-5 hours a week - without burning out.

27/01/2026

Feet up. Chair on. Phone face down.
Yes, I nearly talked myself out of this.

Because there’s always a reason not to stop: emails, planning, “I’ll do it later”.

But tired isn’t a time management problem. It’s a signal.
So today I’m treating rest like a task I’m allowed to complete.
   •   Pitfall: waiting for a “quiet week” → Healthier: book 45 mins anyway
   •   Pitfall: calling rest a reward → Healthier: calling it maintenance
   •   Pitfall: filling the gap with guilt → Healthier: one deep breath and done

If you needed permission, take it.

Comment ME TIME if you’re claiming 30 mins this week. 💆‍♀️
If workload is what’s stealing it, you know where PPA Buddy is.

19/01/2026

You can have empathy and boundaries at the same time.

A rude email can come from stress.
An abrupt colleague might be firefighting.
A defiant pupil might be dysregulated.
A line manager might be under pressure.

All true.

And you still get to reply calmly, clearly, and in working hours.
You’re not matching chaos with chaos.

If you want more scripts like this (and a teacher space that doesn’t turn into a moan-fest), comment BOUNDARY and I’ll send the Skool link.

12/01/2026

If you’ve not seen them in the staffroom lately, don’t assume they’re just busy.

I popped in between lessons to say hi to someone I work with and they just… crumbled.
Not from teaching. From safeguarding follow-ups, the inbox, the constant pressure, and nowhere to off-load it.

And I get it. We think, “I’ll say the wrong thing” or “I don’t want to interrupt”… so we say nothing.

Please don’t lead with: “You’ll be fine” or “Just switch off”.
Try this instead: “Hey, I’ve noticed you’ve gone a bit quiet. No pressure to explain, I just wanted to check you’re OK.”

Comment CHECK-IN and I’ll DM you a few more copy-paste lines for what to say, plus where to point them for proper support.

07/01/2026

We keep asking why CPD doesn’t change practice.

But most of it is built for a version of teachers that doesn’t exist.

Not the ones finishing five lessons.
Not the ones managing behaviour all day.
Not the ones scraping together energy at 3.30pm.

That isn’t resistance.
It’s bandwidth.

If we want CPD to make a difference, it has to match the reality teachers are in — not an idealised one.

Small shifts.
Big difference.

👇 If you’ve ever sat in CPD running on fumes, this one’s for you.

06/01/2026

Workload doesn’t leak because you don’t care enough.
It leaks because your defaults leave gaps.

If you want the full menu (all categories + copy/paste prompts), it’s inside PPA Buddy on Skool.

Comment SKOOL to join us!

04/01/2026

Yesterday I got up at 5am… and didn’t follow my plan.

No content planning.
No batching.
No trying to win the day before breakfast.

The forecast promised blue skies, so I cooked soup for the flask, packed warm coats, and bundled my sleepy family into the car for a surprise road trip.

Beach by 9:30.

And honestly? That spontaneity is what keeps me alive. It’s what makes me want to do more… not less.

Wellbeing isn’t always a rigid routine.
Sometimes it’s a tiny rebellion: Choosing the moment over the to-do list.

If you’re a teacher, you know the job will expand into every gap you leave it. So the skill isn’t “getting more organised”.

It’s spotting a window of light… and taking it without asking permission.

What’s one slightly spontaneous thing you could do next week that would make you feel like you again?

09/12/2025

My son’s having a guitar lesson.
I’ve got 20 minutes to plan and absolutely zero quiet. 🎸

For years I tried to make teaching + mum life + side business fit into the gaps.

Old rule: Squeeze planning into any noisy minute.
New rule: My PPA gets a proper seat at the table.

Old rule: Mum first, teacher second, business… somewhere after 10pm.
New rule: My work fits around my family, not the other way round.

Old rule: Do it all on my own.
New rule: Lean on PPA Buddy and other mum-teachers who get it.

If this feels a bit too familiar, hit follow and check the link in my bio – PPA Buddy was built for mums like us 💪

06/12/2025

It’s one of those December Saturdays… rain on the windows, everything a bit grey, and school is still swirling in your head.

That feeling of being torn between wanting to show up well for your pupils and actually switching off? We’ve all been there. It doesn’t mean you’re not coping. It means you care.

A few small shifts that genuinely help:

• Pitfall: letting work stretch into the whole weekend
→ Shift: pick a clear start and stop time and stick to it

• Pitfall: chasing tasks as they pop up
→ Shift: batch the essentials and park the rest

• Pitfall: carrying the week around with you
→ Shift: write it down, close the laptop, walk away

Strong boundaries aren’t about being less committed. They’re about staying well enough to keep doing the job you love.

If you want practical structure and a community who actually get it, click the link in bio and take a look at the PPA Buddy Skool.

Or comment 🎓 and I’ll DM you the link

🩵💙💜

14/08/2025

💬 A-Level results check-in time…

If you’re wading through a tidal wave of:

📧 Emails from anxious parents
📄 Access to Script requests
📆 JCQ deadlines that don’t care it’s summer

…you’re not alone.

Right now, thousands of teachers are juggling holiday life with post-results life. And it’s exhausting.

I’ve made something to help:
A ready-to-use A-level Results Appeals Tracker that auto-calculates deadlines, colour-codes urgency, and keeps you sane through the sprint.

Grab it free here 🔗 https://ppabuddy.com/a-level-results-appeals-tracker/

💬 Or comment ‘RECLAIM’ and I’ll DM the article straight to you.

Protect your time now. Your future self will thank you. 💛

13/08/2025

You are not a machine.
Your body keeps the receipts.

The late-night marking.
The skipped meals.
The never-ending emails.

And one day
If you’re not careful
It will ask you to pay up.

🧠 Your wellbeing isn’t a luxury.
It’s the foundation.
Because if you don’t make time for your wellness,
you will be forced to make time for your illness.

📌 Save this as your reminder.

💬 Comment WELLNESS if you’re choosing you this week.

📣 Tag a teacher who needs to read this.

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