I've always been fussy about lighting and it's something I notice even more in winter. Anyone who knows me well, is aware of how I love renovating - painting and decorating and drilling random holes everywhere. But lighting is paramount. I'm reminded of Peter Kay's 'put big light on' sketch and it's something that I absolutely avoid at all costs, mainly for aesthetic reasons: far too harsh a light, far too intrusive, no specific focus. So each room in my home is lit with side lamps, strings of bulbs, the occasional candle.

And my study is no different. Of all the things I've invested time in recently, the decor of my study has been the most satisfying. After all, I spend most of my time in this little room at the top of the house.

For many of us the commute to work has changed drastically over the last 20 months and for at least part of the week it involves simply moving across the landing from bedroom to study - or for the more seasoned traveller, downstairs to the kitchen table. I made a decision after struggling for over a year, hunched over the table in the kitchen, interrupted every time someone ventured to the fridge, that I needed to organise an office of sorts. So I turfed out the secondhand bed from the spare room and chucked out most of the flotsam that had accumulated under it. I planned a layout, bought new furniture, sanded and varnished and painted. Now I can honestly say it's my favourite space I've ever worked in - albeit my colleagues are only seen on screen.

Without realising, I spent ages looking for a desk lamp that could be moved and twisted to shine light on different areas of the room: to focus on the 'to do' list on the chalkboard wall when it needed attention, to place above the keyboard when I had lots of work, to point away from the desktop in the evening when I needed something less harsh because the screen was giving me a headache.

I rely on the desk lamp more than anything else in the room; it brings focus and sets the ambience. Although the influence of the big light can reach every corner, it doesn't help me like my desk lamp.

Last week at work we ran touch point sessions with hundreds of educators from across Scotland who are Aspiring to Middle Leadership. I love these sessions. The enthusiasm of teachers and their drive to give their best for learners never ceases to amaze; it's the common denominator of teaching and a privilege to work with people like that.

And middle leaders are an interesting bunch. They occupy such a diverse landscape in education with remits that span everything from Faculty Head, to curriculum lead, to pupil support pioneer. It's a massive leap from the role of a classroom practitioner to that of middle leadership and it was interesting to hear that although there remains huge ambition within educators to make this move, there is trepidation about the jump.

Listening to John De Nobile speak to Scotland's educators only two weeks ago left me with a strong feeling of the unique role that middle leaders have. Although disparate in remits, there are commonalities and a sense of shared understanding. De Nobile's Middle Leadership in Schools (MLiS) model notes six common roles:

• Student Focused
• Administrative
• Organisational
• Supervisory
• Staff Development
• Strategic

The results of his research with Scottish middle leaders highlighted that they felt too great a portion of their time was spent on administrative duties, when they would welcome more time to concentrate on strategy. Indeed De Nobile was enthusiastic in his view that effective schools allowed middle leaders to influence strategy decisions. And as if six discrete roles were not enough to contend with, he spoke to an additional factor - that middle leaders also have a huge role to play in a public facing capacity.

Is it any wonder then, that our enthusiastic and ambitious classroom practitioners feel ever so slightly wary of the jump to middle leadership? This was something that De Nobile was keen to give further thought to - about the importance of some sort of emergent or junior middle leader role - where practitioners could gain valuable experience in a specific area of remit.

A bit like my desk lamp, shining light on one area of focus at a time.