Thursday 15 September 2016

How is the role of the Head Teacher Developing in the 21st Century School?

How is the role of the Head Teacher Developing in the 21st Century School?


Since graduating from university in the year 2000, I have been privileged to work under 9 different head teachers across a range of different settings - some for a matter of weeks - others for several years. Each one has been a fantastic professional in their own right with different strengths and weaknesses. The position of head teacher is increasingly unique in today's society and is one in which public perception has barely shifted over the past 100 years. Head teachers are usually held in high esteem by the communities of the schools in which they serve – placed on a pedestal; looked up to; sometimes revered; often feared. Most people have a clear image in their head of the persona that a Head Teacher should project - the aura- and there can often be high levels of consternation – and often offence caused when the person in question doesn't live up to that billing.

A Changing Role in a Changing Climate:
It's clear that the traditional role of the Head Teacher is one that is becoming more and more endangered with each passing general election. Some may argue that that it is a good thing. A government agenda of forced acadamisation – of large numbers of schools run by one “Super Head” with Heads of Schools underneath them is one that is becoming increasingly common. This subtle change in title seeks to undermine the role of the head teacher in the eyes of many. One could argue however that something has to change. A national lack of suitable candidates for headship has been evident for quite some time. It's not surprising really given the incredible pressures placed on the role from relentless government changes and tougher and tougher inspection regimes. One bad cohort, or one unlucky appointment and potentially your job could be at risk. Head teachers are not in the same league as football managers. There is no seven figure severance package and a new job waiting three months down the line. They often have families to support, bills to pay and have their lives to live. It's clear that for too many good people, the pressures associated with the role have often been too much.


A friend of mine, having recently completed his NPQH, has been scouring the job pages looking for a Head Teacher role that would be a big enough change from his current position as a non-teaching Deputy of a large two-form entry primary school. Problems that have presented themselves include a lack of genuine Head Teacher jobs in the local area that would provide the step-up that he needs. Jobs such as Head of School roles within local federations are of little interest, as quite often they pay less than traditional head teacher jobs – and insist that overall autonomy still rests with an executive Head teacher who may visit the school one or two days per week. On paper, that is not much of a change from his current role as a non-teaching deputy so there is little incentive to want to move on. Rates of pay as a head teacher of a small village school would see him take a pay cut from his current role - and a large increase in workload due to the lack of personnel and financial clout that usually comes within the small-school environment. Quite often these schools are at risk of being swallowed up by larger academy chains as they are becoming increasingly financially unviable given the pending collapse of many local authorities.

I have recently met with one ex-colleague who has progressed to the role of Principal within a local academy chain. Although experiences were initially positive, increased top-slicing of the school budget, coupled with a blanket ban on external CPD and a very limited resource budget led to a range of problems. Teacher recruitment has been a significant problem for her – so much so that she spent all of term 6 teaching full time in a very challenging year 6 class – as well as having to run a vibrant one form entry primary school in a socially deprived area.

Her passionate, yet inexperienced staff were at times crying to get out and visit other schools and broaden their experiences, yet were stifled by a chain that insisted on one way of doing things. As principal, she saw middle leadership opportunities for her staff diminish, as, for example, one teacher was appointed as literacy coordinator for the nine schools across the chain with the expectation that the policy, curriculum and practice across all schools in the chain was identical. At times the literacy coordinator (who was teaching full-time in Folkestone) would be expected to deliver an after school staff meeting in Dartford one week and then a similar meeting in Tenterden the next. A cynic would say that the academy chain had developed a great way of saving money, as hardly any staff across their schools would be able to demonstrate impact across a range of schools needed to earn an upper pay scale award. The work life balance of this literacy coordinator cannot have been particularly good.

Someone once said, “Leaders and managers are fundamentally different; managers, it is said, do things right, but leaders do the right things.” To be a Principal in this academy chain, you had to follow your directions from your executive as best as you could, however quite often when this wasn't the right thing for your school, there was little or no autonomy to change – at least without seeking prior authorisation from on high and having to spend a great deal of time seeking permission. You were expected to be more of a manager than a leader and implement the policies of your chain. It's hard to do the right things if you are bound by regulations and rules from a bureaucrat with no classroom experience who only visits your school once or twice a term. As a leader, your wings are well and truly clipped – and that in my opinion is a shame for the profession.

After attending a local deputies meeting presentation given by my Principal on action research strategies, I decided to complete a “Diamond 9” based around what I felt at the time were the top nine roles and responsibilities of a head teacher. I then ranked these, with the most important at the top of the diamond and the others progressing downwards. By reflecting on my choices – I have discovered that there are certain working conditions that – should I choose to move into headship – I would find very restrictive.  To be unable to have complete autonomy over how I would choose to lead learning in my school would be something that I would find very hard to tolerate - especially if I disagreed with the policies being dictated from on high.




So – What have I learnt about effective Head Teachers over the past year? I have tried to summarise my reflections and thoughts below in no particular order:

The best Head teachers are the ones who have a clear, well-articulated set of values for their school. To quote Jim Collins, “Great leaders embody a paradoxical mix of personal humility and professional will.” This is level 5 leadership!

They carefully and relentlessly recruit excellent staff- and take steps to move on those who do not fit the best interests of the school. You can’t achieve great things without great people!

They delegate exceptionally well – and trust those in their teams, giving them the freedom and autonomy to do their jobs. Trust is vital as if staff feel trusted, then they will feel comfortable and supported enough to push themselves as far as possible in all areas of their professional lives.

They are visible and accessible to all members of staff – and value the role and the professionalism of all employees – whether they be the deputy or a part time cleaner. To quote Bryant H McGill, “One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.” The best headteachers that I have known always have time to listen to their staff – regardless of how busy or pressured they may be feeling. That openness says a lot to staff and allows them to feel valued and supported.

Simplicity rules. I love the Woody Guthrie quote, Any fool can make something complicated. It takes a genius to make it simple.” I try to bare this in mind every time I work on introducing something new to our staff at Warden House. The best Headteachers that I have worked with

School-wide discipline – and consistency in approach - is essential. When you combine a culture of discipline and consistency of approach with an ethic of “entrepreneurship”, - in other words the freedom to try new things grounded in research - you are more likely to achieve great results. A school where all members of staff are actively researching ways of improving their practice is an exciting and progressive place to be.

Consistency and selective cherry-picking is an accelerator. Great schools and head teachers do not jump on all of the latest bandwagons or chase after fads. They determine what the issue is; research a range of solutions and then decide on the best course of action for the job in hand. The best heads that I have known have the courage of their convictions and an unshakable focus on the desired outcomes and then choose the best tools to enable them to reach that goal.

I love the hierarchy below by Jim Collins that ranks the skills of the different types of leader/manager in organisations of all different types and sizes. It's interesting to analyse the traits of leaders and managers that you have worked for or with and to place them at a certain level. It raises the question of how easy it would be to “up-level” a leader on the scale. Is it even possible to move a level one leader to a level five leader?


Taken from Jim Collins: Good to Great

Personally, I am now at the stage in my career where I need to make a decision about whether or not I want to pursue a career in headship. After moving from a class teacher to the role of non-teaching Assistant Principal this year, I feel more ready than ever to grasp the nettle and start to explore the NPQH and to fill in the gaps that are missing from my professional armoury. I am going to give it a go. It's been great to have the support of my current school Principal, Graham Chisnell whose wise words have given me the final push that I needed to make the choice to step forward and begin the journey. He eloquently says in his blog on the subject:

The post of headteacher affords you great honour and with this, the ability to make a genuine difference in supporting others when times are hard and celebrating when times are great.  The ride is energising, inspiring, challenging and exhausting; but it is a ride worth taking. Maybe, just maybe, Vic Goddard is right when he writes that this is indeed the best job in the world. If you are aspiring for headship, my advice is believe in yourself, take a deep breath and dive in.”

http://chizkent.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/aspiring-for-headship.html