School leaders today are bombarded from every direction with priorities and must-dos. These can come from many sources, including colleagues, parents, governors, government, local authorities, school collaborations and Ofsted.
The result is that the head is pulled every which way and they can often find it difficult to stay focused on the real reason why they do their job – giving children the best possible chance in life.
In today’s frantic and highly pressurised world it is important that you as a headteacher focus on doing the right things right. But how do you go about tackling this challenge? Here is some advice from primary school leaders that should be helpful.
Focus on teaching and learning
“What’s important is teaching and learning and staying focused on that,” explained Kylie Spark, headteacher at Tyntesfield Primary School in Cheshire. “If you have the systems and procedures and skilled colleagues in place this will help. For example, financial management does not take up much of my time any more because there is an expert in school with responsibility for doing that.”
Fiona Lawson-Ross, headteacher at Long Marston CE Primary in North Yorkshire, added: “Assess each task against what impact it will have for your children: if it is of low importance then strike it off your to-do list. Don’t waste your time on unnecessary things.”
Meanwhile, Fiona Taylor, headteacher at Lubbins Park Primary in Essex, told Headteacher Update: “I think as a headteacher you have to play a protective role for your team, protecting them from any instability or outside pressure so that they can focus on the children. If there is a key responsibility for a headteacher it is that protective and nurturing role.”
Share the load
“You need to stay strategic but still be in touch with the operational side of things,” Ms Spark explained. “Behaviour management is the responsibility of one of my team and I don’t get involved unless it is escalated to me.”
Ms Lawson-Ross added: “Don’t get too tied up in the operational. Even in a small school there will be colleagues who can do that.
You might feel compelled to have your finger on everything but you can’t do that. In fact it can be damaging, as being over everything will actually de-skill your staff. You have to delegate and create that capacity in your staff.”
Don’t react
Ms Spark urges fellow heads to avoid taking a “knee-jerk reaction to something”. She explained: “Make it work for your school.
For example, assessment without levels is an external pressure that we can’t ignore, but we can choose to implement it in a way that works for us.
“As long as we have clear key performance indicators in place then we can handle this in our way so that it is not done to us and we take control. With the new national curriculum, we had no option but how we implement it is our choice and we do not lose control of it. We are doing it to get provision right for our children and to ensure that it is personalised for them.”
Build a team
Ms Taylor advised: “We do a pressurised job with a lot of responsibility so you need a team of people around you who you can trust and who you can have honest conversations with.
“This team will be made up of close colleagues, but it should also draw on support from fellow heads and leaders in other schools if possible. I’m a firm believer in school-to-school support, particularly for new heads.”
Collaborate
Ms Lawson-Ross says that collaboration is “absolutely essential”. She added: “We’re part of an alliance of 19 schools which includes two secondaries. This is a really valuable source of support – you’ll find heads and leaders who have faced the challenges you face and they will be rich sources of advice.”
Play to your teaching strengths
Ms Lawson-Ross continued: “If you are a teaching head make sure you are playing to your strengths. I know some headteachers who might focus on music because there is less marking but I’ve focused on English because it is my background.
“I focus on comprehension and lead reading in most classes – it’s where I feel I can add most value.”
- Colin McLean is chief executive of Best Practice Network, a national provider of training and professional development. Visit www.bestpracticenet.co.uk
Further information
Advice from Kylie Spark and other school leaders on assembling the best senior leadership team can be found in a new guide published by Best Practice Network, available as a free download at
http://teacherleadershiptraining.com/