We are delighted to offer a new programme for serving and experienced headteachers, SSAT’s Rethinking Headship. In preparation for this programme, we have summarised and synthesised recent research focused on headteacher retention. Our aim, in this phase of our work is to stimulate discussion about how individual headteachers rethink their approach to headship. At the same time, we want to draw on your insights gained through the wisdom of your experience to provoke a rethinking of headship at a systemic level.
Bittersweet symphony
Headship is, or at least should be, the sweetest of symphonies. Working with, and sometimes unlocking, the amazing talents of both children and adults in a vibrant and endlessly fascinating workplace and doing a job that is full or moral purpose. What’s not to like about that?
But, as any headteacher will tell you, the job isn’t quite as simple as that. The humans we work with are, well, all too human (ourselves fully included). The vibrancy of the school or college setting can be cacophonous at times. And the morality of our work doesn’t always lend itself to quick fixes and easy solutions. I suspect that the greatest joy of the role is in addressing these complications with verve (see what I did there), even if they are difficult at the time.
In short, our work in leading school communities is incredibly complex and, consequently, neverendingly paradoxical: the bitter and the sweet are always present at the same time. We know this and we sign up to it when we choose the role of composer and conductor. Although we sometimes wish things were neat and tidy, we know that orchestrating schools isn’t simple.
The times, they are a-changing
Dylan (Bob, not Wiliam) wasn’t wrong. The waters around schools have risen, leaving our staff – not least of all, headteachers – drenched to the bone, swimming hard to avoid sinking like a stone. More school leaders, according to Greany et al in ‘Leading after lockdown’, recognise that they are ‘sinking’ than claim they are ‘thriving’, with up to 40% considering leaving before retirement. A greater number say they are ‘surviving’, which doesn’t inspire huge confidence.
Our overview of recent research into headteacher retention paints a bleak picture of the future for our profession. Not only are retention rates declining, particularly for those with significant experience, but new headteacher recruitment is at risk. Senior leaders and other staff are increasingly reluctant to subject themselves and their families to the rigours of the role. Too much bitter and too little sweet, they chorus.
The reasons, according to research findings, are manifold. The role has become more (too) complex in recent times, full of disharmony and discordance. National policy, especially around accountability, is calling the tunes more often than the authentic local accountability that headteachers wish to serve. The patchwork nature of governance within our school and college system can lead to too much or too little autonomy for those taking up the role.
You can’t always get what you want
These are long-term challenges that have been accelerated in recent times. The nature of such challenges means that support for our beleaguered profession is vital, but this too is lacking if the evidence base is to be believed. Preparation and induction programmes do not effectively prepare and induct. National, local, and school support is missing, ad hoc, or limited in nature. Professional learning for experienced headteachers does not attend to the demands of the role.
But if you try, as the lyrics go, sometimes you just might find you get what you need. The research also indicates that governors can have a positive impact on retention when they focus equally on support as they do on accountability, attending to headteacher working conditions. Peer and specialist support, through coaching, mentoring and supervision can also make a big difference. Equally important to headteacher retention is role-focused professional learning, which is where SSAT’s Rethinking Headship programme, launching for 2024-25 comes in.
The long and winding road
At SSAT, we fully concur with the most important of the research findings that headteachers are important for school staff, pupils, families, and their community. They are the second most influential factor on pupil achievement, provide instructional leadership for the institution and headteacher retention is intimately linked to teacher retention.
Considering other insights from the evidence base, it is important to note too that the wellbeing of the headteacher has a profound impact on school and college culture: to mix my musical metaphors, they can literally take a sad song and make it better (or vice versa). Perhaps the most important research finding, for me, is that headteacher longevity in the role – and especially in role at the same place – further improves good school outcomes and turnover.
But ensuring that headteachers stay the course to get to this position is, by all metrics, the thing that all of us interested in education should be most worried about. Serving headteachers might well resonate with Lennon and McCartney’s refrain, “Many times I’ve been alone and many times I’ve cried. Anyway, you’ll never know the many ways I’ve tried.” Such feelings are bearable up to a point. The evidence suggests that we have reached and breached that point.
Where is the love?
Wil.I.am (not Wiliam) had it right when he said “let your soul just gravitate to the love” because it doesn’t take much digging into the literature to discover that headship, and particularly lengthy headship, is an act of love. Making a difference remains the key driver for those taking up the role so they can play a part in addressing social inequities.
Returning to the bittersweet nature of headship, postholders see relationship-building, the development of others and meeting their needs as their key responsibilities. But this creates a tension between what they want to do and what the role allows them to do. Headteachers feel the weight of responsibility for others as a burden and, because of their attachment to their community and the limitations to their agency, they struggle to switch off from work.
SSAT’s Rethinking Headship work has tested the research findings outlined in this post and less playfully organised in our summary and synthesis document. To achieve this, we conducted a survey which captured the experience and expertise of 236 headteachers, both current and former, hearing about what they love/loved about the role and what barriers there are/were for them in loving it as they would wish. With almost 2000 years of headship experience between them, their insights are both profound and important. These include:
- 47% of headteachers in their second five years of headship do not want to remain in post beyond three years.
- 34% felt that preparation for headship was limited, with 86% who mentioned their NPQH saying it was insufficient.
- 40% said that they had little or no support for dealing with the challenges of the role of headteacher.
- 48% viewed expectations of headteachers as being incessant and unreasonable.
The full findings of this survey, and a series of recommendations stemming from these, can be read in our ‘Labouring to Love Headship’ report which was launched in July 2024.
SSAT is committed to both acting upon the recommendations outlined in the report and lobbying others to play their part in doing so. If you wish to be kept update with our forthcoming enhanced professional learning offer for headteachers or our wider work influencing others, simply sign up through our ‘expression of interest’ form.
The man in the mirror
This blog was written by Keven Bartle, a Senior Education Lead with SSAT and headteacher for nine years. In that time, Keven had to rethink his approach to headship on two occasions. The first was in light of a challenging inspection judgment (no message could have been any clearer) and the second, soon afterwards, was in response to the pandemic. Now recently post-headship, Keven has developed SSAT’s Rethinking Leadership work to support and sustain headteachers who want to “make that change”.
