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Executive Summary
1. Background to, and Purpose of, the Study
1.1 This study was commissioned by the Scottish Government in December 2007 to make recommendations about the recruitment and retention of Headteachers in Scotland.
2. Recruitment and Retention: An International Issue
2.1 The context for the study is growing international concern about the recruitment and retention of high quality school leaders. Research evidence emphasises both the high profile and intense nature of the leadership role and problems of identifying leadership aspirants.
3. The Research Questions and Methodology
3.1 There were four research questions:
1. What prompts teachers to seek to become Headteachers and what barriers do they face?
2. What do Headteachers think about their role? What keeps them in post and what might make them leave or change direction?
3. What arrangements, approaches and policies have been adopted by local authorities and central government for succession planning, identifying early leadership potential and training and development?
4. Why do some teachers not aspire to headships and is there anything that could change their views?
3.2 The research involved a survey of teachers (1218 responded) and of Headteachers (1137 responded). Follow up interviews were conducted with a sample of 47 Headteachers, 9 local authorities, 28 non-aspirant deputes and potential heads, and 18 aspirant teachers/deputes.
4. Recruitment of Headteachers: A National Picture
4.1 A national survey of primary Headteacher recruitment in 20 Scottish local authorities by the Association of Headteachers and Deputes of Scotland ( AHDS) for 2005-8 revealed an average of 4.9 applicants per vacancy. Of the 336 vacancies during this period, however, more than a third (117) were re-advertised one or more times.
5. Pathways to Headship
5.1 The research identified four main pathways to headship. These were: participation in the Scottish Qualification for Headship ( SQH), acting up, depute head and other alternatives. The research also identified four main factors which influenced over peoples' decisions to seek headship, these were: self-determination; a reaction to negative experience (forming a desire to do it better); receiving encouragement from others; or assuming headship by default.
5.2 There were several hurdles to headship that were commonly cited in interviews. These were: the demanding nature of qualifications such as the SQH, which could be difficult to fit around work and family commitments; a lack of assistance and support in writing headship applications and insufficient training and coaching for interviews.
6. Leading a School: Purpose and Paradox
6.1 The overwhelming research message is that, however challenging and stressful, headship is a privilege and offers a much valued opportunity to make a difference to children's learning (cited by 88 per cent of heads surveyed as satisfying or very satisfying).
6.2 Factor analysis of survey responses on leadership priorities produced two independent factors-strategic leadership and personnel leadership. The latter, which relates to working with people, was seen as most attractive to both aspirants and Headteachers.
6.3 Almost all heads surveyed (97 per cent) devoted at least three hours weekly to "other tasks" outside of their key duties. These tasks varied in nature and were undertaken because it was felt that there was no-one to whom to delegate them to and/or because heads were accountable for ensuring these are attended to.
6.4 Teachers were asked to estimate the time that heads spend on different tasks. While they broadly reflected heads' own estimates, there were several misconceptions: teachers underestimated the time heads devote to teaching and learning, and over-estimated the time heads devote to budgeting and finance. This suggests that there needs to be clearer modelling of the job so that teachers are not dissuaded from seeking headship due to role misconceptions.
6.5 The majority of heads surveyed reported working over 50 hours a week. Managing their work/life balance was a common concern and many interviewed heads reported undertaking work at home in the evenings and weekends.
6.6 The emotionally demanding nature of headship was a concern for 70 per cent of the heads surveyed. A further 72 per cent of heads said "public grading of school performance" was a concern, with potential exposure to litigation an emerging issue.
6.7 While the majority of heads expressed degrees of concern about the loneliness of the job, for others (25 per cent) this was not a concern. The distinguishing factors for this group appear to be sources of collegial support, the satisfaction that comes from productive teamwork and shared leadership as well as confidence in personal abilities.
7. The Satisfactions of Headship
7.1 Five areas of satisfaction with the headship role emerged from the analysis. These were satisfaction with: autonomy; support and benefits; efficacy; influence on learning and teaching; support from senior management team/depute.
7.2 Heads' experience of autonomy varied with 20 per cent of surveyed heads stating that they experienced "considerable autonomy", 45 per cent "some autonomy" and 33 per cent "very little autonomy". Five statistically significant variables predicted satisfaction with autonomy: degree of autonomy; level of support and benefits received; sufficiency of support received; general level of concern about their role; satisfaction with professional development opportunities and support.
7.3 Importantly, school and personal demographics, and personal qualifications appear to play no part in heads' satisfaction with autonomy, which is primarily determined by the interplay of conditions within the control of heads, local authorities, and the Scottish Government.
7.4 Headteachers surveyed were more satisfied with internal sources of support ( e.g. colleagues) than external sources ( e.g. local authorities and government). Eighty one per cent of heads were "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with the amount of support provided by parents.
7.5 Multiple accountabilities, audits and reporting to a range of bodies were seen as primary factors in diverting heads from what they saw as their priorities. These aspects of the job were used by heads to support a call for the wider use of business mangers.
7.6 Limited discretion over staffing dissatisfied 53 per cent of heads surveyed and lack of autonomy over appointments and dismissal was an issue frequently raised in interviews.
7.7 Pay and staffing aspects of the Teachers' Agreement were widely discussed by heads interviewed. The agreed teaching hours for teachers and for pupils were widely described by heads and deputes as creating an extra cover burden for already overworked senior staff. The impact of the Agreement on salary differentials was also frequently discussed with many stating that the flexibility offered by the Agreement was often felt to be outweighed by adverse effects of restructuring, job re-sizing and remuneration anomalies. Frequent references were made to disincentives created by some principal teachers earning more than deputes and some deputes earning more than heads (although these are not solely "post-McCrone" anomalies).
7.8 Sixty per cent of heads surveyed were dissatisfied with inspection accountability. Amplified in interviews the strongest complaints were in relation to unfair, or unbalanced, representations of the school and too public an exposure of weaknesses.
7.9 Confidence about one's ability to cope with the demands of the job appears to be related to age, the school and personal experience of headship. Survey data suggest that heads aged under 40 were less concerned about their ability to cope than those aged between 41-60, (although within this group, concern gradually diminished with age). Of all age groups, those least concerned about their ability to cope were heads aged between 61-65.
7.10 Interview data suggest that there are five different coping strategies that heads regularly adopt. These have been labelled as: dutiful compliance; cautious pragmatism; unruffled self-confidence; bullish self-assertion; and defiant risk-taking .
8. Local Authorities: Perspectives, Policies and Planning
8.1 For officers interviewed, the new concordat relationship with the Scottish Government offered greater scope for local authorities to devise their own policies and priorities.
8.2 Authority officers acknowledged that they had been too slow in determining information required from schools, while heads suggested that authorities should slim down demands.
8.3 Although officers viewed the Scottish Qualification for Headship ( SQH) and the Flexible Routes to Headship ( FRH) as important in preparing teachers for headship, they acknowledged that structural factors were also key to recruiting and retaining Headteachers, such as more systematic succession planning and better structured pathways to headship. Suggestions included secondments, more effective induction programmes and alternative approaches to interviewing and selection. It was recognised that sequenced opportunities for teachers to exercise responsibility are required, initially with support, while gradually assuming greater autonomy.
8.4 There was greater emphasis among some authorities on ensuring more systematic support for deputes when acting up. Emotional and strategic support for serving heads could also help to ensure that adverse role modelling does not deter prospective applicants.
8.5 Authority officers recognised the benefits of coaching, but noted that there were too few coaches of sufficient quality and that long-term sustainable funding was lacking. Lateral collegial support was viewed as less vulnerable to financial strictures and valued sources of support were heads' cluster groups.
9. Teachers' Views of the Future
9.1 Teachers' and deputes' enjoyment of their current jobs (in particular the time spent with children and the level of responsibility and accountability afforded them) often acted as a deterrent to seeking headship.
9.2 Only eight per cent of teachers surveyed saw their eventual career destination as headteacher, although 14 per cent aspired to depute head and 18 per cent to principal teacher. 72 per cent said these aspirations were "highly unlikely/unlikely" to change.
9.3 For teachers, family and teacher colleagues were their prime sources of career advice. One in three teachers (33 per cent) said headship decisions were "never" or "rarely" influenced by their current heads. This may reflect heads' reluctance to encourage teachers to follow in their footsteps; when asked if they would recommend headship to junior colleagues, only 46 per cent of surveyed heads said yes. However, interview evidence revealed that positive encouragement and the provision of systematic support and training from existing heads has an influential role in encouraging staff aspirations.
9.4 In interview, teachers commonly cited the following perceived disincentives to headship. These were: increased distance from the classroom; greater workload and poorer work-life balance; time spent on budgeting and finance, and paperwork; managing disciplinary issues and staff absences; public speaking; increased exposure to litigation; and having to interview for new staff.
9.5 Teachers were also asked in the survey how confident they felt in their ability to perform certain leadership tasks. In general they reported high levels of confidence across the listed tasks suggesting that there is potential for teachers to engage more in leadership activities. Many of the areas in which teachers felt least confident mirrored those aspects perceived by teachers as disincentives to headship. This suggests that disincentives could be reduced through providing focused training and learning opportunities for teachers to increase their confidence.
10 Issues for Consideration
10.1 Six issues arising out of the research evidence were identified for further consideration: expectations of leaders; promotion of Headteacher autonomy; support for Headteachers; impact of inspections on heads; disincentives to headship; promoting headship routes.
11. Recommendations
11.1 The report makes 34 recommendations for consideration by local authorities, heads and prospective heads, school senior management teams and national policy makers.
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