(In)Visible Leadership: The Headteacher's Conundrum

One of the first things that people comment on – positively or negatively – is the visibility of the SLT in their school. And I really do get this. I have spent all but 2 years of my career is schools that could be labelled ‘challenging’: a ‘rough and tumble’ comprehensive school in Croydon and now a SEND school for pupils with autism which has its fair share of tricky moments! Therefore, from the perspective of a teacher I do appreciate the value of a visible SLT: popping into lessons, answering walkie-talkie calls, doing duties.

Plus, SLT don’t teach as much - so it’s only fair right?

I’m thoroughly bought into this narrative. And therefore any criticism – explicit or implicit – that I’m not a visible enough headteacher stings. A lot.

I suspect that part of the sting comes from a bit of ego: we all say we care more about being respected than liked, but...

Visibility is an aspect of school leadership that I’m currently struggling with. It is worsened by having a split site: 95 pupils from KS2-KS4 at our main site and a further 22 pupils at KS5 at our Sixth Form which is a 20 minute drive away. I feel perpetually guilty about not being ‘present’ enough at either site.

The struggle is compounded by the fact that my previous role - DHT in charge of learning, teaching and assessment – was the best of both worlds, highly strategic AND visible: lots of lesson snapshots; planning and delivering at least fortnightly training-meetings for teaching; collating and sending a weekly L&T bulletin; mentoring trainee teachings to their QTS and so on. As someone who does crave approval, this role was ideal as all the work I was doing was so obvious and immediately fulfilling/energising.

Therefore, something I find difficult about headship is that the role is like an iceberg. So much of it is below the surface.

I am fiercely motivated to create a positive school environment for pupils and staff. What I’ve realised is that this is actually enacted in a thousand unglamorous, invisible ways that aren't obvious to your staff and don’t service your ego!

What is a ‘positive school environment’ more specifically:

A legally compliant, fiscally sustainable, stably staffed, positive environment in which all staff and pupils learn and grow.

I want to unpick some of the ‘invisible’ work that underpins this environment.

Legally compliant -

I don’t even know how many policies my school/MAT has. A hundred? What I do know is that there are 38 published on our website that you get into REALLY big trouble for not having up there. For most staff up to SLT level, they will go about their day, week, half-term blissfully unaware of policies – the word won’t even enter their consciousness. And yet they are a very significant part of my role. When I was a new AHT in my old school, and I was rolling my eyes somewhat at the work it took to review policies (again) the head at the time said: “Little things matter when big things go wrong.”

As well as policies, governance is a fundamental driver of compliance. You can’t just ‘not do it.’ I’ve got a very knowledgeable and eminently sensible Chair of Governors, and we’ve got a fairly light touch governance calendar of termly meetings of the full local governing body (LGB) and termly meetings of a sub committee called the Quality Committee. And yet, it is still SO MUCH WORK. The most recent bundle of papers (that must be circulated) in advance is 105 pages. The meetings themselves are 2-3 hours and unsurprisingly, the head needs to know their stuff for them.

Fiscally sustainable -

To get through multi-layered approval, our MAT requires us to start drafting the next academic year’s budget at the end of the preceding January. This requires hours of future forecasting and (educated) guess work:

• How many pupils will we have in each year group?

• What is the subsequent class model and staffing?

• What is our curriculum model and do we have enough teacher hours to staff it?

This, of course, gets thrown up in the air again as things change a lot between January and July, not least the resignation date at the end of May. So there is much more work in June to finalise it.

Once the budget is set, there are monthly meetings to review income and expenditure - although my extremely capable SBM Leigh-Anne handles the majority of these.

At the end of term 1 and term 2, there is forecasting which is an opportunity for midyear review and reallocation of funds to address issues that have emerged throughout the year.

Any big ‘asks’ or ‘changes’ at any point in the year need to be accompanied by a paper that goes to the MAT finance committee. These papers need to be a thorough: modelling, explaining and justifying. Often what you’re arguing for is new roles, TLRs and capacity which will benefit both individuals by giving them an opportunity for career development and enhance the quality of your provision.

Obviously, there is no option not to engage with this invisible financial work. And in fact, there is every reason to do the very best job possible: make the most educated guesses, think creatively and laterally in order to try and force your finances to serve your school community and its development priorities as well as possible.

Stably staffed -

Recruitment. Phwoar this is such an iceberg area: completing Safer Recruitment training; tightening job description; making promotional materials; generating as much interest as possible on social media; shortlisting; detecting any inconsistencies or areas that need additional scrutiny; designing interview tasks; reviewing interview questions; being on the panel itself.

None of the above is visible, and yet it is all essential in order to try and get the very best people on your team, in front of your children, so that the school can thrive.

HR: intrinsically linked to stable staffing but by its confidential nature, invisible also.

What kind of HR work occupies heads? Signing off (or gently pushing back) on green form requests for absence; responding to flexible working requests; conducting meetings when absence thresholds are breached; liaising with occupational health. All of the above of the above requires the most nuanced of approaches, the careful calibration of concern and compassion for the individual whilst maintaining the best interests and smooth running of the organisation. Preparing for, holding and then administrating (minutes, letters etc) these meetings takes up a lot of time.

Staff learn and grow -

The most invisible part of this is probably line leadership of the rest of the senior team. I'm endeavour to ensure that no matter their competence and confidence (which is huge) they get the adequate time and attention. They are, after all, the ones ‘holding’ school development priorities in their hands – they're the first lead across many of the targets.

External -

Heads are also expected to be a representative of their school in external environments: LA briefings, cross MAT working and other networking events. These commitments can often be the most frustratingly invisible as they take you out of your school all together! The rewards from them are often slow burn and intangible but nevertheless they do have a crucial role in achieving that school which is a ‘legally compliant, fiscally sustainable, stably staffed, positive environment in which all staff and pupils learn and grow.’

How? A few quick examples:

• It is through networking that you might be able to secure your trainee teachers second school placements

• You ‘muck in’ with your MAT’s bids/interviews etc for new school opportunities because you’re driven by a moral purpose to provide more great schools and also because you believe it will provide great opportunities for staff.

• You thrash out partnership agreements with other organisations because through that you secure car parking spaces for your staff, litter picking to improve the external environment of your school and integration opportunities for your pupils.

• You build relationships with your LA with the aim that they better understand your provision and the pupils that are your cohort.

Of course, 2020 has served up even more work for school leaders. I’m not going to bother articulating the covid related tasks – visible or invisible – as it bores and overwhelms me in equal measure. However, its addition to the ‘iceberg’ has meant that I’m struggling more than ever with the balance of being a visible headteacher.

Factually speaking, what are my opportunities to be visible in a week?

• 5 morning gate duties - I manage about 3.

• 2 assemblies – I always attend 1.

• 5 breaktimes - I don’t manage any.

• 5 lunchtimes - I manage about 2 or 3.

• 5 afternoon gate duties – I manage about 3

• 30 lessons – I teach 3 and currently visit a couple extra a week (we’re not officially doing any snapshots because of trying to maintain some bubble integrity)

• Behaviour calls – I answer and deal with 2-4 a week. Unlike mainstream, this can be a time commitment of anything from 10 mins to an hour!

This doesn’t seem like ‘enough.’

But if my working week is already between 55-60 hours, then doing more isn’t a viable option. So in which case to be more ‘visible’ I would need to do less of the invisible parts of the role. And this brings me to the main question I’ve found myself pondering in the last fortnight:

• At what point is being visible not actually a good use of your time or expertise?

• At what point is being visible actually at a cost to the overall health and stability of the school?

I once received some sage advice that ‘you should do what only you can do.’ So, spend your time and energies mostly on the things that are unique to your role and can’t be done by any of the other support team, teachers or TAs in your organisation. The things that senior leaders do in order to be visible often can be done by others. Setting the budget or that sensitive HR meeting: not so much.

So, I’m trying to quieten (not silence) that inner critic that is whispering to me:

• “It’s not enough”

• “The staff want to see more of you”

• “You need to be out and about”

• “Answer that walkie talkie call”

And reply to it:

• “What you’re doing is enough.”

• “You’re working on things that only you can do.”

• “ALL these jobs are an investment in that positive working environment in which all pupils and staff can thrive....”

Headship is, at essence, an invisible labour of love.