Batley Girls' High School - SSAT Batley Girls' High School Visual Arts College ‘When a team is...

Visual Arts College

Batley Girls' High School

www.batleygirls.co.uk

The Benefits of Co-HeadshipSustaining your school’s achievements and

retaining your successful strategic leaders


Batley Girls' High SchoolVisual Arts College

Co-leadership...is a tough-minded strategy that will unleash the hidden talent in any enterprise.

“Above all, co-leadership is inclusive, not exclusive.

It celebrates those who do the real work, not just a

few charismatic often isolated leaders who are regally

compensated for articulating the organisation's vision.”

“Could you leave your ego at the door and become part

of a ruling pair?”

David A. Heenan and Warren Bennis



Co-Headship, as a new and highly successful

model of headship, is emerging nationally.

Many schools have secured their long term

outstanding practice by developing their

own deputies as co-heads. It speaks to the

‘growing your own’ culture and provides a

succession strategy to recruit and retain

those who have been strategic in the

school’s journey.

NCSL cite the emergence of this

phenomenon as a response to “a recognition

that the requirements of headship are so

complex that two people are better able to

offer the appropriate skills, knowledge and

expertise to fulfil the demands of the role”.

What is it?



‘When a team is held collectively accountable for a goal, and rewarded for collective excellence, the team elicits total commitment and accountability from all individuals

Mutualaccountability and

purposeful collaboration

Distributive leadership,

building genuine sustainability

Humility, resolve and open

reflective practice

Students’ success

“When leadership is right it does not feel like a dictatorship”.



Gaining consensus with staff and securing their

commitment to the model and the underlying ethos

Creative excitement

Genuine commitment

Enthusiastic co-operation

Consenting compliance

Malicious obedience

Rebel or quit

Passive submission



The benefits of Co-Headship

Culture of true distributive leadership

Retain & promote excellent colleagues

Shared decisions are objective

Shared role = reduced stress

Can be less expensive

Wider skill set with 2 people



A brave 360



Convincing Governors and securing their support

for a flatter structure of school leadership

• Use evidence from other Outstanding schools, led by co-

heads - find examples that work

• Pre-empt their concerns and be ready for the difficult

questions

• Use evidence from research nationally and internationally

about flatter structures and sustaining excellence

• Convince governors that we could both be heads

independently



Ann Julie & Ann Julie

Transformation

Teaching and Learning

Staffing/HR

PM, Training, NQT and Induction

Finance

Y7 Link

KS2-3 link

Curriculum Link Respect

Humanities, MFL and Arts

School Direct/Teaching Alliance

Whole School Vision and Ethos

Appointments and Deployment of Staff

Liaison with Unions

SEF + SDP, Ofsted

Pastoral Care/Wellbeing Behaviour

Maintaining Relationships with

Parents/Carers

Effective Relationships with Outside

Agencies

Advising and Assisting the Governing

Body

Liaison and Co-operation with LA

Liaison with other schools and FE

Establishments

Strategic allocation and management of

resources

Security and Maintenance of premises

Arrangements for Deputy in HT’s

absence

Participation in Teaching

Achievement

Whole school Standards + Progress

Curriculum

Monitoring

Timetable

Y11 Link

KS4-5 Link

Curriculum Link Achievement

Maths & English

Community Links and

Partnerships/SSAT Leading Edge

School



So if you want to go

for it….here are

some practical tips



• Have absolute clarity about which distinctively different

aspects of school each leads on

• Avoid ‘toe treading’

• Stand together at high profile events

• Manage your disagreements privately

• First loyalties are to each other

• Give each other ‘take up time’

• All co-headships are different; it has to be the right people

for the right reasons.

Some guiding principles



A little like ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’

First permanent exclusion in 10 years and the right decision

Influx of challenging ‘in year’ students, many cross-border

Increased PAN in year 7 and post 16 and oversubscribed

Ensuring staff move on in complex circumstances

Investors in People visit to sustain Gold

Ofsted KS3 survey

An Ofsted inspection via School Direct (same week!)

Best 8 and EBAC challenges continue

Discovering we are yet again top of LA for VA and top in 55 similar schools

Strategic work on Prevent in LA and for good reason

Securing sponsorship status

Applying to lead a Multi Academy Trust

Developing work on life without levels

Other things we could not possibly disclose!



Research Documents and Support Materials– The Guardian: Co-headship: Why we think two heads

are better than onehttp://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/dec/01/co-headship-schools-shared-leadership

NCSL research into new models of headship– NCSL: Keep your head: Governor perspectives on co-

headship as part of succession planning (pdf)http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/8207/1/keep-your-head-full-report.pdf

– NCSL: Glatter, R & Harvey, J A :Varieties of Shared Headship: A preliminary exploration (pdf)http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/6981/1/download%3Fid%3D17456%26filename%3Dvarieties-of-shared-headship-preliminary-exploration-full-report.pdf

– PWC & DfES: Independent Study into School Leadership (pdf)http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130401151715/http://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/RB818.pdf

– NAHT (National Association of Head Teachers), 2005, Guidance on Job-share and Flexible Working (www.naht.org.uk)



Head teachers standards 2015:– DFE: National standards of excellence for headteachers (pdf)

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/396247/National_Standards_of_Excellenc

e_for_Headteachers.pdf

Twenty Questions for school Governors:– National Governors’ Association: Twenty Questions for school Governors

http://www.nga.org.uk/Guidance/Workings-Of-The-Governing-Body/Governance-Tools/Twenty-Questions.aspx

Frame work for school Governors:– National Governors’ Association: Frame work for school governance

(pdf)http://www.nga.org.uk/getattachment/1af9e9b3-e599-409a-8b19-e067c671b0ce/FINAL-Framework-for-Governance.pdf

A guide to appointing a new Headteacher:– Gov.uk: A guide to recruiting and selecting a new headteacher (pdf)

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/342626/a-guide-to-recruiting-and-

selecting-a-new-headteacher.pdf

Batley Girls' High School - SSAT Batley Girls' High School Visual Arts College ‘When a team is...

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