Securing the Next Generation of School Leaders

As local authorities across the country face an increase in the number of headteacher vacancies, the need to take action to secure the supply of headteachers both now and into the future has become a national priority.

We have better headteachers than ever before in this country but they are in increasingly short supply. Almost one-third of primary and secondary headships are re-advertised because no suitable candidate comes forward. Nearly a quarter of heads are aged over 55, and as they retire over the next 5 years, the profession will be deprived of a great swathe of experienced leaders. At the same time, too few new candidates are putting themselves forward for the role.

Some are discouraged by what they see as the overwhelming demands of modern headship, but that is not the only deterrent. It takes a long time to become a headteacher and that can discourage the young and ambitious. On top of this, schools have traditionally waited for talent to emerge of its own accord, rather that seeking out leaders. It’s another brake on the system and is a barrier that hinders more teachers setting their sights on the top jobs.

As a result of the above, local authorities have been charged with developing short and longer term strategies for succession planning, fostering greater interest in leadership and creating a sense of possibility, giving more opportunities to potential heads to lead at earlier stages of their careers. Working in partnership with the National College for School Leadership (NCSL) and our own Headteacher Support Group, Maggie Langdale - Senior School Improvement Adviser (CPD) - is leading the development of Shropshire’s succession planning strategy (which can be accessed via the link in the publications section of this page).

The strategy has three key elements - recruitment, retention and research:

• Recruitment is linked to the early identification of future potential leaders and the provision of opportunities, in the main linked to the recently established Leadership Journey and Trading Places for accelerated leadership development.
• Retention has a number of strands including improved induction and on going support for new leaders together with enhancing the support currently available to existing headteacher colleagues.
• Research activity includes both the analysis of data relating to headteacher appointments and face to face meetings with colleagues in schools, exploring both the attractions and barriers to headship.

The National College for School Leadership (NCSL) has developed a website called Tomorrow’s Leaders Today which seeks to find, develop and keep great headteachers. A link to the website is included in the useful websites section of this page. The website includes a very useful resource centre, help for aspiring headteachers and access to an online community.

If you have any queries on Shropshire’s succession planning strategy or want to discuss your own situation, then please contact Maggie Langdale via email at maggie.langdale@shropshire.gov.uk or on (01743) 254514.