Headteacher Review

I am Headteacher of a large primary school in Manchester. My role is diverse with responsibility for safeguarding, health and safety, finance, pupil outcomes, HR and provision for pupils and staff. My tasks each day are varied and involve a number of different stakeholders including pupils, staff, parents/carers, families, external professionals and community agencies.

I have learnt many new leadership skills through my apprenticeship, as well as developing existing skills. This has included leading myself and others, coaching, reflective frameworks, horizon scanning, decision making, scenario planning, strategy formulation, communication, academic writing, critical thinking and reflection, diagnostic tools, critical reading and MBTI preferences.

I am enjoying the time to learn from others who are in other sectors and industries to me. I find the cohort of students I am with to be engaging, supportive and critical friends. The tutors on the course have mostly been excellent with enthusiasm for their specialist areas and facilitating debate and discussion between us.

Unfortunately, I don't feel the programme is as well organised and structured as it could be. Communication is often at short notice and unclear and there have been a number of errors with information we have been provided - for example sharing details from previous years' cohorts that are not relevant to us.

My employer has been very supportive. They have provided professional mentoring and advice. My mentor is willing to spend time talking through content and assignments with me and helping see different perspectives to tasks. They have facilitated time to attend face-to-face days for teaching content and online webinars as well.

The skills tutors and lecturers for each module have been very supportive. They respond to questions in a timely manner and are interested in what we are doing and how. They check-in about our welfare in addition to content we are learning. It has been harder to engage with tutors we have only seen online rather then in person.

I am finding that my qualification is having direct impact on my role and helping me to be better at my job. The skills reviews help me to reflect and focus on this and identify specific areas of my role that are improving and where impact has been more evidence.

There are some extra-curricular activities through work for staff but these are informal - for example a staff running group, dance class and social events where colleagues will go for food or a drink after work. Six times a year there are organised 'team building' sessions that have included a quiz, bingo and social activities.

Yes

It is a vibrant and supportive place to work. The team care about making a difference to the lives of children and wanting the best from each other and themselves. There are lots of opportunities for CPD and wider personal and professional development - such as the apprenticeship and training courses.

Take time to research the school on the website and find out what you can from publicly available information before applying. Also make sure that you visit the school to see for yourself first hand whether it is somewhere you could see yourself working and fitting in with the team well.