The Brutal Reality of Headteacher Stress: How to Keep Your Sanity Intact!

A study by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) found that Headteachers in challenging schools were more likely to report high levels of stress and were less likely to intend to stay in their position long-term.

As a Headteacher, you are tasked with a high-stress, high-stakes role, often taking on schools that require improvement or need to maintain high achievements. The pressure to raise standards quickly is undoubtedly present. However, given the lack of strict controls in this area, blindly delegating responsibilities is not an option. In order to support you in gaining control, I have put together ten personal recommendations for you to focus on. However, for the purpose of this conversation, I will narrow my focus and specifically emphasize the aspects of curriculum, teaching, and learning.

Recommendation 1:  Always keep the main thing the main thing; maintain your role as the leader of learning. 

As my NPQH coach once said,

"don't do what I did and get fixated on buildings and fixtures at the expense of your true role as a leader of learning”.

This is the best advice I've received in my professional life, and it's supported by a report from the School Improvement Commission in 2020, which recommends that

‘Headteachers need the confidence to reassert their role as leaders of learning...and, critically, have the courage of their conviction when confronted with pressures for quick wins or faced with shifting goalposts.’

Furthermore, it is crucial to provide support to teachers in fulfilling their roles as facilitators of learning.  In order to achieve this objective, the first step should be to tackle two key areas: attendance and behavior. Attendance is crucial, as without students attending classes, learning cannot take place. I have witnessed Headteachers facing challenges in improving educational standards due to the significant impact of poor attendance, which can be considered a critical point of failure. We must address disruptive behavior head-on, as it can be a major distraction and create an unsafe and unpleasant school environment. Implementing a clear policy around behavior and rewards, and ensuring that students respect the authority of adults, can help teachers stay focused on delivering a challenging curriculum. A practical first step is to ban mobile phones in classrooms, as many incidents of antisocial behavior stem from their use.

Recommendation 2. Your subject leaders are indispensable. It's essential to recognise, support, and value them for their contributions.

In my experience, the most effective senior leaders are those who have excelled as subject or middle leaders. They serve as gatekeepers of standards in their respective departments and have specialized knowledge that allows them to effectively coach, support, challenge, and intervene in areas that may be difficult for non-specialists. Additionally, they are essential to the future of your organisation as potential leaders. To retain these valuable employees, it's essential to have a deliberate succession plan in place. Otherwise, you risk losing them to other opportunities.

Recommendation 3: To suit your specific context, take charge of designing a challenging curriculum and its corresponding resources, and make certain that all teachers are actively participating in it. In the event that a teacher is not engaging with the curriculum, provide them with both support and challenge.

The work around the curriculum is never-ending, and rightfully so. As the gatekeeper of what students learn, it's the Headteacher's responsibility to prioritize the curriculum. Education is never a side issue. In some of the best schools in the country, a "one-size-fits-all" approach to the curriculum is not used. Instead, the curriculum is personalised to fit the local context. You'll often see regular collaborative work around curriculum conversations and adaptations. As leading curriculum researcher Dr. David Steiner of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore puts it:

“What we teach isn’t some sidebar issue in education: it is education”. 

Many colleagues from other schools inquire about the secret to Forest Gate Community School's (FGCS) ongoing success. The answer is straightforward: we don't compromise on our curriculum approach. Leadership oversight ensures that we are aware of what the students are learning, how well they are learning, and our teachers provide real-time feedback to support their learning. As a result of this approach, FGCS has consistently ranked in the top 50 schools for its achievements year after year.

Recommendation 4: Ensure that school curriculum, teaching, and assessment processes are explicitly aligned. 

The importance of aligning the school curriculum, teaching, and assessment processes is highlighted in a recent report by "Evidence-Based Education." Often, leaders dedicate extensive time to curriculum sequencing and developing corresponding resources, only for teachers in the classroom to quickly forget them. Reasons cited for this can range from the curriculum being too difficult for students to having significant learning gaps. This raises the question of who bears the responsibility for ensuring the quality of learning in classrooms - the teachers, the school leadership, or ultimately the Headteacher? Alternatively, do we leave it to chance, relying solely on the discretion of teachers?

We consider this matter to be of utmost importance, which is why I have incorporated it into our weekly standardised line management agenda with headteachers. Our equation is straightforward: if we have created a quality curriculum, teachers should be delivering it, students should be actively engaging with it, and our assessments should provide us with an understanding of how well students are learning from it.

Recommendation 5: Recognise that highly effective teachers are essential in achieving academic success.

Recognizing the influence of high-performing teachers is crucial, as they have the ability to create miracles in the classroom. Even in the most dysfunctional schools, these teachers can make a significant impact on student behavior, engagement, and learning. It is not uncommon to come across classrooms that seem to function exceptionally well despite the chaos in other areas of the school. Have you ever wondered how these exceptional teachers are able to create such an environment, despite the odds?

Recommendation 6: Assign highly effective teachers to classes based on their strengths.

Research shows that teacher quality has a significant impact on student outcomes. For instance, having a high-quality teacher for just one year can significantly impact a student's future earnings, college attendance, and other life outcomes. Teacher quality is also a key factor in explaining the achievement gap between low-income and high-income students. Additionally, teacher quality is more important than class size in determining student achievement, and high-performing teachers have a significant positive impact on student's test scores and long-term educational attainment.

I recently observed Cumberland Community School's Headteacher, Ekhlasur Rahman, and his AHT in charge of English, Saher Butt, meticulously planning the school's timetable for the upcoming year during a meeting. They carefully assigned teachers to specific classes, considering each teacher's strengths. Ekhlas emphasized the importance of deploying highly effective teachers to teach year sevens and eights to avoid any potential issues later on. While his capable AHT could have handled this responsibility, Ekhlas believed that his involvement in quality assurance was crucial as the Headteacher. This meticulous approach has become a hallmark of his leadership, and he ensures that this leverage is maximized to yield positive results. Calculating marginal gains is paramount to ongoing success for a successful Head.

Cumberland Community School's thoughtful planning has paid off with a remarkable improvement in its Progress 8 score. From a score of -0.46 in 2019, the school achieved a score of +0.6 in 2022. Ekhlas, the current Headteacher, previously served as the Curriculum DHT at Cumberland Community School under Omar Derias' leadership until 2022. Before joining Cumberland, Ekhlas also served in the same capacity at FGCS.

Recommendation 7: Hire for attitude. Expect impact. Support and challenge underperformance... 

The key findings of the research article titled "Do teachers' years of experience make a difference in the quality of teaching?" suggests a weak positive correlation between years of experience and teaching quality. However, the research also indicates that with the right support, teaching skills, and quality can be developed. I've found that staff members with a positive attitude are more open to learning quickly and make accelerated progress. 

When it comes to leading a school, building the right team is essential. Look for individuals who exhibit a positive attitude, strong work ethics, commitment, professionalism, and a sense of moral purpose. During interviews, I always request candidates to provide evidence of their impact, particularly in class performance. This applies to SLT appointments as well. In my view, the SLT should continue to make a difference in the classroom, and their SLT duties should not compromise their teaching responsibilities. This aligns with my initial recommendation of maintaining our role as the leader of learning.

Recommendation 8: One cannot always recruit the best teachers, therefore it is essential to invest in the development of existing ones.

The current state of teacher recruitment is possibly the worst ever, making it difficult to attract the best candidates, particularly in subjects like Physics, languages, DT, and Music. However, it is not always feasible to retain the best teachers, as they may want to explore other job opportunities and school settings. At Forest Gate Community School, we have managed to develop our workforce successfully despite losing some of our quality senior and middle leaders, and mainscale teachers to schools within our trust as we expanded since 2017. Nonetheless, the school has maintained its outstanding results year on year. This is largely thanks to our Executive Headteacher, Thahmina Begum, and her team who oversees the professional development program across our trust, which is backed by our Explicit Direct Instruction playbook, weekly deliberate practice, and daily live coaching to support teachers in getting better faster.

Recommendation 9: Be out and about and most importantly, visit classrooms.

To avoid being misled about the effectiveness of teaching and learning in your school, it's important to not get too caught up in administrative tasks in your office. Regularly visiting classrooms allows you to see firsthand how well students are learning. This can be a great motivational boost for students and teachers, as they see your keen interest in their engagement. Don't underestimate the power of recognizing success and giving praise when you see it.

Recommendation 10: Visit other brilliant schools and steal great ideas from them.

At our school, we strongly believe in seeking inspiration from other schools across the country. As the leader of our school, I encourage our Headteachers to visit great schools and learn from them. Recently, we had the opportunity to visit Trinity Academy Leeds, and it was an eye-opening experience.

During our visit, we were introduced to a concept called ‘culture 20’, which involves capturing the school culture that everyone must embrace as non-negotiables. We were so impressed with this idea that we have decided to explore it further at our upcoming conference. Trinity Leeds Academy is a hub of great initiatives and accomplishments that are too numerous to cover here. Nonetheless, a notable lesson we can draw from their success is the critical role of a competent Headteacher in raising educational standards. Kat Cafferky is a prime example, as her leadership style has been instrumental in driving progress at the school.

In order to extend professional courtesy, we maintain an open-door policy for colleagues from other schools who may wish to visit us. Our School Leaders Open mornings are held on a regular basis and we invite you to join us and witness our approach. We believe that there is always room for growth and learning, and who knows, we may even gain valuable insights from your experiences!

Finally, ensure that you maintain balance.

The reality is that the role of a Headteacher is a crucial one that comes with intense pressure from various stakeholders, including Ofsted. This was also highlighted in the recent research report by the DfE on the 'Working lives of teachers and leaders – wave 1, April 2023', which revealed that a quarter of teachers and leaders are considering leaving the state school sector due to high workload, government initiatives or policy changes, and other pressures relating to pupil outcomes or inspection.

It's vital for school leaders, particularly Headteachers, to prioritize their own well-being as the demands of the job can be overwhelming. Research indicates that Headteachers work an average of 58.8 hours per week (61.1 for secondary heads). Despite the workload, it's crucial to make time for self-care and maintain a healthy balance. One way to achieve this is by being highly organized, and tools like G-Task can be helpful. Losing control due to work demands can lead to frustration and stress, so taking steps to stay organized is key.

And finally, regular exercise, such as going to the gym, running, or swimming, can be a great way to manage stress and maintain physical and mental health. By taking care of yourself, you'll be better equipped to handle the challenges that come with leading a school and making a difference in students' lives. Ultimately, there's no greater satisfaction than witnessing success and knowing that you've made a positive impact on your students' futures. So, remember to take care of yourself and prioritize your well-being, because being a school leader is possibly the greatest job in the world.

And, oh, have I mentioned that getting seven to eight hours of sleep is essential?

Good luck!