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Anyone moved from senior leadership to mainscale?

11 replies

Yesthatsme · 04/05/2020 22:58

I had aspirations to be a Headteacher. But have become thoroughly jaded with leadership and management within the MAT I work in- currently working as a Deputy Head in a secondary school and been in teaching 15 years.
I also have a 2 year old and I want to spend more time with him.

If you have made a move from leadership to being a classroom teacher how did you find the?
There would be more opportunities to have a part time role within the classroom teacher role than at senior leadership.

I can take the significant paycut and I don’t know if I want to be in school leadership but I do enjoy working in a school.

It might be that I need to work in another school leadership team but the thought of working full time as a DH is making my head hurt!

Have you done it and what was your change?
Any probs and cons I should think about?
Any regrets? Or wishes?

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StaffAssociationRepresentative · 04/05/2020 23:04

I did that, DH to classroom teacher. Took a significant pay drop but work life balance is much better. Now I sit and giggle in briefings and INSET. I keep being asked for advice but I simply smile and wave. I have taken a TLR since but nothing major like a HoY simply to keep a couple off my back. I don’t even think I would want to be a HoD again.

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TheFallenMadonna · 04/05/2020 23:10

I did. AHT to classroom teacher at 0.8. Also moved from mainstream to AP. Just gone back up to SLT again after 4 years, and feeling ready for it. I loved it and am a much better teacher again. I was definitely jaded when I made the move. I'm in my third decade of teaching now though! I

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pfrench · 04/05/2020 23:14

Yep. DH to phase lead with TLR. Money doesn't feel different because I also went from 0.8 - full time.

I'm busier day to day than I used to be, and September/October was hard getting back into the planning teaching marking cycle, but the head space is great. I'm far less stressed, my SLT are great and I can fully swerve the buck. Next move will be back to 0.8 when I've established myself s bit more at my new school.

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Hercwasonaroll · 05/05/2020 05:19

Not me personally but seen a couple of people do it.

I think it depends on the type of person you are and what your SLT TT is like.

The one person I know who hated dropping realised they'd basically been doing v little on SLT and found a full teaching TT really hard work. I also think this is subject dependent too.

The other person had enough of the politics and bullshit and is absolutely loving it.

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PumpkinPie2016 · 05/05/2020 08:39

Not me personally and not as big a step down as you are planning but someone I work with stepped down.

He was HoD of a core subject for 4 years in a tough, inner city comprehensive. He said it was the pressure, stress and the fact that he felt like he was just fighting fires everywhere all the time.

He joined our school as a mainscale teacher. He took a TLR as a key stage leader and loves it.

There's no shame in taking a step down, leadership is hard work and the mental load is huge. I'm nowhere near as senior as you, I'm a second of a core faculty and although I enjoy the job, the pressure at times is massive. I find the mental load is hard at times and I feel like someone wants something every 5 minutes. Sometimes, I do miss just being responsible for my own classes.

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pfrench · 05/05/2020 14:51

the mental load is huge

That's the key difference for me. The difference is MASSIVE. Just be prepared for a bit of a shock with planning and marking - you forget the workload involved in terms of quantity. But it's 'fun' work once you get back into it, and you rarely have to deal with annoying staff and parents!

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pfrench · 05/05/2020 14:52

Should add - I'd also been SENDCO and family support, so was doing a lot of heavy lifting in the amateur social work department. It was exhausting and I couldn't compartmentalise school and home. When you don't have supervision or whatever, doing that stuff is hard when you're not trained properly for it.

Being able to make a phone call about that stuff now, straight to SLT, is marvellous.

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Yesthatsme · 05/05/2020 17:09

Thanks for Sharing.
@StaffAssociationRepresentative I do like the idea giggling in INSET instead of being the one planning or delivering some shite dictated to me by some knob.

I really have lost all faith in the MAT. The nepotism. The directives. The treating people like crap. The constant scrutinising. The politics and bullshit.
The sycophancy!

I just maybe need some time out or a different school or a different school and role but I can’t stay in this place anymore.

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Yesthatsme · 05/05/2020 17:10

Oh and it’s an almost 40% teaching timetable along with all other responsibilities!

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ThanksItHasPockets · 08/05/2020 23:03

If appropriate for your subject, how about a lead practitioner role?

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StaffAssociationRepresentative · 08/05/2020 23:51

As deputy I was in at 7.30am and I was lucky if I left at 7pm. Granted I only taught 10 lessons a week but with cover, call-outs, time out room and meetings I was run ragged. I also had to do duties every break and lunch plus a couple of after school duties every week.

The head, at that time was awful. She was of the belief to work people into the ground, they could then leave and get new ones in. Her only ambition was to be outstanding in OFSTED terms.

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