to be a headteacher right now - is there money enough in the world?

[whatcolourisyourwednesday]

I was just thinking how much I'd want to be paid to be a headteacher this week.

Flirted with the idea of a cool million a year. But have concluded there isn't enough money in the world.

Just think:

• all your vulnerable children more vulnerable
• all your chaotic families more chaotic
• all the most opinionated parents more opinionated than usual
• risk of long term harm if you choose any option. No option that is clearly lower risk.
• and entering a massive recession that will make your previous funding decisions seem trivial.

Nope. would rather sweep the streets.

Hugely disagree. Head teachersare on a lot of money anyway and their job is no more stressful than many. No one is ever arguing for the military to have payrises when they are risking themselves no just for covid but dealing with things like the ebola outbreak and malaria trying to help communities affected whilst risking their own health with abysmally low pay. Yet people always want to argue about how well paid careers should get more money. Wild.

@seeyoubugaboo ah that sounds incredibly difficult. I’ve heard of some very creative practice coming out of it though. It’s amazing how these things can force some creativity.

I’m doing family work in a prison now.

Head teachersare on a lot of money anyway

The salary range is massive. Some earn less as a head than they did as a deputy or even a teacher. I took a 50% pay cut when I became a teacher and as a Head earned less than I had 14 years before in another industry.

We all think ours is a hero

I really respect teachers and head teachers and the wonderful job they do, but to say the HT "personally knows and cares" about all 1000 students and their families is a bit much isn't it.

She sounds incredible (genuinely, not being sarcastic) penguins but that's far from the norm. That's not a criticism, as it's not really needed anyway imo. We can respect the HT role without exaggerating it.

The HT knew every child at my DS’s Primary School, granted it only had 200 pupils rather than 1,000. Might be different for much larger Primaries or Secondary schools. Also if schools have Heads of Schools with an Exec Head overseeing a number of schools then it would be the Heads of Schools who would be the ones familiar with all the pupils.