School appointing a new head without process

[NewBlueShoes2]

How normal is it for an independent school to appoint a new Head/Principal without any process at all? No advert, interview, shortlist... just an internal appointment and no other candidate considered at all. It was just announced as a done deal at the end of the holidays. It's not "acting head" while they do the process, it's a permanent thing.

It's a bit odd isn't it?

If there's an inspection, is it something the inspectors are likely to pick up on?

Is it even allowed under the guidelines of the professional bodies such as ISA, etc?

Would you be worried and start looking around for a new school? The lack of transparency bothers me a lot.

There is no legal requirement for any private sector company including schools to advertise vacancies and they are able to appoint who they like whether internally or externally.

This happened at dd's school although it was done on a temporary basis initially, but was made permanent in less than a year.

If there is an obvious internal candidate for the role there is no point wasting money advertsing the role and then wasting everyone's time (interviewers and interviewees) interviewing candidates who have no chance of getting the role.

What size school is it? It would ring alarm bells to me. Appointment of a new Head usually follows procedure. Does the new one seem good?

Thanks.

I have been looking it up, and yes, it seems an independent school can just do this, albeit quite unusual.

I don't know how I feel about the new one yet. They already worked at the school, and comes across as arrogant anyway. It would have been better to have a process for transparency, especially for such a key position.

I think I am biased against this particular type of "strong" arrogant head though. Others may like it?

I guess I'll see how it goes, and see what the DC say, but it's one of a few warning signs about the school so I am on alert.

The school could not have known it had the best candidate if it didn’t try and find the best candidate. The teacher they know was never tested against other applicants who could have been supberb. They will never know. It’s cost cutting and not good practice.

No inspection will care and it’s not illegal but it is very lazy. You cannot possibly know other candidates wouldn’t get the job and be much better.

I’m in a grammar county. Frequently the Deputy Heads don’t get the Head jobs at their own schools. They might at another school, but rarely at their own school. Experience of other school leadership teams and mentoring by good heads is seen as key. That skill then gets used atbthe school where they become Head. Just passing on the baton is not good enough but no one will care. Until it goes wrong of course!

Some of this comes down to the different statuses of private schools. Some are charities and have to answer to trustees about finding the best candidate.
Some are companies often by a single inidividual or a group and they may have a direction that they wish to push the school in and therefore may already have an individual within the organisation that they wish to promote to take this role.

It's definitely a charity, with a board of governors.

I know a proprietor owned school would be different.

I do agree with the previous poster, how could they possibly know who was the best candidate if due process was not followed?

It's also not a school in my opinion that suits a first time head.

But wait and see is my only option right now!

Where my DDs went to school, the Head had been the Deputy. They did test the water though. She went on to be High Mistress of a top girls school. There can be amazing Heads in waiting but they should be tested against other applicants. The Head after her, and the current Head, were not Heads elsewhere first. One was only Head of 6th form and struggled. Latest appointment is much better so I hear. Neither were currently working in boarding schools when appointed and parents didn’t like that either.

One of my DDs went to a different school for 6th form and they had encountered Head turbulence. The final internal appointment wasn’t great and they removed her about 2 years ago! My DDs prep school also removed the Head. That started a stand off between her and the governors because she wouldn’t leave the Heads house. Legal agreements about the termination etc.

My other comment would be that getting an existing Head is likely to be more expensive. It sounds like it’s cost cutting all round but unless you are a very high powered top school, expecting a current Head to be appointed is not necessarily where you are in the pecking order.

At one of my old schools the head is the daughter of the last head and the grand daughter of the one before.
The net head will be her daughter.
Its a school that regularly appears on the "ultra desirable" lists

I am making quiet moves to withdraw my children from the school, and I am not the only one. The latest thing was an email from the chair of governors claiming that parents who weren't paying the fees on time were causing a major issue.

The parent gossip is suppliers aren't being paid.

For this even to be a thing, the school must be on its arse financially.

So I am on the look out for a more transparent independent school that has a properly appointed head and that isn't in financial shit.
I am suspicious the school couldn't even afford the money to do a proper appointment process.

If parents haven't paid the fees on time the school could be short a substantial sum of money. That could easily lead to suppliers not being paid, although you have no proof of that. As the school is a charity, rather than rely on rumour you could take a look at their accounts on the Charity Commission's website.

If they have filed on time of course!

Where schools appoint their owners as heads, that’s up to them. However it’s still poor practice. What happens if they are not up to the job? Even Hill House has had to go outside for help and advice.

If they are writing to all parents about payment of fees, and not just to those that owe the fees, I would suggest they are in trouble. Most schools don’t contact the good payers about the debts of other parents because, as you have found, it promotes disquiet amongst the parent body. You cannot make the other parents pay, and you don’t know who they are, so what is the point of rocking the ship even more?

In your position I would try and find another school. If it’s a charity, look at the submitted accounts if they are there!

@BubblesBuddy how did you guess? 😆 Late in filing!! Late notices all over every account.

I had a good root around other prospective schools (accounts and much more!) and have a much better idea of what's "normal" now.

Good luck with what you decide to do. It’s worrying to find a school looks to be financially wobbly.