Your ideal head teacher of a Primary School.

[spudmasher]

Tell me your wish list xx

The HT of dd's infant school came pretty close, actually. Organised, welcoming towards parents, genuinely seemed to like the children, firm and no-nonsense but approachable at the same time.

Thank you.

Come on you lot! More input please! There are that many people moaning about schools here this evening this thread should be over loaded!!!!!!! Tell me what is your dream head!!!!!!

I also want a clued-up attitude towards SN, awareness of current legislation etc and honesty in dealing with parents.

From my children's point of view:

Always said hello to everyone in the playground. Knows all the kids' names (and their little brothers and sisters that she passes in the playground). Has special stickers that she gives out when children have done something very very good. They are gold, and very precious. Is a little bit scary, so being sent to Mrs X for being naughty is appropriately off-putting. Being sent to Mrs X for good work is fantastic. Runs a lunchtime gardening (and playground tidying) club once a week which anyone can join.

From my point of view:

Respected by staff. Open to talk to parents. Very organised. Unphased when bits of scenery fall down during a school production, or when the wrong hymn is played. Confident when talking to groups of parents. Newsletter that she signs is correctly spelled and punctuated.

Actually I want a good manager with great communication skills, especially listening. I want someone organised, who embraces change and is open to new ideas. I want someone with a strong moral code but who is extremely fair.
What I don't want is a fluffy, child focused, older woman who has totally forgotten how to communicate with other adults on an equal basis.
Guess what we've got ...

Someone who knows all the children by name; who is visible throughout the school and makes it their business to be known to both pupils and parents; supportive of their teachers at all times; is consistent in their approach to policy; who is firm but fair, and brooks no nonsense from parents or pupils; who is approachable and welcome; has a good management team to support the school in her absence; is enthusiastic about learning and achieving; who instills a moral code across the school; someone with community spirit and believes in working with the community....I could go on and on

Strong leader. clearly knows what he/she wants from staff & for the school
Cares for & about the children
Children come first
Open door approach welcoming to parents
Smiley but firm
Inclusive
Adaptable
Honest

1. knows the children's names
2. is available to the parents
3. can communicate clearly decisions which are in the best interests of the school, even if not popular
4. is always looking at how to move the school forward rather than 'resting' on previous sucesses/reputation
5. concentrates on getting children ready for their next phase of education rather than SATS results and league tables
6. encourages competative sports rather than 'taking part is fun'
7. recognises that all children have talents and presents opportunities to shine eg music, sports, additional academic opportunities
8. encourages links with the local secondary schools so that transition is less stressful

personality wise they don't have to be the most enigmatic of people but they do need to be pasionate about what they do -being a head is not a popularity contest, it's about being an effective leader and producing results

well in my opinion anyway........

Yes, yes, yes, I want someone who is respected by his/her staff- but also someone who gets on with their staff, someone the teachers (and the receptionists and the caretaker) like working for. In dd's junior school the junior staff were scared to speak to the HT- made for a very unhappy atmosphere.

My DCs had an almost perfect acting HT last year.

They MUST LIKE children. (And never look at them as if they are something the cat has dragged in. It's not their fault if their mum doesn't wash their uniform or brush their hair)

Smiley and approachable, with good people skills. I'm amazed at the number of heads I've come across who lack good people skills.

They should be hands on with the children, and I don't mean just telling off naughty children who are sent to the heads office. I would have huge respect if a HT ever got down on the carpet with the children in a reception class, even for five minutes.

They should be enthusiastic. About everything.

They should have a vision, and SHARE this vision with the parents and children.

One lovely HT my DS had was very forgiving. No matter what DS did, after being told off/punished he was always told "Tomorrow is another day. We will start again in the morning." I cried when he retired.

We have a fantastic head, he knows all the children by name even though more than half of the kids at the school come from the local RAF base so movements are continuous.

He is often to be seen in the playground after school, he is approachable and knowledgeable.
My favourite moment was when we were walking down the corridor with dd2 and she as telling us in a loud voice that this was Mr M's office and his voice came out of the door just as we came level with "hello Eloise"

He must know her voice because she never shuts up

I agree with others. Definitely not like the one on the other thread who doesn't 'do visits because they are very popular, oversubscribed and don't need to'.

Mine She's grrrrrrrreat!

• have very high expectations. Don't use their 'challenging cohert' as an excuse.

• be a leader

• have very good people skills

• care about the kids

• be properly inclusive.

• strong moral compass.

• be in the playground every morning.

Being in the playground every morning is a very good sign.

Our headteacher is always around when something is going on - parents' evening, Christmas fair etc. He knows all the children's names and recognises all their parents and siblings (including the ones who aren't at the school). He takes football club every week. It's not just him though, all the staff I have any contact with seem excellent - DS's class has 2 teachers and a TA who all seem to get the line right between professionalism and ...erm...childishness (can't think of a better word, but they all work with 4/5/6 yos). Newsletters and communications are always professionally put together. The school secretary knows what she's doing and is always really helpful. I went to the fair with 4yo DS yesterday and was amazed at how much the older children looked after him - coming up to say hello and give him a cuddle (boys as well as girls), helping him when he wanted to have a go on a game he was a bit too little to be able to do, admiring the piece of tat he'd begged me to buy. I don't remember being that mature at primary school.

oh and having a big box of mini dinosaurs in their office that they hand out to good boys and girls is always helpful too :o

Our Headteacher at our new school is always there, you see her in the corridor and she always has a word to say about your DC (not just mine!) and she is funny when she speaks to the DC...makes them laugh..very approachabe and somehow Grandma-like in her demeanour. She also knows ALL the childrens names and ALL of their traits.

I think she might be an alien.

Only one thing really that I would wish for above all else, and that's someone honest, transparent and unafraid of the parents.

We have got someone very defensive and insecure and that makes for a total lack of transparency...nice to the kids, but useless with the parents.

That's really super.
Thank you all so much for posting your thoughts. Very helpful.
It seems to be a lot about effective communication with all.

Oh ours is in the playground every morning. She does it to pounce on those she wishes to intimidate.

So it's not always a good sign. And when she isn't there she sends her envoy to listen in on people's conversations.

Agree with much of what has already been said but wanted to add

• Allows teachers to make decisions and do their jobs without constantly having to refer back to her. In other words a team player not a dictator.