Importance of Headteacher

[Londonlady84]

My son has got into our first choice primary school which we were ecstatic about. I've just discovered that the head of 9 years left last week.

How instrumental is the head in how good the school is. We moved house (a long way) to be near to this school and it's an exceptionally good school with results in the top 10 nationally for primary schools.

However, I'm now worried that it was the head that made this school what it is today and what that means going forwards. Will standards drop? Will they find a head of equal calibre as it's in a small village? Will all the teachers now leave? 😰

@didireallysaythat

"our whole move was based around this school*

I get where you're coming from but somethings are out of your control .. DS2 had 8 teachers in his first year at school. And we moved for this school (or rather because it had an after school club )

8 teachers! Oh my goodness. I hope it's all settled down now and you are happy there.

Having been a teacher for many years I would say heads are hugely important. However if the previous head was so successful I'm sure the school will have appointed someone who will largely have the same ethos and priorities as the previous. I guess time will tell.

@Londonlady84 we were adding them up the other say. Year 5 now and we're on teacher 15 or 16. Small school, small budget, can't attract or retain. Ironically the HT was horrific, took the school into special measures through incompetency, finally she resigned along with the governors before the Ofsted report, we became an academy, and it's better now (although HT now has two schools to look after - it's common with academies).

But the after-school club has remained stable

As a governor the HT is massive influence. But if the school is excellent the trust board / govs etc will only appoint if they find a suitable replacement. Your child will be at school 7 years. The HT at any school can move in that time

Oh and I should say it's a small school, so mixed year groups. So 4 classrooms and hence potentially 4 teachers. So 15/16 is really going some.....

From our findings, pretty important. Didn't retain the solidly good Ofsted rating and the decision to stand down the person who had done secretarial duties for years also meant a period of evident confusion and fuzziness for a while.

I've not noticed much difference with DD's head teachers tbh. The school has been through 3 so far. The second to last is under investigation for fraud. The latest as far as I can see has only introduced a universally unpopular new school logo which will be implemented over time and made French lessons a thing. I'm happy with the general running of things, but there was a push to ensure better communication between parents and school that continues to fail miserably.

Dd1's school had no HT & a brand new DH when she started. Like you previous head had been there a long time & hugely improved the school & was extremely impressive in person.
New HT started in the Jan, in her first role, and there have been bumpy moments especially initially with communication - lots of "old guard" of teachers left, but dd's in year 5 now & I'm hugely pleased with the choice I made for her.
Don't assume it will be terrible. It will be different for sure but not necessarily bad.

It's so difficult to predict, isn't it.

The first school DS went to had had a brilliant head for many years, then a period of flux (4 heads in 2 years i think?) and then a new head who'd done one full year before DS started. Through the uncertainty and the first few years of the new head, most staff stayed and it was still full of the ethos of that longstanding head, but when the (also v longstanding) deputy went, so did a huge number of the rest of the staff and it changed very quickly from one term to the next. New head more out of his depth than he realises, I think. I moved DS a term after the major clearout and I wasn't the only parent to do so. But this was fully 6 years after the old head had left, so it certainly took a while for the school to come out of her shadow and change much.

MAT takeover followed by departure of very good head would make me a bit nervous, but depending what makes a school right for you/your child, my worries could be your ideal IYSWIM!