does it really take six months+ to recruit a new headteacher? why?

[hatwoman]

Our head has announced his retirement at the end of the school year. for reasons I don;t understand an acting head has been appoionted, to start in September,and a permanent recruitment is to be made in the school year 2010-11. does anyone know what reasons there might be for not recruiting permanently now? I know all the public sector stuff about advertising widely, equal ops, etc (I work in a similar sector myself) but surely 6 months is enough time? happy to strand corrected

The problem in attracting propspective heads to small rural primaries are huge, in many of them the Head is a teaching Head, so as well as all the paperwork associated with being a head ( and the amount of paperwork isn't smaller, just the numbers on it!) they may also have to teach too. The pay isn't exactly brilliant either, out Head earns less than a Deputy Head in the nearest school and not much more than any class teacher who also holds a management allowance. I certainly wouldn't have her job ( the first time we interviewd we had 2 applicants , both of whom had just qualified, and needed to readvertise.

cece - that's very true - was the problem we had at the infant school, no-one decent wanted the job as it was already so good.

Thankfully the school secretary up at the Juniors I think must have given her DS harsh words, or twisted his arm or something, don't think he has a "teaching" background (other than the relevant qualifications for the current job) but he's blardy marvelous (and I quite fancy him too (shame he's married with kids and my DS's headteacher, and I know his mother far too well )

flipping 'eck - just had a nosey on the council website and seen that the head of the only other decent junior school in our town is retiring and his position is being advertised as well

Because it's a thankless task: you always have someone moaning and groaning (staff or parents), you have mountains of crap to read, you have to be diplomatic to everyone, you have to deal with interfering governors, you have to write the SEF report and expect Ofsted to pull it apart, and .......... it's your responibility to clean the toilets if the caretaker's away.

(That's just for starters)

'nuff said?

... not for all the tea in China.....

Deputy Head is what many ambitious teachers aspire to. Both my husband and I hold NPQH (The qualification required to become a head) but we have simply used it to get better DH positions, as do many. The pay for being a Head is not significantly different (my husband earns more as DH in a city than he would as head of a smaller school). The hours are crazy, it's a bit liking having a baby and even worse if you're in the Catholic sector as you have all the Sunday church stuff and Parish activities on top. Add in the fact that after evry inspection it's your head on the block if you're not up to scratch-head's disappear VERY quickly after a drop in results/ a poorer than expected OFSTED. Then as a last factor drop in how hit and miss OFSTED inspections are! A neighbouring school near us went from outstanding to satisfactory on the basis of overlooking a CRB for one volunteer reader (The head's wife!). Others have failed for not asking for ID immediately/ a school fence that is too low or my favourite-the unsatisfactory Early Years team who did tings like 'not ensuring the children line up straight at hometime' or 'not using the (uncovered) outside area in the rain (no child wanted to!)'. I think you have to either be slightly mad or dedicated to the extent to neglect any form of family life to be a head. Our school btw has been advsiing for over a year, another nearby school longer.

Just to spread a positive story - the Head of my DD's small rural primary left in the summer, and we had an acting head. Cue lots of doom and gloom in the playground about how hard it was to get someone good, how much upheaval for the children etc. But the acting head came, was very good, applied for and got the job and is staying !

And don't forget a drop at OFSTED or a bad budget and you can be out V quickly!

Sorry if this has already been said - haven't read all of posts. The reason tiny primaries find it very hard to find a Head is that Heads are paid according to the number of children on roll. A Head of a tiny school has all the same responsibilities as the Head of a large school, plus probably has to do some teaching because of the small number of teaching staff, but is paid absolute peanuts.