A teaching headship

[Teacherteachernotapreacher]

Hi
Hoping for some advice on a job opportunity.
context: deputy head in a single intake primary school circa 210 chn. Teach full time.
applying for headships but in a rural area with long commutes so local opportunities aren’t frequent.
a headship has come up in a local school with circa 70 chn and is teaching ‘approx 0.5’ - it’s vague as that’s the current heads amount and it’s up to the budget/candidate.
I’ve never wanted to be a teaching head as the job is huge without that. I could get a non-teaching headship as have the experience necessary (some people go for teaching ones as you can side step the deputy bit)
However, I’ve always worked at my school so think getting out and into another school would be good for my CV and experience. It would also give me some headteacher experience before moving on in 3-5 years I think.
but I could also sit tight and wait for another opportunity but could be a year or so. Assuming I’d even get whatever came up.
I just can’t figure out if I’d regret going for a teaching headship and end up massively snowed under and regretting it. And the thought of using it as a middle step feels a bit wrong too
anyone got any advice or experience they can share?

Seems like the school don’t have the budget for a non teaching HT - seems bizarre to me. What happens when you are teaching a lesson and a emergency situation arises and there isn’t a member of staff who can cover?

You’ll have your responsibilities as a Headteacher to undertake plus all those that come with teaching. It’s also a smaller school and you said it would only be a side step. Personally, I’d wait the year or so and see what opportunities come up then. I think you’ll be wasted in this school.
Also, the school has to be right for you as much as you have to be a right fit for the school.
I’m in the same position as you now, been a Deputy for a number of years and now applying for headships. I’ve been teaching 23 years this year so time is right for me to move up, I’ll only take on a role that is suitable.

It's not bizarre, it's the norm in small schools. Often though schools are moving towards a federated approach so it's a head shared between 2 or even 3 schools. You need a good deputy (and you might not even have that actually - budget might only allow for a senior teacher) and be happy to jump in your car at a moment's notice to get to another school.

I work in a school with 70 on roll and honestly I think both a teaching headship or being head of 2 rural schools would be massively more difficult than in a single form entry. Our head leads several subjects for a start, and that still leaves teaching staff leading 3-4 subjects each. The current Ofsted framework is brutal for small schools. If one teacher is a weak link, it brings down the school massively. Every child who leaves is a major worry and you need to recruit enough Reception children each year just to avoid having one massive KS2 class. The main issue is staffing because there is so little flex - very often if someone is off, there is literally no one that can be pulled from elsewhere so the head ends up covering themselves. Our head does any of TAing, serving dinner, playtime duties, class teacher cover, wrap around club cover or office cover for some amount of time every couple or few days.

Thanks both.
yes my main worry is that teaching is enough without the extra job! I need to do some more digging and see if there’s flexibility in it. Though there’s always the risk of numbers dropping and getting forced back into the classroom as well
it definitely feels like it would be more sideways than up.
though I don’t know if that’s a bad thing necessarily. In terms of experience at least.

I would do some serious research into the projected numbers from the local authority. In the current climate with a falling birth rate such a small school is vulnerable to closure and you might find that your main role as HT is battling to try and keep it open. You may find this is impossible.

This thought on falling numbers has also crossed my mind. I think I’m going to leave this one and hope something else comes up.

My mother was a teaching head in a small school. She ended up quite unwell. I would never do it.

I would leave it well alone. With DSL included I am certain you will not have a moment to breath.

I was a Head in a one form entry and that was bad enough with the level of subject coordination; day to day running; safeguarding etc it was difficult. I’d never be a head in a smaller school

Thanks everyone for the posts, appreciate it. Definitely not going for it!
next question - would you all commute 50 mins for a headship? I could train it and work for that time. Is it too far? I have three chn under 12

Governing body meetings can go on till late in my experience (10:00pm) how safe a commute would it be at that hour? Perhaps you could drive on those days? Small children mmmmmm would prefer to be a little closer to home but 50 mins door to door is not the worst journey is one direct train.

Just my thought.

We’re in Cumbria and I live in a small town - the train would be through many small towns/villages to a larger one so it’s a safe commute definitely. I could choose to drive or train it depending on what was happening that day. I’m talking myself round in circles about it really. I need to move on and upwards and have limited opportunity because of the rural nature of my county! This job is in Lancashire hence the travel.