January 2011

The know zone

  • Unconditional glove
    Business managers and governors need to be aware of the full extent of responsibility schools and colleges must bear when staff carry out physical tasks, says Richard Bird. More
  • Reform's black mark?
    Will the Coalition’s planned reforms to training, pay and inspection inspire a new generation of outstanding teachers? Unlikely, says Sam Ellis. More
  • Lead vocals
    Quotes from Martin Luther King, George Lucas, Steve Forbert, Walt Disney and Thomas Hardy More
  • Into Africa
    Lynne Barr, deputy head of Diss High School in Norfolk, turned to teaching after a short career in accountancy. In 2009, she went to Rwanda with the Leaders in International Development programme for a stint as an education management consultant, and received the full-on celebrity treatment. More
  • Facial recognition
    The National Portrait Gallery has added to its extensive collection of online teaching resources with a new website dissecting what makes a successful exhibition. More
  • Adding value
    The use of technology has become deeply embedded to enhance pupils’ learning, but it also has an important role to play in helping schools deal with much tighter budgets. More
  • Reading between the lines
    Education Secretary Michael Gove has introduced an English Baccalaureate to give greater recognition to ‘traditional’ academic subjects – languages and humanities in particular – as a measure of school success. Is it a retrograde step or a way to re-inject more rigour into judging how a school performs? Leaders share their views. More
  • Leaders' surgery
    The antidote to common leadership conundrums... More
  • Good in parts
    ASCL’s response to the education white paper dominated discussion at December’s Council meeting, with plenary debate divided into themes led by the committee chairs. On many topics there was strong agreement but on others, such as school improvement partners and provision for excluded pupils, reaction was mixed. More
  • A marathon task
    There are some welcome ideas in the long-awaited schools white paper but, says Brian Lightman, the proposed pace of change is too great. More time should be given for debate before rushing to implementation. More
  • Painful extraction
    Hell hath no fury like a mother in search of justice when she believes her offspring has been attacked in school. But there are two sides to every classroom story, says Christopher Martin. More
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Leaders' surgery

Making strides towards career pathway

Q. I have always had my sights set on headship but my career path has been diverted, partly through time out having a family. Once back, I worked in teacher training in higher education, followed by a year in museum education. I have recently finished a secondment with the local authority on BSF planning and would now like to get back into school leadership but I am getting rejected without interview – even though I have been a department head and have much additional experience. What should my next step be if I want to make it to headship?

A. Your applications, the form and the letter, need to be of the highest quality. Both need to sell you.

Some governors and heads look for a traditional career pattern. Others will look at your achievements in differing fields. Ask yourself “Why should the school employ me?” Have you been clear about the benefi ts and opportunities you will bring? Can you relate your generic skills and experience to school leadership? Has your career prepared you for senior team membership?

If the answer is ‘not really’ then you may need to apply initially for a school post similar to your head of department role, or one with more seniority, such as a head of faculty.

Otherwise apply for assistant headships. Excellent postholders at this level have previously worked for local authorities and in other roles, and it is becoming more common for experienced assistant heads to go directly to a headship role.

Someone in a school leadership role, or an ASCL consultant, could offer you further detailed, personal support.

Seeking 'return-to-work' assistance

Q. I am a business manager with a fi nance background. We have had problems with long-term staff absences – partly through illness but also people’s personal circumstances – and the head has asked me to see whether we could do more to help people return to work earlier, perhaps part-time or working from home, or reducing absences generally. What do you suggest?

A. Your starting point will be the implementation of appropriate policies and procedures, which you most likely have but may need to update. There is much information on the web on management of staff absence, plus access to model policies. The Business Link and HSE websites are good starting points. ASCL’s Guidance Paper 23 on Managing Work Life Balance and Stress may also be relevant.

Most model policies cover procedural issues for returning to work after long-term absence and staged returns feature in this.

Your policy should include a commitment to have regards to the fit note provided by GP offices and a provision that long-term or persistent short-term absence may involve a referral to occupational health. There should also be discretion to suspend on grounds of ill-health.

Long-term absence can be linked to a raft of other issues, for instance capability/competence, personal circumstances and a drop in staff morale, such as during staff reduction programmes. Do proceed with caution about proposals for working from home where sickness absence is a feature – medical advice should be sought before adopting this in a policy.

Leaders surgery

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