Many school leaders are doing excellent work in the face of unprecedented pressures but others are struggling to cope, often through no fault of their own, says Peter Campling, whose new play examines the plight of the modern head.

Waiting for the inspector's call

There is nothing new about school leaders being under pressure but the amount of work (averaging 60 hours a week – the most in Europe) and responsibility has increased significantly in recent years, as has the consequence of a drop in results or a weaker Ofsted judgement.

Not long ago, a level 3 was deemed ‘satisfactory’; it then became ‘requires improvement’. Now, to paraphrase Prime Minister David Cameron’s speech in February, it appears to be, ‘not good enough, your school will become an academy – and you’re fi red’. ‘Ofsted with your head’, as it were.

This is all the more threatening at a time when the credibility of results and performance tables is highly questionable and Ofsted judgements have been criticised as unreliable, as reports in the TES have highlighted.

Default position

There can be little doubt that school leaders are currently under unprecedented levels of pressure, most of which stems from public exam results and inspections. This is having an impact on their personal lives, their professional work and their schools.

With all the pressure to ‘raise standards’, it takes a brave leader to ignore the latest strategies for improving results. But how far are we prepared to go with this? If our default position becomes, ‘It’s in the best interests of the child to get the best results they can, regardless . . .’ the implications are worrying. We would be in danger of producing a generation who are good at passing exams, but not much else.

Likewise, in many schools the pressure and fear of the next inspection induces endless amounts of preparation, meetings, the production of documents and data and the constant second-guessing of the inspectors and their interpretation of the framework.

ASCL General Secretary Brian Lightman (Leader, December 2014) highlighted the problem, noting that school leaders are spending a significant amount of time on compliance with what they think that Ofsted wants, which is time that would be better spent on what their schools actually need.

Of course, there is a great deal of excellent work being carried out by highly skilled school leaders across the country, and many are able to successfully balance the focus on results, inspections and school improvement.

But for many others, who have to operate in the context of growing pressure and the fear that accompanies it, their work is being compromised. More young people become anxious. Teachers perform less well, with less personality and creativity. Leadership increasingly focuses on the short-term, rather than on long-term sustainable improvement.

The sum of all this is that more and more good people are deciding not to work in schools with the number leaving the profession at a ten-year high, according to Department for Education (DfE) figures.

Or it is decided for them. Last year Ofsted judged that a third of secondary schools were ‘inadequate’ or ‘require improvement’. Since then performance tables show that the number of secondary schools below the required threshold has doubled.

Leaving ‘early’

Increasing numbers of school leaders are leaving their positions ‘early’ and the vacancies are becoming harder to fill. We used to joke about ‘football management syndrome’, but school leadership is starting to make football management look like a secure career option.

It’s easy to joke about it, but actually the situation is a disgrace. In what other profession do the leaders have to tolerate such levels of insecurity and the politicisation of their positions? Would the Prime Minister publicly threaten to sack a third of senior doctors or police officers?

At a strategic level, ASCL is promoting policies that will help to alleviate the pressure and the impact it is having. Most significantly, there is the blueprint for a school-led self-improving system, which calls for more collaboration, a reduced role for government and a less judgemental, more developmental approach to inspections and to school improvement.

Underpinning this is the need for more trust in schools and between schools, as highlighted by Peter Kent’s presidential theme this year ‘Trust to transform’.

Consultancy service

At an operational level, ASCL’s member support is busier than ever through the work of their regional and field officers, together with the Hotline service. A new consultancy service, Planning for the Future, is also being offered to ASCL members ‘who wish to receive advice and support for the next stage of their career following a significant and sudden job change’. For details, please email consultancy@ascl.org.uk

Here is some simple advice to those who find themselves in this position.

• Take your time: Think about what you want to do. Reflect, but don’t dwell on the past. Look forward and think positively and constructively. There is no need to rush. The important thing is to get it right.
• Use the support available: Your situation is new to you, but it is unlikely to be new to ASCL and staff will know the right approach to take.
• Use your own contacts: Often, it’s the people you know, or who know you, who will prove to be your best route back into the system, if that’s what you want.
• Think broadly: You’ve spent most of your professional life working in schools and if you are determined to get back to that, then you will find a way. But you have probably also harboured other ambitions and this may be your chance to pursue them. Don’t spurn this lightly.
• Finally, don’t let it get you down!: The circumstances of your leaving will be going round and round in your head but, in many cases, events unfold in a way that is beyond the control of an individual. It is important that you do not over-personalise your situation and that you see it in its full educational and political context. You have achieved great things – and you still have great things to achieve!

I took a break from headship two years ago and since then have had a number of interesting jobs as an interim school leader and for the Co-operative College, Oxfam Education and Teaching Leaders. I’ve enjoyed the variety of work and I’ve learnt a great deal from the various roles. It is always inspiring to visit other schools and to see the wonderful things that are going on, despite the intense pressures that many are working under.

Which brings me back to my opening scenario and The Inspectors Call – a play I have written that explores the impact of all this pressure and the growing corporate culture in education through the eyes of a beleaguered headteacher called George Smith. It is an attempt to capture for a wider audience the joys, the pain, the hilarity, the rewards and the deep frustrations of those in the privileged position of school leadership.

Hope to see you there, if you can spare the time…

George Smith loves his job as a headteacher; he cares deeply for his school and the community he serves. However, he’s feeling under more pressure than ever before.His maths results are down, bringing the school’s headline figure down with them, and an inspection is due. He’s also having to deal with disgruntled unions, a mounting budget crisis, a building in decay, an interfering local authority, unwanted competition from the new free school and fall out from scandalous behaviour at the staff party.Needless to say his private life is becoming increasingly dysfunctional. Judgement day finally arrives…the inspectors call.

The Inspector's Call - 28 April-16 May 2015 in LondonA tale of ill manners and untimely visits as the battle for education rages. For more details including how to buy tickets, visit  www.theinspectorscall.co.uk

Peter Campling is a former headteacher and he was a member of ASCL Council

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