7th May 2026
Moving into school leadership is an exciting step, but it can also feel like a big change. The skills that make someone a strong classroom teacher are important, but leadership also requires you to think beyond your own classes, build strong relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders and create the conditions for both pupils and colleagues to succeed.
We spoke to two teachers in school leadership roles: Khalilur Rahman is a Senior Head of Year at Ark Boulton in Birmingham and Courtney Southam is the Lead Practitioner for Maths at Ark Charter in Portsmouth. They shared what great leadership looks like in practice and what advice they would give to teachers preparing to take the next step.
What makes a great school leader in practice?
For Khalilur, strong leadership starts with being proactive. “You want to try and be one step ahead,” he explains. To Khalilur, leadership is not just about responding when something goes wrong but knowing pupils well enough to anticipate what they need. He describes the importance of knowing every pupil in his year group by name and by face. “I don’t see pupils as a data point or a progress score. I see them as human beings first.”
Courtney also sees leadership as rooted in relationships. For him, great leaders need clear communication and to look after their team. That includes clearly communicating expectations, sharing praise, and supporting colleagues when things are difficult personally or professionally.
Has your view of leadership changed since stepping up?
Both describe a shift from focusing solely on their own teaching to thinking about the wider impact they can have.
Courtney compares it to the difference between being good at maths and being good at teaching maths. Leadership is another step again: it means being able to look at someone else’s teaching and give feedback in a way that helps them grow. He values focusing on what people are doing well, celebrating progress, and empowering colleagues to believe that their own development is possible.
For Khalilur, the difference is scale. As a classroom teacher, he might know 30 pupils closely. As Head of Year, he needs to know around 180 pupils, their families and their wider context. He describes how pupils feel proud when their Head of Year knows them personally, so tries to remember details such as their siblings or what they like to do at the weekend.
What do people underestimate about school leadership?
Khalilur says people may assume a Head of Year is “just in the office” or “just walking around”, but much of the role happens behind the scenes: putting systems in place, following up on concerns, and supporting families. “You can never sign out for the day,” he says. Even when the school day is over, leaders may still be thinking about a pupil, a behaviour issue or something happening at home.
Courtney says one of the biggest adjustments is learning how to manage the processes that sit alongside teaching, particularly assessment, reporting and documentation. These expectations can feel unfamiliar at first, especially when joining a new school or stepping into leadership for the first time. His advice is to give yourself time to understand the systems, routines and expectations around you. “Don’t expect to hit the ground running and be patient with yourself,” he says. “Ask for help if you need it.”
What do great leaders do that often goes unnoticed?
Courtney says one of the most important things leaders provide is stability. A good leader is someone colleagues can go to with a question, even if that leader does not immediately have the answer. What matters is that they follow through, help find a solution and make people feel supported. That reliability can be easy to overlook because it is not always dramatic. It is not about reinventing the wheel. Sometimes, the most important leadership work is being present, consistent and dependable.
Khalilur describes something similar from a pastoral perspective. The visible part of the role may be conversations in corridors or presence around the school, but behind that is a constant process of knowing pupils, noticing patterns and responding before things escalate.
What support have you received from Ark in your leadership role?
Courtney talks about the value of being part of a wider network, particularly in maths. Access to central expertise and data from across Ark schools has helped him compare trends, understand whether a challenge is specific to his own school, and learn from approaches that have worked elsewhere. It means he is not making decisions in isolation but can draw on the experience of colleagues and network leads across different contexts.
Khalilur highlights the importance of professional development, including regular INSET days and completing a National Professional Qualification (NPQ) in behaviour and culture. He says the theory from the NPQ links closely with the day-to-day reality of pastoral leadership, helping him put ideas into practice. He also values the chance to collaborate with other leaders across the Ark network, including colleagues doing similar roles in different schools. For him, that support is not one-way: schools learn from each other, share what is working, and offer help when another team needs it.
What advice would you give someone stepping into leadership for the first time?
Khalilur’s advice is to observe first. “Give yourself a few months just to observe,” he says. “Watch how things work, learn from colleagues, reflect on what is going well and what could be better, then build consistency over time.”
Courtney also recommends taking time to understand your team before making changes. That means listening carefully to what is and is not working, building strong relationships, and learning the context you are stepping into. He also encourages aspiring leaders to develop their confidence with data analysis and tools such as Excel, as these skills can make it much easier to manage reporting and assessment processes efficiently.
For both Khalilur and Courtney, great school leadership is not about having all the answers straight away. It is about being proactive, reliable and reflective; taking time to understand pupils and colleagues; and using the support around you to keep improving. Whether you are leading a year group, developing curriculum or mentoring early career teachers, their advice is clear: listen first, build strong relationships, stay consistent, and remember that leadership is ultimately about helping others succeed.