Opinion17th September 2024

Solutions: Five important steps at the start of your headship journey

Mide Ola-Said

Drawing on Ark Schools’ leadership development programme and my own experience, here are some useful tips for new school leaders

This article was originally published in Schools Week on Monday 23 September 2024.

Six years ago, I was a bright-eyed 28-year-old participant in my trust’s development programme for aspiring principals. Today, I run that very programme.

Here’s what I would tell my younger self, to make his first steps on the leadership road a little smoother. I hope it helps all of those who are just starting down that road themselves this term.

Establish your support network

A strong support network can be the difference between thriving and barely surviving as a new headteacher.

Picture a three-legged stool, with each leg representing a crucial type of support: emotional, professional, and leadership. Ideally, you’d have at least two people who can cover these bases.

In essence, you need someone you can vent to, someone who has walked this path before and can provide seasoned advice, and someone who challenges you to grow as a leader and to unpick and reflect on the decisions you make.

The job can be isolating, and the pressure can feel relentless. So prepare yourself by building a robust network now, whether that’s reconnecting with an experienced head, joining a supportive WhatsApp group or investing in a leadership coach.

Do whatever it takes to ensure those legs are strong enough to keep you upright.

Visit other schools

Schools operate within their own unique contexts, but that doesn’t mean they can’t learn from each other. In fact, it means each one has something different to offer.

You can read all the books and watch all the webinars, but nothing compares to seeing good practice in action. So, start by identifying the areas in your school that need the most improvement, then find schools that excel in those areas and visit them.

Observe, ask questions and, if possible, take away resources or artefacts to help you best apply a version of their success to your context. These visits will widen your perspective, provide practical solutions and help you refine your own school’s approach.

Craft and share your narrative

Whether you’re taking over a familiar school or starting fresh in a new one, your staff will be eager to know who you are and what you stand for. For your own benefit and theirs, you need to quickly establish your vision, values, and direction – or risk events or others establishing it for you.

With our vice-principal programme, we help leaders build their ‘public narrative’: a story that aligns their personal values with the school’s mission, creating a unified sense of purpose, urgency and commitment.

Ask yourself: What am I here to do? What challenges do we face? What are our big, audacious goals? What can we do right now?  Then, use every opportunity to articulate this narrative clearly and consistently.

Know yourself

Great headteachers are deeply self-aware. They know their strengths, their weaknesses and what drives them.

Before stepping into headship, I undertook a psychometric assessment that included 360-degree feedback. It was invaluable in confirming my strengths and identifying areas for growth. I would recommend it.

Understanding your own limitations allows you to build a team that complements your skills, reducing blind spots and making you a more effective leader. Self-awareness also helps you allocate your time effectively and navigate high-pressure situations with confidence and resilience.

Master change management

When I asked experienced heads what they wished they had been better prepared for, the unanimous answer was change management.

At its core, headship is about driving change: setting priorities, steering the school in a specific direction and using the right levers to get there. A solid change management framework can help clarify your thinking and prevent costly mistakes.

For me, John Kotter’s theory on change management was a game-changer, particularly his emphasis on communication, the area where many initiatives falter.

Other theories of change are available, and another may suit you better. In any case, immersing yourself in this area of leadership thinking is bound to reap dividends.

It’s already week two, and by now you’re fully immersed in the job. Just don’t forget to pause and reflect on your own development needs as well as everyone else’s.