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There are more female heads than ever before but is confidence a factor in preventing larger numbers of women aspiring to the role? Melissa Murphy finds out.
Despite the number of female heads being at an all-time high – there are currently 13,800 serving female heads in England’s 23,000 schools – women are still under-represented in school leadership as a whole and with a potential headteacher shortage looming, it’s important that all aspiring leaders can reach headship.
Eight out of 10 of women heads and teachers polled in new NCSL research believe that more women should step up to headship. Female heads believe it’s important that students see women in leadership roles and that the proportion of female heads reflects the proportion of women teaching.
There may have once been a perception that it was impossible to combine headship with motherhood but this attitude appears to be shifting. NCSL’s new Women in Headship research suggests that more flexible working, such as job-sharing, and a greater acceptance of childcare responsibilities is making the top post more attractive to women.
Yet the biggest barrier for aspiring female heads appears to have nothing to do with external factors. Instead, it is a lack of confidence in their own leadership abilities which is putting them off. Top concerns of female leaders include budgets and financial skills as well as management ability. In contrast, female leaders believe their biggest strengths are empathy, multi-tasking, resolving conflict, time management and being approachable to parents.
Former headteacher Maggie Roger, now one of NCSL’s National Succession Consultants says that women are more likely to doubt their abilities than men: “Self-belief can be an issue for women but if you believe in yourself you are more likely to succeed,” she says. “If you want to become a head, you need to self-assess, consider what areas you need to develop and look for leadership opportunities in your own school.”
To address these concerns, NCSL held a series of events across the country to boost the confidence of potential female leaders. The stories of successful female heads shared at the events certainly showed that there is no one route into headship and that nothing is a barrier with the right mindset. Ann Dwulit, Executive Headteacher of St Luke’s and Clerkenwell Parochial Church of England primary schools in London shared one such story: “I left school wanting to be an actress, I had no aspirations to enter teaching let alone headship,” she says.
But persuasion from her parents swayed Ann into considering teaching instead. “When I did my teacher training you didn’t need a degree or A-levels. I had taken my A-levels three times and failed each time. But I fell in love with teaching and it took some doing to get me out of the classroom.”
Ann was eventually drawn to headship to “make a difference to the lives of all children” and uses her own children as a yardstick for all she does. “I think I’ve juggled having children and my work well,” she says. “I don’t have any guilt about the two roles. Being a head is well paid and this allows me to enjoy quality time with my family at weekends and during holidays. Days can be long in the week but our time together is of better quality.”
Marie McMahon, Headteacher of Hodge Hill Sports and Enterprise College is another female head who had an unconventional route into headship, becoming a head of department after her first year of teaching and a deputy in her seventh year. Marie believes the key for aspiring heads is to find their own moral purpose: “Be very clear about the student body you want to work with. I believe education is about opening doors for kids that might not otherwise be opened. Discover your own moral purpose and find a school to match this. Trust your instincts, I knew within five minutes of being inside Hodge Hill that I wanted to be their headteacher.”
Both Ann and Marie have relied on personal and professional networks to deal with the challenges of headship. “It’s really important to have network,” says Ann. “This includes your family and friends but also people such as your cleaner.Mine ended up becoming my childminder.” Marie agrees: “It can sometimes be a lonely job and having a personal network helps.”
Despite the challenges, the female heads at all events spoke openly of their passion and enthusiasm for their jobs: “You can make the job your own. Being a head is exciting and never boring,” says Ann.
Even though Marie didn’t plan to be a head, she finds the role deeply fulfilling: “I never planned to be a teacher but in what other job do you get the chance all day, every day to shape the future and change the world. Being a headteacher is the pinnacle of this.” ldr
Next steps:
www.ncsl.org.uk/tomorrowsleaderstoday |
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