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Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Brits Must Use Their Heads

The Herald of Glasgow, Scotland has a very interesting piece on school leadership in Great Britain, where principals are known as "head teachers".

Tim McKay, who for the past 18 months has been rector of Alford Academy in Aberdeenshire, took the decision that he would aim to become a head teacher after only eight or nine years as a teacher and deliberately sought out colleagues who were models of good practice in different areas so that he could learn from them.

He gained wide experience as a deputy before studying for the Scottish Qualification in Headship (SQH), which will eventually be expected of all head teachers.

So what distinguishes the best leaders in his view? "Good leaders are inspirational. They are energetic, enthusiastic and dynamic." While the inspiration comes from the top, he believes that leadership should be encouraged at all levels at school. "My job is to take responsibility for the day-to-day management of the school, but I see it as like the conductor of an orchestra, with a number of teams under my control, and my job is to co-ordinate the harmony and communicate a clear vision for the school to the staff, support staff, pupils, parents and broader community," he says.

More here.