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The recruitment process

Recruting a headteacher

We have produced four videos featuring expert advice on how to recruit a new headteacher for your school. The videos cover all the stages involved from thinking about what sort of headteacher you want to setting up a successful induction.

Recruiting headteachers

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Whether you need to recruit a new headteacher right now, or need to prepare for the possibility in the future, this page highlights some key questions for you to consider.

Many resources are available to help you create a realistic job description of the headteacher you are (or will be) looking for and a process against which to assess candidates.

Rising to the recruitment challenge

The majority of the 2,600 schools who needed to replace their headteacher in 2005-6 were able to do so at the first attempt. Around a quarter of the secondary schools and a third of the primary schools in this group were not.

It would be wise to start planning early for the replacement of your headteacher, especially if he or she is approaching retirement age. Even if you think your head is not about to move on, it is worth being prepared for the unexpected. A period without a headteacher in post can be unsettling and disruptive to the life of the school, and you may need to act quickly to avoid this.

For further information see:

What do aspiring headteachers want?

It is important to think about what aspiring headteachers want in terms of reward, working conditions and career development in order to attract them to your school. The following quotes are from aspiring headteachers:

“I want to have a decent work-life balance. I love my job but it’s very important that I still have the time and energy to do other things.”

“I am an NPQH graduate and am ready to move into headship. However I am a little nervous of the prospect. I would appreciate some initial support such as mentoring or buddying from an experienced head.”

For more information see:

Attracting candidates to your school

Defining your requirements is critical – but you also need to ensure you attract good candidates. The quality of the material you create and how you communicate with candidates by letter, telephone or in person all need to make a good impression. You want to know what they can offer your school and they want to know what you can offer them.

Consider how you want to portray your school. If you are a school with challenges, it pays to be honest about this. Some candidates are looking for a challenge and a school in which they can make a difference. What they want to hear from the governing body is optimism and a commitment to supporting the head. On the other hand, if you are a successful school replacing a high-profile headteacher, avoid creating the impression that this will be a hard act to follow. Even successful schools need to keep moving forward.

For further information see:

Action checklist for recruiting a headteacher

We have developed a checklist to help you identify suggested short and longer-term actions. Questions to consider include: "If our head resigned would we be in a strong position to mount an immediate recruitment campaign?" and "Have members of the governing body had recruitment training, including Safer Recruitment?"

Related publications and resources

Publications

Checklists and templates

Interactive tools and videos

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