It seems to have spread like bird flu. First Mumble’s headteacher went and now I hear that other nearby heads are leaving, replacing, shifting.
Which means that people are having to be busy bunnies sifting applications and sitting on interview boards. In my previous life and in a very different field, I sat on a good few of these panels, and I know I made some great choices - and some stinkers too. But I’ve never sat on a board to make a choice that could have such a huge effect on the future of my own children. Parents I know who have done this in the past have spoken about the pressure - having to live with the consequences, and having other parents ‘blame’ them if they don’t like the results. I do not envy anyone brave enough to take on this role.
There are times when genuine mistakes are made, and the wrong person ends up in the job (but can I stress I’m not hinting at any specific situation here). This can be miserable for so many people - not least the appointee. But not everyone is going to be happy with even the best appointment and I guess that all over East Lothian, parents do little dances of triumph when they hear they’ll be saying goodbye to their bug-bear.
I wonder - I just wonder- what it would be like if we elected our headteachers like we elect our Councillors and M(S/E)Ps. Would we get very different results? Do we do that good a job of choosing people to guide our country? Would the voters fall for the populist spin? - But then, interview boards can equally be dazzled by candidates who display style over substance. And do you open the election to the whole catchment area, or just to parents?
An interesting experiment maybe, if it doesn’t impact on the kids - maybe someone could tell me if it has ever been tried?
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