Barry Smith - Learning about Learning

As we are on the home stretch of SQH I am now focussing upon meeting all the elements of the standard for headship.  It has thrown up an interesting challenge for me and no doubt for other participants.  As a principal teacher of pupil support I have responsibility for managing projects but not for managing people directly, i.e. it is not part of my immediate remit and I do not conduct EDR or have any responsibility for the appointment of staff.   Obviously on a day-to-day basis, deploying excellent people management skills are essential, but this is not quite the same as having direct responsibility for staff. 

Therefore, I have been presented with a challenge is in evidencing a knowledge and understanding of the recruitment and selection process.  Yes, I have had my training and understand the theoretical aspects and possible pitfalls involved, but without actually taking part in a ‘live’ recruitment and selection process my skills remain purely theoretical.  It has become necessary to seek an opportunity through my headteacher to be involved in the appointments procedure.

There are others taking part in SQH who are in a similar position to myself, primary teachers and other PT Guidance/Pupil Support.  I have found myself asking the question, is it the right time for me to be undertaking SQH if I will have difficulty evidencing one of the fundamental aspects of the course?  I understand that the participants are selected based on both their experience and potential and perhaps part of the challenge is to ensure that you can be resourceful enough to engineer opportunities to fulfil all of the criteria.  Or maybe the course itself does not fully reflect the experience of participants from a pupil support background, where the ‘flatter’ structure can mean no direct responsibilty for managing staff until reaching the position of SMT.  The diversity of the structure of pupil support teams throughout the country means that people have a very different experience of pupil support from authority to authority.

This may feed the criticism I have heard levelled by some that the course is too heavily based in theory, too academic, and doesn’t fully prepare applicants for the reality of the job.  I have thought about this a great deal since starting the course in April ‘05 and my conculsion is that the academic rigour is fundamental to the qualification.  Headteachers are now expected to have a ‘vision’ for their school which is based on sound judgement.  I would argue that such judgement be based upon evidence from current research and academic thinking as well as the context in which he or she works.  

An unfortunate consequence of this  is the incredible expectations we have of the knowledge and abilities of the headteacher.  I say unfortunate because it can drive headteachers to work increasingly long hours to ’stay on top’ of things.  It is not possible for any person to ‘know all’ and ‘be all’ but we seem to expect this from from those charged with running schools. 

When I discuss working hours with colleagues who are on SQH, very long hours can be seen as a ‘badge of honour’ by some and this seems, in some instances, to be coming ‘from the top’.  A culture of working incredibly long hours exists in some schools and there may be a perception that progression is predicated upon fitting into this mode of working.  I do not believe this is healthy and I am glad I do not experience it in my own school.  It is one thing to have a calling and be committed to the work you do,  entirely another to be consumed by it.

However I digress from my initial point, the challenge of being fully conversant and experienced in the recruitment and selection process.  I am concerned that in becoming invoved in and R&S process it may be seen as tokenistic and may feel that way too.  But in order to fulfil the criteria for attaining the Standard for Headship it is a neccessity.  So I will seek opportunities to increase my working knowledge in this area, while having one eye on what is acceptable and reasonable in terms of my time commitment.

I also think my time of life has a significant bearing on my view.  At the moment I am in a very ‘busy’ time in terms of my home life and perhaps in a few years I’ll see things differently and want and need to commit more time to the job.