Today (Friday 26 March) school leaders’ union NAHT publishes new
data showing that the supply of school leaders is at risk of
collapse.
Even before the pandemic schools struggled to recruit and
retain leaders. Now, NAHT’s new data finds that 70 per cent of
school leaders are less or much less content in their role than a
year ago, describing their recent experiences as ‘challenging,
exhausting and stressful’.
These new pressures have exacerbated existing challenges
like heavy workload, the high- stakes nature of the job and a
decade of salaries falling in real terms.
Now, less than half (47 per cent) of school leaders would
recommend leadership as a career goal. Nearly half (46 per cent)
of assistant and deputy heads told us they do not aspire to
headship (up from 40 per cent in 2016), while a further quarter
(27 per cent) are undecided.
Three-quarters (75 per cent) of assistant and deputy heads
said that concerns about work-life balance prevented them from
seeking a head teacher position, and 40 per cent saw pay as a
barrier to promotion. Over half (51 per cent) said their
aspiration to lead had been negatively affected by recent
differentiated pay awards that have reduced the premium for
leadership responsibility.
Previously released NAHT data showed that nearly half (47
per cent) of leaders were less likely to stay in leadership for
as long as planned, following the pandemic.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of NAHT, which represents
leaders in the majority of schools, said: “The lack of support
for school leaders throughout the pandemic now risks an exodus of
leaders from the profession. The government’s longstanding
complacency on leaders’ workload and well-being has been laid
bare and compounded by its announcement of a pay freeze which
will again cut salaries in real terms. The government must act
urgently to make school leadership an attractive proposition for
teaching professionals.”
NAHT’s findings are published in the ‘School Leadership
Supply Crisis’ report which makes the following recommendations
to government:
-
End centralised diktats from Whitehall which do not take
account of school leaders’ experience and expertise
-
Reform the pay structure for teachers and leaders and
reinstate the pay differential for leadership
-
Provide training, mentoring and support for new and
existing leaders
-
Work with teaching and leadership unions to develop new,
sustainable leadership and non-leadership career
pathways
-
Confirm the suspension of routine Ofsted inspections
until September 2021
Mr Whiteman continued: “Despite the
increased pressure on them, school leaders have stuck to their
task. Up until now the government has not really had to face the
consequences of its lack of support for leaders during the
pandemic. But unless we see some movement on the areas we’re
highlighting today, the school leadership supply pipeline is
going to run dry.
“To meet the challenge of recovery post-Covid we need great
teachers and leaders in all schools for all children. The
government has said that no child should be left behind.
Investing in education and the teaching profession is the best
way to keep that promise.”
Notes for Editors
On leadership pay, the union’s analysis of DfE workforce
data shows that in 2019/20 the median pay for school leaders in
all state funded secondary schools was £58,719, and £49,791 in
all state funded nursery & primary schools.
According to government data, the differential between
leadership pay and that of the most highly teaching roles has
been eroded from 18.7% in 2010 to 14.2% in 2020. In 2010 the
maximum of the teacher’s pay range (outside of London) was
£31,552 and the minimum of the leadership pay range (outside of
London) was £37,461 – an 18.7% differential
By 2020, this gap had closed to 14.2% with the maximum of
the teacher’s pay range (outside of London) at £36,961 compared
to the minimum of the leadership pay range (outside of London) at
£42,195.
NAHT will be sharing its thoughts on leadership pay during
an evidence session at the School Teachers Review Body on
Thursday 25 March.
