This article covers headteachers, deputy headteachers and assistant headteachers in maintained schools, including maintained nursery schools. These are the leaders / senior managers in a school and are collectively known as the ‘leadership group’. The roles and responsibilities of the leadership group cover a range of strategic and operational areas including:

• setting the strategic direction and ethos of the school
• managing teaching and learning
• developing and managing people
• dealing with the requirements of the accountability regime.

Leadership group roles are subject to specific pay ranges, professional duties and conditions of employment.

The regulations governing pay and conditions of service of the leadership group are the same as for teachers, see the introduction to the article on ‘Conditions of Service for Teachers’. However, there are different organisations representing the interests of heads and senior leadership:

• the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL)
• the National Association of Headteachers (NAHT).

This article does not cover classroom teachers in middle leadership roles that attract Teaching and Learning Responsibility (TLR) payments. Such roles are dealt with under the subheading ‘Promotion, advancement’ in the article on ‘Conditions of Service for Teachers Working in Early Childhood and School Education’.

The article does not cover management staff in independent schools. Nor does it cover staff in voluntary and independent pre-school provision.

Headteachers 

Under Sections 35 and 36 of the Education Act 2002, all maintained schools are required to have a headteacher, although the post may be shared through a co-headship. In cases where a school has difficulty in recruiting a permanent headteacher, for example, a headteacher from another school may be appointed to be responsible and accountable, while continuing in the role of headteacher of his / her own school.

The School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document 2020, which provides the framework for teachers’ pay in Wales, sets out a number of specific professional duties which the headteacher may be required to undertake on pages 42 and 43. These include:

Whole school organisation, strategy and development 

• Provide overall strategic leadership and, with others, lead, develop and support the strategic direction, vision, values and priorities of the school. 
• Develop, implement and evaluate the school’s policies, practices and procedures. 

Teaching 

• Lead and manage teaching and learning throughout the school.  
• Teach.  

Health, safety and discipline  

• Promote the safety and well-being of pupils and staff.
• Ensure good order and discipline amongst pupils and staff.

Management of staff and resources  

• Lead, manage and develop the staff, including appraisal and managing performance.
• Develop clear arrangements for linking appraisal to pay progression and advise the relevant body on pay recommendations for teachers, including on whether a teacher at the school who applied to be paid on the upper pay range should be paid on that range (see the sub-heading ‘Salaries’ in the article ‘Conditions of Service’ for further information). 
• Organise and deploy resources within the school. 
• Promote harmonious working relationships within the school.  
• Maintain relationships with organisations representing teachers and other members of the school’s workforce.  
• Lead and manage the staff with a proper regard for their well-being and legitimate expectations, including the expectation of a healthy balance between work and other commitments.

Professional development  

• Promote the participation of staff in relevant continuing professional development.  
• Participate in arrangements for the appraisal and review of his / her own performance and, where appropriate, that of other teachers and support staff.  
• Participate in arrangements for his / her own further training and professional development and, where appropriate, that of other teachers and support staff, including induction.  

Communication  

• Consult and communicate with the governing body, staff, pupils, parents and carers. 

Work with colleagues and other relevant professionals  

• Collaborate and work with colleagues and other relevant professionals within and beyond the school, including relevant external agencies and bodies.  

Deputy headteachers and assistant headteachers 

There is no legal obligation for a school to have a deputy headteacher, nor to have any assistant headteachers. Neither is there any limit on the number of deputy headteachers or assistant headteachers a school may have. Typically, a small primary school might have just one deputy headteacher, who combines management duties with classroom teaching, while a large secondary school might have several deputy and assistant headteachers, each spending only a small proportion of their time in the classroom.

The professional responsibilities of deputy headteachers and assistant headteachers are set out in the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document 2020. Under the overall direction of the headteacher, they play a major role in:

• formulating the aims and objectives of the school  
• establishing the policies through which they are to be achieved  
• managing staff and resources to that end, and  
• monitoring progress towards their achievement (page 44).

They must also undertake any professional duties of the headteacher reasonably delegated by the headteacher. In addition, deputy headteachers undertake the professional duties of the headteacher in his / her absence.

Requirements for appointment 

This section describes the appointment of headteachers and deputy/assistant headteachers in maintained schools. The appointment of a deputy/assistant headteacher is subject to no particular requirements other than those that apply to the appointment of all teachers.

All new headteachers in Wales are required to hold the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) in accordance with Section 3 of the Head Teachers’ Qualifications and Registration (Wales) Regulations 2005, as amended. The Professional Standards for Teaching and Leadership (2017) define the expertise expected of the headship role and all schools have been expected to use them from September 2018.

The NPQH is awarded on the basis of a practice-based assessment against the leadership standards; since 2011, it has no longer been a taught course. Following initial selection, candidates attend workshops, prepare a data and evidence pack for assessment showing how they meet the leadership standards and attend an assessment centre. The programme is run by the Welsh Government, supported by the four regional consortia. 

In all cases, appointment as a headteacher or deputy headteacher is subject to satisfactory checks on registration, qualifications, health, and suitability to work with children. These are outlined under the subheading ‘Entry to the profession’ in the article on ‘Conditions of Service for Teachers’. 

The recruitment and appointment process must be conducted in a fair and open manner and applicants must be judged on their merits against the objective requirements for the job. The process must not contravene any anti-discrimination legislation.

Like all teachers, headteachers and deputy headteachers are not civil servants. They are employed by:

• the local authority (LA) in community schools and voluntary controlled schools
• the school governing body in foundation schools and voluntary aided schools.

Irrespective of whether the contract of employment is with the local authority or the school governing body, much of the responsibility for recruiting, selecting and managing the headteacher lies with the school governing body. For a comprehensive guide to the responsibilities of the governing body in this respect, see chapter 10 ‘Staffing’ of the School Governors' Guide to the Law.

Headteachers and deputy headteachers are appointed through an open recruitment process for a specific post. The recruitment process is led by the school governing body. It must follow a number of steps in accordance with The Staffing of Maintained Schools (Wales) Regulations 2006 as amended (and made under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 and the Education Act 2002). The school governing body must:

• advise the local authority of the vacancy
• advertise the vacancy throughout England and Wales
• appoint a selection panel of three to seven members to select suitable applicants for interview, interview those applicants and, where appropriate, recommend one of the interviewed applicants to the governing body for approval. The majority of panel members must be governors. However, the selection panel may include members who are not governors and it is for the governing body to determine if those members may vote. 

In community and voluntary controlled schools, the local authority must appoint a candidate recommended by the selection panel if the recommendation is approved by the governing body. In foundation and voluntary aided schools, the governing body is the employer and may appoint the person recommended by the selection panel.

Conditions of service 

This section focuses on the pay and conditions, working time and holidays, professional development and performance management of headteachers, deputy headteachers and assistant headteachers, collectively known as the ‘leadership group’.

It does not deal with 'Professional status'; 'Mobility and transfers'; 'Dismissal' and 'Retirement and pensions’, for which there are no specific arrangements for leadership group staff. See the article on ‘Conditions of Service for Teachers’ for these aspects.

Pay and conditions 

The 2020 framework for teachers’ pay and conditions in Wales, including for the leadership group, was set in the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document.

The school governing body determines the individual pay for headteachers and for deputy and assistant headteachers in accordance with the leadership pay range in the STPCD. The governing body:

1. Assigns the school to one of eight ‘headteacher groups’ on the pay range, based on the number of pupils in each key stage of education and the number of pupils with special educational needs  at the school (together, these two figures make up the school’s ‘total unit score’).
2. Within the school’s ‘headteacher group’, decides on an indicative pay range for the headteacher’s pay, taking into consideration the responsibilities, challenges, and recruitment and retention issues associated with the headteacher position at the school.
3. Decides on the individual pay for the headteacher within this pay range, based on his / her skills and experience.
4. Sets the pay ranges for deputy and assistant headteachers in accordance with the level set for the headteacher. These pay ranges should only overlap with the headteacher’s pay range in exceptional circumstances.

Normally, the pay range for a headteacher must not exceed the maximum pay of the headteacher group assigned to that school. However, where the governing body determines that circumstances specific to the role or candidate warrant a higher than normal payment, it may increase the pay range for a headteacher by a maximum of 25% above the headteacher group. In exceptional circumstances, the governing body may increase the pay range beyond this but, before doing so, it must seek independent external advice and support its decision with a business case. Factors such as the context and challenge of pupil needs, high levels of complexity and challenge, and additional accountability are taken into account when an increase is being considered.

The school governing body also considers annually whether or not to increase the salary of members of the leadership group. The decision whether or not to award pay progression must be related to an individual’s performance (see the subheading ‘Performance management’ below).

For more detailed information regarding leadership group pay, see pages 9-17 of the STPCD.

Working time and holidays 

Although headteachers, deputy headteachers and assistant headteachers are not covered by the provisions which set out the number of days and annual hours that a teacher must be available for work, they are entitled to a satisfactory work–life balance. Headteachers have a responsibility to have regard to the need for their staff, including deputy and assistant headteachers, to achieve a satisfactory work–life balance. School governing bodies have a similar responsibility, under The Staffing of Maintained Schools (Wales) Regulations 2006, as amended, in respect of the headteacher.

Continuing professional development 

Leadership and continuing professional development form an important strand of Education in Wales: Our national mission- the national plan for education 2017-2021. Launched in September 2017, the plan sets out how the school system will move forward over the period. It includes objectives to:

• develop a high-quality education profession, which is led by education professionals who have an intellectual and practical understanding of education leadership
• ensure that inspirational leaders are working collaboratively to raise standards, by helping teachers to improve through effective collaboration, innovation, professional learning, and opportunities to provide professional leadership to others
• establish a new National Academy for Educational Leadership to identify, support and inspire leaders across the system.

Established in May 2018, the National Academy for Educational Leadership (NAEL) is working with partners across the system, to provide strategic support for those in current leadership roles and encouragement and inspiration for those who wish to pursue a leadership career in education. NAEL’s core objectives are to:

• ensure the availability of programmes and provision to support leadership development and, where there are gaps, commission suitable provision
• assure the quality of the available provision via a process of endorsement
• promote the use and accessibility of leadership research and national and international best practice
• offer support and advice on leadership career pathways
• create a community of peers and offer information and advice.

The first two programmes endorsed by the NAEL are:

• Leadership Development Provision for Experienced Headteachers
• Leadership Development Provision for Acting Headteachers and New to Headship

Further details of the endorsement timeline are available on the NAEL website.

Further information is given in an In Briefarticle from the National Assembly for Wales Research Service, 17 May 2018.

The development of Education in Wales: our national mission and the NAEL follows on from the ‘New Deal for the Education Workforce’ (2015) and Qualified for Life (2014).

The New Deal for the Education Workforce aimed to support the professional development of headteachers, teachers and support staff by ensuring access to high quality professional development throughout their careers. The New Deal included:

• a review of the 2011 professional standards for education practitioners which resulted, in September 2017, in the launch of new Professional Standards for Teaching and Leadership
• the introduction of a Professional Learning Passport by the Education Workforce Council (EWC), as a tool to record professional development, and to facilitate the planning of and reflection on continuing professional development
• the introduction of a professional learning model that includes: 
  • coaching and mentoring 
  • reflective practice 
  • effective collaboration 
  • effective use of data and research evidence

Qualified for Life aimed to develop a self-improving system and involved leaders of education at every level working together in providing mutual support and challenge to raise standards in all schools.

Performance management 

Deputy and assistant headteachers and headteachers must participate in performance management under The School Teacher Appraisal (Wales) Regulations 2011, which came into force on 1 January 2012.

The annual performance review is a formal opportunity to recognise achievements and, if necessary, to discuss areas for improvement and professional development. For headteachers, the review is conducted by an appraisal panel, which must comprise at least two governors and may include one or two local authority appointed representatives. The review is recorded in an appraisal statement, which must include a recommendation on whether to increase the headteacher’s salary.

In discussing and agreeing headteacher objectives, the appraisal panel should be informed by the progress the school has made against national averages, similar schools and prior attainment. The panel should also take into account, in establishing objectives for future improvement, the governing body’s responsibility for considering the headteacher’s work-life balance. Welsh Government guidance summarises the performance management process for headteachers on page 7:

‘Performance management involves both the appraisers and the head teacher working together on ensuring that objectives are discussed and agreed; on the head teacher receiving regular and objective feedback from the panel; on the panel ensuring, where necessary, that the head teacher has access to provision of adequate coaching, training and development; and on a formal annual performance review’.

Professional standards for leadership provide a framework against which to identify performance management objectives and activities for headteachers. New Professional Standards for Teaching and Leadership were introduced in September 2017 for use by all schools and headteachers from September 2018.

Professional development activities must be recorded in a practice, review and development (PRD) record. The core purpose of this document is to evaluate professional development experiences and to assess their impact on current practice and on outcomes for learners. It also provides the framework for future planning. The PRD record is regularly updated and forms the basis for discussion during the annual performance management cycle.

Article last reviewed April 2021.