A Headteacher is the leader of a school. They help shape the school's vision and culture, as well as its success by following educational policies imposed by government bodies, ensuring the UK English National Curriculum is taught, hiring and evaluating teachers, managing all staff, ensuring pupils are kept safe and protected, and overseeing the school's finances. Headteachers, also referred to as Headmasters or Headmistresses, must be organised, adaptable, and possess strong interpersonal and communication skills to successfully engage with staff, students, and parents, as well as regulatory bodies.
A Headteacher is arguably the most important role within a school. They lead and manage the school, set its vision, and form a positive environment for pupils and staff, while also acting as the main point of contact for regulators. The Headteacher is a role that can make a direct difference in the lives of their teachers and pupils, helping to shape their lives and those around them.
Successful Headteachers need a deep understanding of education in the UK and ample teaching experience. Other skills are needed, including communication, leadership, and adaptability, like with other teaching roles - but at a deeper level as you’ll be managing an entire school. There are several qualifications that can help you obtain or improve these skills - Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) is essential for becoming a teacher and the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) aims to teach you what you need for a Headship role.
Since you’ll be acting as the face of the school, you’ll need to be in touch with parents and regulatory bodies, including Ofsted and the Department for Education (DfE). You can expect long days and plenty of stress, but if you enjoy teaching and want to make a real difference, a Headteacher role is perfect.
Responsibilities
A Headteacher is responsible for the running and management of all aspects of a school. The main responsibilities include the following:
Lead the school and outline its vision.Headteachers are required to set out their school’s vision and goals, implementing all policies required by regulatory bodies in the United Kingdom like the Department for Education (DfE), and identifying areas for improvement and making and delivering plans to do so.
Manage teachers and other supporting staff.Headteachers must interview and hire teachers and other school staff, and provide them with all of the support they need to ensure they can perform their duties in teaching pupils. They must also monitor teachers and create a positive work environment.
Ensure pupils are taught and kept safe.One of the most important aspects of being a Headteacher is ensuring that safeguarding policies are followed and that children are kept protected while in school. Headteachers must also set expectations for student behaviour and aid in their educational development by ensuring teachers follow the English National and unique school Curriculum.
Manage all financial aspects of the school.The Headteacher must manage school finances, ensuring that resources are allocated appropriately across the school. If needed, Headteachers must also work to seek additional funding and resources to help the school and teaching.
Communicate with staff, pupils, and more.A huge responsibility for a Headteacher is communication. All Headteachers will need to effectively communicate with their staff and pupils, as well as parents and regulatory board members like Ofsted.
Key skills & traits
Successful Headteachers must possess a range of skills to help them. Some of them include organisation, communication, leadership, and organisation, amongst others.
Leadership
Strong leadership skills are necessary for anyone looking to become a Headteacher in the United Kingdom. You’ll need to be able to make informed decisions and inspire and lead the school to ensure a positive environment for students and staff alike.
Communication
An essential part of being a Headteacher is communication with staff, students, parents, and members of regulatory bodies like the Department for Education (DfE) or Ofsted. You’ll need to be able to explain ideas and school policies, listen to and discuss concerns, resolve issues, and be comfortable speaking publicly when addressing assemblies and groups of people.
Adaptability
Like most roles in education, Headteachers will need to be highly flexible to adapt to changing policies, challenges, and technologies, including any issues that involve pupils. Being able to remain calm under pressure will help tremendously.
Management
Headteachers will need to have strong management skills, as the role requires you to manage all aspects of a school, including its teachers, support staff, pupils, and the day-to-day running of the school.
Strategic Thinking
A great skill to have as a Headteacher is the ability to be strategic. This will help you set short and long-term goals for your school, solve problems as they surface, and hone your ability to make informed decisions based on analytics and self-research.
Educational Knowledge
A hugely important skill to have is knowledge and expertise in education. Headteachers will need to understand the National English Curriculum to ensure that pupils are taught to the UK Government’s standards. They should be able to effectively analyse student and teacher performance to find areas for improvement.
Organisation
Headteachers should be highly organised to help them with time management and to balance administrative duties, leadership responsibilities, and the day-to-day interactions with staff and pupils.
Basic IT Skills
Some responsibilities as a Headteacher require you to complete administrative duties, particularly when managing the school’s finances and other items. Possessing basic IT skills is essential, while being advanced in IT can help streamline operations and enhance school learning.
Education & qualifications
The majority of Headteachers spend a lot of time working as a teacher before progressing in their career. This means that anyone looking to take on this role must possess all basic teacher requirements, which include achieving Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), a degree, and general GCSEs, as well as lots of teaching and senior management experience and a National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH).
Lifestyle
Head-teaching is a demanding job, often with long hours, lots of responsibility, and a challenging work-life balance. Despite this, the role is incredibly rewarding and fulfilling, particularly for those who want to make a difference.
10%
Remote Suited
While some responsibilities as a Headteacher can be done at home or remotely (such as completing general administrative duties), you’ll need to be present at the school to interact with staff and students and to create a positive environment, which means there are limited remote working opportunities.
80%
Stressful
Similar to most jobs in teaching, a Headteacher is responsible for maintaining standards and for the success and running of a school, which means handling all aspects of the school and leading it to meet all goals - all whilst being accountable to Governmental officials, parents, and education regulatory bodies like Ofsted.
20%
Work Life Blance
A majority of Headteachers work long days, starting early and finishing late similar to other teachers. Many have also spoken about having to take work home with them, leaving limited personal time, although some Headteachers have highlighted the importance of self-care and a requirement to delegate tasks to support staff for an improved work-life balance.
While stressful and incredibly demanding (even more so than ordinary teaching jobs), most Headteachers find the job incredibly enjoyable and rewarding due to their ability to make a difference for pupils, parents, and their staff while paving the way to educate younger generations.
60/hrs
Weekly
Headteachers report working between 35 and 60 hours per week, with the number changing on a frequent basis depending on what work and meetings Headteachers will have.
Salary data
The average salary for a Headteacher in the UK is £75,000 before tax. New Headteachers should expect to make around £65,000, while senior teachers can earn a salary of £87,000 or more.
£65,000
Entry
£75,000
Average Salary
£87,000
Senior
£65,000
Entry
£75,000
Average
£87,000
Senior
Career path
Prior to working as a Headteacher, you may take on a Deputy Headteacher role or other leadership positions within a school. Beyond that, as Headteachers are seen as the most senior position within a school, you can move onto roles overseeing multiple or specialist schools, acting as an advisor, or helping in the regulation of schools.
Deputy Headteacher
Before becoming a Headteacher of a school, you’ll probably spend ample time as a Deputy Headteacher - a role which requires you to support the Headteacher in their leadership, goals, and managing staff and pupils. You’ll also work to stand in for the Headteacher when required.
Headteacher
With experience both as a Teacher and a Deputy Head, you have enough experience to become a Headteacher - the highest position in the school. The responsibilities of a Headteacher (such as dealing with legislators and financial matters) may be complex and quite different from teaching; for this reason, exposure to them as a Deputy Head beforehand is valuable, and generally a prerequisite.
Regulatory Positions / Charity and Non-Profit Roles
After becoming a Headteacher, you can consider taking on a position within a regulatory board, such as becoming an Ofsted Inspector or possibly become an advisor for the Department for Education due to the transferable skills and knowledge needed in these positions. Anyone who enjoys the direct impact teaching makes on pupils and the wider community could look into obtaining jobs in charities and non-profit roles with Save the Children UK, Teach First, and others. Many charities have educational director roles or are in search of leadership, which Headteachers should have the skills and experience for.
As a Headteacher is the highest position in the school, career changes are likely to be lateral - there is no natural role to be 'promoted' to. It is also worth remembering that generally one will need many years of teaching, training and experience to become a Headteacher, so the position is usually reached towards the end of a career.
With that said, a having been a Headteacher someone may move into a regulatory or charity position. They may also work towards publishing books and educational resources, working as a speaker at conferences, or offering private tuition.
History of the profession
Although teaching has been around for some time, a Headteacher’s role roughly dates back to the 6th century - although at this time many roles had different names. Let's explore how teaching and Head-teaching have evolved since medieval times.
500 - 1500
Religious and Charity Schools
Between 500 and the 1500s, the majority of England’s schools were part of the Church: Grammar Schools taught Latin and Song Schools trained singers for cathedral choirs. Education took place in churches, cathedrals, and monasteries, and during this time Headteachers were usually monks or priests who taught pupils and managed the school - which was easier due to the smaller number of pupils when compared to schools of today.
1500 - 1900
Thomas Arnold and the rise of Head-Teaching
Education changed dramatically between the 16th and 18th centuries, as individual grammar schools - notable examples include Eton and Winchester - were established and the first formal Curriculum was introduced in the mid-1500s. Throughout all of this, Headteachers worked to shape the elite education system, and in the late 1800s, Headteachers became more prominent as schools with working-class needed senior management. Finally, famous Rugby School Headmaster Thomas Arnold introduced reforms in the mid-1800s that emphasised discipline and leadership; many other schools followed suite.
1900 - 1950
Supporting the Headteachers
During the early 1900s, the 1902 Education Act or Balfour Act established Local Education Authorities to oversee education and to improve funding to schools for better support for Headteachers, particularly as education became compulsory for children and Headteachers took on more administrative and leadership duties, rather than teaching. Women also began entering the Head-Teaching profession, but were initially relegated to leading girls’ schools or working in primary schools.
1950 - 2000
The Modernisation of Head-Teaching
The 1944 Butler Education Act restructured the school system, leading to the founding of Primary Schools, Secondary Schools, and Further Education). This meant that Headteachers were pushed to take on larger, more diverse schools of pupils while also implementing Curriculum changes (The English National Curriculum was introduced in 1988) and taking on the additional responsibilities of monitoring their students’ academic performance. By the end of the 1990s, Headteachers also took more responsibility for budgeting and financial management.
2000 - Present
Headteachers of Today
Today, Headteachers are looked upon as the leaders of schools and are responsible for running all aspects of school. The role hasn’t changed much since the turn of the century, but Headteachers now have more access to technology than before. As well as using it to their advantage, they must handle the challenges it brings, such as cybersecurity, online safety, AI and more.
Reviews
Hearing from other Headteachers may be one of the best ways to figure out whether a career in Headteaching is right for you. Take a look at the reviews that fellow Headteachers have left below.
Headteacher
Joan
It’s stressful, but also liberating that you’re the one setting the tone for the whole school, rather than following someone else’s path. I’m primary, which is obviously different to the role of secondary Headteacher. Of course it’s hard, but what job isn’t?
💰£78,000Annual salary
💼45Weekly hours
🏝️0%Remote suited
🤷♀️90%Stressful
⚖️30%Work life balance
London Headteacher
Victoria
I’m a Headteacher. It’s pretty hectic and I don’t have a great senior leadership team at the moment, so I’m picking up way more than I should. However, I find it satisfying overall, and there are lots of things I still want to do in the role.
💰£70,000Annual salary
💼47Weekly hours
🏝️10%Remote suited
🤷♀️70%Stressful
⚖️40%Work life balance
Assistant Headteacher making a change
Laura
I’m an Assistant Head and get to make a real change that can positively impact our school community. I’m spending less time teaching, but I’m more available to support my colleagues and students. It was an enjoyable experience, which I don’t regret.
💰£82,000Annual salary
💼50Weekly hours
🏝️10%Remote suited
🤷♀️80%Stressful
⚖️30%Work life balance
Reviewing your career on Focus can help others decide whether being a Headteacher is right for them. If you’re a Headteacher or previously worked as one, please consider leaving a review using the link below. It doesn’t take long and you’ll be improving the lives of others.
Similar careers
The following careers are closely associated with a Headteacher. You will have either worked in these roles before or will spend a lot of your time managing them or working beside them.
If you want to learn more about being a Headteacher, we’ve compiled several resources that we think can help and prepare you for the career. Check them out right here.
Article
AI headteacher appointed at UK boarding school
An interesting article that discusses how a Headteacher at a UK boarding school employed an AI to help him with his duties - can be handy for anyone looking to take on a Headteaching role as AI can help with basic duties. Also describes how students use AI too, showing how the school takes on more advanced approach to tech.
Leadership in schools - The attributes great headteachers need
An article that discusses the type of key attributes Headteachers will need to possess in order to successfully run a school. There are some handy tips here for anyone starting their career as a Headteacher.
A podcast by Headteacher Paul delves into the world of being a leader at school. It features interviews with other school leaders, including Headteachers and Inspectors. Can be handy for anyone looking to take on a Head role who wants to learn more.
The Headteacher Update Podcast is a series that offers advice and tips and hosts discussions with teachers and school leaders that are handy for leaders. It mainly focuses on Primary Schools, but Heads in other schools will still find a use for it.
Drew Povey, the Headteacher in the Channel 4 series Educating Manchester, offers some sound advice for upcoming or new Headteachers. They can be great tips for anyone who is serious about leading a school.
A video produced by Teach First - an organisation that helps prospective teachers gain the qualifications needed to teach - that interviews Headteacher Pete as he covers his journey from becoming an “uninspired teacher” to becoming a Headteacher at Arnold Academy.
Brilliant Head Teacher: What you need to know to be a truly outstanding Head Teacher
Iain Erskine discusses the qualities and skills required to become a successful Headteacher in the United Kingdom, and offers some tips on how you can work with others to achieve your goals, help the wider school, and make a positive environment for learning.
How to be a Brilliant Primary School Head Teacher: A simple, practical guide to leading a primary school for the very first time
This book by Gary Nott provides readers with practical advice and encouragement from a Headteacher. It offers strategies and ideas for anyone who is new to being a Primary School Headteacher or looking to move into the role.
Headteachers can move on to lead schools in specialised matters or subjects, or you can try your hand at leading unique types of schools. You’ll find some examples of specialism below.
Regulatory bodies
While working as a Headteacher, you’ll have to work alongside several regulatory bodies. The two most prominent are Ofsted and the Department for Education (DfE). You’ll also have to work with other organisations involved in teaching, including the Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) and the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA). Learn more about them here.
