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The pace of change for headteachers in England is accelerating.

A raft of incoming adjustments to workforce reform, accountability, curriculum and assessment, alongside the schools White Paper and SEND reforms, places headteachers at the centre of a seismic shift.

Could it be a golden period of headteacher brilliance or lead to untold burnout? What kind of leadership is needed for the climate we have and the environment we want to create?

At a recent networking event, education secretary Bridget Phillipson firmly stated that school leaders cannot do what needs to be done alone, that others must step up and collaborate to create the paradigm shift that is needed for young people.

It is no coincidence that, weeks away from the football World Cup, a TV adaptation of Gareth Southgate’s time as England manager, Dear England, is striking a chord on the privilege that it is to lead. It is a reminder of the weight that leaders’ voices carry and the immense capacity our country has for pride and excellence within an inclusive society.

Yet the weight on the shoulders of school leaders has never felt so present, and obstacles to our collective success appear from almost every direction.

Effective leadership in England has long been anchored in the , which aim to protect decision-making and provide stability and inclusivity. So how do these principles now relate to our current situation?

Accountability

Charged with the herculean task of raising levels of attendance, and powering home-school partnerships and belonging to pre-pandemic levels, leaders have worked harder than ever.

Yet attendance plummeted on the Friday before half-term, as families aimed to beat the rush to get away for the bank holiday weekend.

These are not one-off events, and it is unlikely that accountability measures for schools or families will bring a huge societal change. How, then, are leaders held accountable for this?

Similarly, while evidence of links between socioeconomic background and inspection outcomes has been acknowledged, there is no clear indication of the rebalancing required to take this variation into account.

For heads to have the agency and capacity to weather these storms, others must play their part in changing the climate.

Openness, honesty and integrity

As unions appear to be gearing up for adversarial action over the impact of unfunded pay awards, heads have to make decisions within the budgets they are given.

Any changes made so that schools can live within restricted means have an impact on the communities we serve. There must be integrity and honesty about what we are able to do, what the constraints of the wider economy are and what the impact is likely to mean.

Heads must be supported for the work they are trying to do, and over the likely impact of restricted funding on delivering the collective ambitions for inclusion. We can only do so much with what we are given.

Selfless leadership

Using the Nolan principles, leadership and selflessness prioritise the interests of the school community; schools can provide a centre for social connection and meaning in what feels like a world of increasing conflict and division.

Often the first to see these tensions, schools are expected to find solutions. Both suspension figures and headteachers’ evidence document increased racism, intolerance and violence.

Leaders cite desperation in families living on the margins of a society that purports to be welcoming but sometimes feels anything but. Too often purpose and community are found in darker places outside a wider society where young people can feel excluded and rejected.

Social media offers a voice to many, but increasingly it has been used irresponsibly to inflame tension or division - often by those who should be following the Nolan principles themselves.

In response, doing nothing is not an option. There is a compelling need for allies and partners to magnify the message, and for regulation to remove the rot.

The journey ahead

A schools White Paper celebrating the role of headteachers, rewarding service in areas of need and enhancing conditions of service represents movement in the right direction, but Phillipson is right to highlight that this kind of leadership cannot be achieved in isolation.

Too many leaders will still be using half-term to unwind just enough to reach zero, and never fully recharging. We need leaders at full power, not simply trying to stay afloat.

Competition, conflict and criticism will never secure the shift; all partners and peers must step supportively into spaces where it is hard to work and hard to measure impact.

If we can align on our “true north”, then Nolan-based collaboration and cooperation, across and within sectors, provides the necessary navigation for the journey that lies ahead.

Caroline Barlow is co-chair of the Headteachers’ Roundtable and headteacher of Heathfield Community College and Sixth Form in East Sussex

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