Strong, spiritual, school leaders are being sought in the Diocese following a recent spate of retirements.
Over ten per cent of the Diocese’s 216 primary and secondary Catholic schools were recruiting head teachers and deputy heads last term.
The Diocese uses a number of methods to reach potential head teachers. The Diocesan Education Service runs courses, some in conjunction with the National College, to help prepare heads and deputies for future posts. There is also a capacity building annual conference for Heads and Deputy heads of the Diocese that takes place every year.
The Education Service encourages Catholic teachers in non Catholic schools to apply for deputy posts first, with a view to progressing to headship. This provides teachers with grounding in the pastoral and spiritual side of school leadership, in preparation for running a school.
The Diocese also recruits a number of head teachers to act as an interim heads. In addition to running their own school interim Heads provide cover at another school in the absence of a permanent head teacher.
Interim Head Teachers
An example of this is Janet Sheehan, Head Teacher of St Anne’s primary school in Whitechapel since 1999. She is also an interim head teacher at Holy Cross primary school in Fulham.
Janet says that although being an interim head can place huge demands on one’s energy, there are several advantages as well.
There includes what Janet calls the “cross fertilisation” between the two schools where the head teacher can bring ideas and good practice and staff expertise from one school into another.
Interim headship also allows a strategic approach to succession planning, whereby Janet focuses on growing and developing her Deputies and managers, freeing them up to attend training and leadership programmes within the diocese.
Sharing her time between schools, creates greater space and demand for the development and initiative of other senior staff and she says people generally “step up to the plate”.
For Janet, her strong Catholic ethos helps her to work across cultures, promoting the importance and value of loving relationships that is at the heart of Christianity.
She says : “Everything we do is motivated by Jesus.“
The pastoral and spiritual side of leadership is an important focus in the recruitment process for Head Teachers.
Josephine Lewis, Deputy Director of the Diocesan Education Service, who is often on the selection panel, encourages school Governors to view Catholic leadership as a vocation.
She suggests that when recruiting a school head, governors need to keep in mind Cardinal Henry Manning’s (1807-1892) emphasis on “the formation of the whole man, his intellect, his heart, his will, character and his soul.”
The needs of every child
Josephine also emphasises inclusivity: “A Head teacher must show a commitment to educating all children.”
“Where a school is ethnically diverse, and where there are children from non Catholic backgrounds, an applicant must be able to meet the needs of every child.“
This inclusive approach is crucial. Educating non Catholic pupils is part of the evangelisation process that provides children with Christian values, preparing them to contribute positively to society.
Head teachers must be able to engage effectively with children and parents from different walks of life, following the example of Christ who ministered to the poor and vulnerable.
