Appointing a new headteacher key to addressing other school issues

What was the issue addressed?

Large budget deficit, unsatisfactory Estyn report and a series of acting headteachers. We also faced a problem of overstaffing and an adviser who attempted to rectify the situation as we did not have a permanent headteacher in place.

What happened?

Overstaffing was difficult to resolve because the LA had tried to resolve the issue by reducing hours instead of reducing staff, making continuity and communications difficult. It was difficult to attract a new head, who needed to be a first language Welsh speaker, and there are simply not enough high-quality candidates.

The governing body had also been keen to appoint a new Chair from outside the community with some experience of education.  This happened and helped when they were able to liaise with the then adviser that we would not be prepared to appoint one of the previous acting heads.

What lessons were learnt?

The key to improvement came when we did appoint an enthusiastic, eager new headteacher with a wide range of experience of different sized schools in Wales and further afield.

The LA also provided some help in financing the termination of staff contracts, as well as adviser and HR support.

Reflections…

Has your school had to address over-staffing issues? What did you do that worked?

Do you know what help the Local Authority or regional Consortium could provide in relation to HR matters?

Have your say…

Have you had experiences similar to these? What do you think about the situation described?