From time to time, I’m asked what the hardest part of my job as a Principal is.
There are a number of candidates for this position…
The teaching should get easier the more years one does it, but it is a part of the role which simply can’t be perfected. Taking pride in ensuring that one seeks new ways to stretch and engage students with the content material which has to be covered requires innovation, nuance and adaptation year on year. Of course, many Headteachers don’t teach, but I simply could not envisage my role without it as a big part of it, and it still takes a great deal of my time, along with the head space required to plan, prepare and offer useful feedback.
Being the leader of a small school does not make the management of staff any easier – in fact, sometimes it makes it more difficult. I’ve always run something of an open door policy, where any staff can feel free to come to me in order to discuss any issues they may have, whether personal or professional. It’s a cliche to call Ealing Independent College ‘one big happy family’ but we’re as close to it as I’ve ever been in any of the schools I’ve worked in. The stability and longevity of staff contribution to the College, to help each other and to go above and beyond for the students tells me that this is the case. It remains, however, a fragile part of the job which can be compromised by poor decision making or poor communication, and I always think deeply of how I can keep staff motivated and committed to the project we are trying to make a success at EIC.
The facets of running the compliance side of the College are another ever-present aspect of my life as Head, though we were able to successfully emerge from an ISI inspection this February. Policies, procedures and systematic evidence all have to be in place to show that we are choosing the right paths and making informed and considered decisions. I was keen to pass on my experiences of having dealt with such pressures at the recent Bellevue Heads Forum, and, remembering Ruth Perry, the importance of wellbeing for Headteachers should still be front and centre of this process. When exacerbated by the current pressures which schools face in funding, recruitment and the isolation caused by the nature of the role, these concerns become even more pertinent. Lurking like a shadow, there is little wonder that nearly half of all school leaders last year sought mental health support.
According to a recent survey, two thirds of school leaders believe that parental complaints have risen in the last academic year, and these can be incredibly damaging emotionally. Thirty percent reported a ‘substantial rise’ in the volume of complaints, while seven in 10 (71%) believe parents and carers are quicker to escalate concerns to the formal stage of the complaints process. To have these described as being ‘vexatious’ is all the more concerning. I have had to deal with such occurrences twice in my time as Principal at EIC – and I’m sure that every Head who has done so would agree that they can make one question whether the effort of devoting oneself to the toil of the role is worth it. The scarring of these events was temporary, and where one maintains conviction that one has taken the right course of action, backed up by supportive staff and governance, character can be built simply by getting through these travails.
From my perspective, the most challenging part of the role is that which stems from student wellbeing, particularly with such a huge amount of pressure on SEND provision, along with the mounting complexities of SEMH throughout the education sector. According to NHS statistics, 1 in 5 children and young people aged 8 to 16 years in England had a probable mental disorder in 2023. This was a huge rise from 2017, when one in 8 had a probable mental health disorder. With this in mind, the role of schools like EIC, where over a quarter of our students have an EHCP, and a similar proportion of our students having an emotional or mental health consideration. The chief area of concern is anxiety. I do not see any of these statistics lowering over the coming years, and the success we have had in offering students a sanctuary in such a challenging current environment heightens our relevance in addressing this situation further.
Extending this point further, and bearing in mind the fact that for many students, the College is their last best chance of successfully getting themselves on the right path in order to fulfil their potential, the hardest part of the job can be when those golden chances are passed up. The College enables a rigorous trial period for any student keen to join, and the hope is, obviously, that this fortnight is successful – that it brings out the best in them and helps them to restore confidence. Whilst seeing a student grasp this opportunity with both hands is perhaps the highest of highs, when it doesn’t turn out, despite every effort to give it the best chance of coming to fruition, it can be a huge disappointment to watch it pass a student by. Sadly, this has now happened for three students at the College this academic year – and it has not been, in any way, for the want of trying. Sadly, it got to the point with all three where there was no other option. Sadly, I don’t think that these students will be the last who won’t quite make it despite the support which we offer.
But that will never stop the College giving chances.
It is in the culture of the College to seek, as far as we can, to offer help to as many students as we can. We are truly inclusive, and the community which we look to welcome students into is, I have no doubt, the right environment where they can thrive – in spite of what has come before.