This blog features a recent conversation between Steve Playford, ASCL leadership consultant, and Sarah Holman, Headteacher of
Eggars School, as they reflect on their coaching journey and what it feels like to step into headship in 2025.
Steve poses insightful questions that any new school or college leader should consider as they transition into the role. If you are in the process of starting a headship or preparing for a new headteacher role, we recommend you consider these questions for yourself to gain deeper insights and reflections.
How did you feel when you got appointed and how did you feel the day after?
It was my first headship application and I was really pleased I had risen to the challenge and been true to myself throughout the process. There was excitement when the offer came because deep down, I knew it had gone well and I had a genuine feeling it was the right school and time for me. I felt thankful to the people around me who had given me the confidence to go for it. The next day, I continued to feel elation and pride, but it definitely hadn’t sunk in that I was going to be the head of my own school. For months to come, I would still be a deputy so the lead-in time would be interesting to navigate in both schools.
What are your personal values?
For me, it’s all about the students and their learning. Individuals matter. Success matters. Being your best matters. I value positivity, kindness, togetherness, openness and truth. Empathy is key and professionalism is paramount. It is important to reflect continuously and to know yourself. I don’t like whispering corners, entitlement, defensiveness or self-promotion; I like to see people champion and encourage each other. I am restless when it comes to improvement and ensuring our students have the best experience of school possible.
How will you deal with the emotion of change when stepping up to “Being a Head?
I will need to draw on all the previous experiences I have had of managing change, and remind myself I have done it before, just in different contexts. If I think back on the ways I have had a positive influence on others before now, including my earliest days as a classroom teacher, it will help me lead with confidence. I usually have to give myself a bit of a talking to when the doubt creeps in and thankfully I do have a range of different people around me I know I can connect with in those moments when I need a few words of advice or some coaching questions to help me re-frame the situation. Giving myself permission to think or feel those things, and to recognise that it is completely normal, and okay is half the battle – I am not so good at doing that, but I am getting better at it. Listening to people who have walked the path before me has enabled me to have my eyes open, but the reality is that the only way to find out how to be a head is to be a head!
What things do you need to consider and action in the weeks before starting in order for you to understand and know your school or college?
Settling on the strategic plan and the main priorities takes a lot of thinking time – and you can only really do it by engaging with people, listening, observing and asking the right questions. I sent out a survey to every member of staff ahead of September with four key questions about the school and about them. Reading through the responses has been highly illuminating, enabling me to identify common threads and prevailing attitudes and viewpoints. Talking to as many people as possible and connecting with them really helps. Finding out where the leaders, staff and other stakeholders think the school is at has been fascinating because I come with fresh eyes as a new head. “Tuning in” takes a little time and skill but is worth it.
What might you want to change in the daily routines of the school/college to build your ethos and standards?
There are some quick wins that have been easy to spot and to address immediately. Mobile phones for example and expectations over uniform. I have always believed in the warm but strict approach so I want teachers to be having conversations with students regularly about the standards we have. A new way to communicate with parents weekly will involve them more in school life, and bringing the values of ‘Belong, Aspire, Achieve’ into all our messaging will reinforce our identity as a community.
What leadership processes do you want to change to drive improvements?
One thing I definitely want to do is make sure the line management of the senior team sits with me as the head rather than the deputy. That will help me to get to know my team and to know exactly what’s happening. I will be able to drive the improvement plan effectively through others and learn more about the strengths of my leaders.
What Three Big Things will you want the school to focus on and which are measurable?
If I want to promote the school’s three values, it made sense to link the Three Big Things to them. So, I have brought it all back to the following key areas: Highest Engagement (Belong), Highest Expectations (Aspire), Highest Outcomes (Achieve). This is memorable for staff, and I can define exactly how we measure each one. It was a great mental discipline and formed the basis of the whole School Improvement Plan.
How will you look after your wellbeing in the job?
I need to give myself things to look forward to and be kind to myself. I also need to be disciplined mentally, for example, being agile, keeping a healthy perspective, not personalising things, and storing up the positive emails I get in a separate folder so I can dip into those on more challenging days. Learning how to keep my eyes on the bigger picture and not get too immersed in the detail will be a learning curve for me but once I know I can trust the people around me this should get easier.
There will be a lot of firsts. Have you got a plan for the first day and week of being a head?
Giving some time to thinking about the impression I want to make on Day 1 has been really useful both in terms of staff and students. You only get one ‘first day’ as a head so I want to make sure I speak to as many people as possible, visit every classroom, and start as I mean to go on in terms of my office and how people can approach me. Everyone will be watching me, looking to take their lead from me, observing my every move and interaction. By the end of the first week, I want to have visited the whole site, got my diary up and running and been as visible as possible. I want to have introduced myself to every year group in assembly and taught my first lesson as a teaching head who is not ready to leave the classroom behind just yet.
Key takeaways for new and aspiring headteachers
- Reflect on the emotions of stepping into headship.
- Align your actions with your personal values to build resilience.
- Be proactive in understanding your settings context and its strategic needs.
- Prepare for the challenges of change management.
- Build strong support networks for professional and personal wellbeing.
- Focus on key improvement strategies like attendance, engagement, and outcomes.
Further resources