Co-headship: why we think two heads are better than one

Co-heads Nick Tildesley and Evelyn Holdsworth share the responsiblity of working John Donne primary college in Southwark. Photograph: John Donne

Can you inform us how you came to perform with each other as co-heads?

Evelyn Holdsworth (EH): I was approached to turn into head of a new college to be formed from an amalgamation of two schools. It was a complicated and difficult circumstance. I’d previously accomplished items as a solo head in tough circumstances and had identified that when you work with each other as a two or a team of individuals who have a sturdy, shared philosophy you can deliver about modify in a positive and sustained way much far more swiftly, which was what was needed here.

Nick Tildesley (NT): I was a deputy head in Lewisham but knew Evelyn personally. It all took place by possibility that Evelyn asked if I would like to operate with her. So we had been appointed as a staff to this situation.

What has been the division of labour amongst the two of you?

NT: When we started out off we looked at dividing up specific locations but soon realised it really is also difficult to define like that – and you may define it but folks ignore it. So we really operate together. We have identified that’s the way it worked. 1 of keys is that we like each other. We never sit on the very same seat, but there is a culture and ethos that we share. It’s our selection to try and share on paper and each and every other way the obligation. So the two of our names go on the Ofsted report, that adjustments items.

How have you continued working together as co-heads?

EH: The model of co-heads worked so nicely that we became co-heads of a school called Pilgrim’s Way which had previously been judged as getting at the bottom of all the schools in London. We had designed and began steering the whole model of joint headships.

NT: We had been approached by Southwark Nearby Authority (LA) in 2005. At the time it was becoming run by Cambridge Training and had been given further funding to boost outcomes. Southwark didn’t have substantive heads in a number of schools and asked us to support them recruit some. But as we are constantly somewhat off message, we came up with a various idea that would introduce real sustainability into the system.

So how did you build your concept?

EH: We knew from experience that there was a problem recruiting heads for hard community colleges – it is large risk for younger heads because they have not had the encounter and also for a lot more knowledgeable heads because they are getting asked to place their neck on the line. If you do not be successful it really is not a query of okay, attempt yet again. You have been in charge of a college that is gone into a critical class on your watch – you are out. Number of individuals would recruit you once again, it truly is a higher risk strategy. But we knew there are tons of heads with fantastic skills who desired a challenge but didn’t fancy committing prospective professional suicide. We place an advert out which explained you could perform as pairs, we have been inundated with large-top quality replies. We had been also involved in Nationwide College study into joint headship.

What’s so excellent about the co-head model?

EH: It can be lonely at the leading and I’ve misplaced count of the times I have observed heads struggling in schools. I watch and be concerned and realise that individual is going to be broken and leave training. I see heads on their personal, miles down the wrong path, and think if only you’d had an individual with you this never would never have happened.

Do you the two operate complete time?

EH: Yes. We now each operate complete time at John Donne primary college. Our part right here has been by means of different distinct phases. This was a job share until finally two years ago when we were every spending 50% of our time undertaking operate with the LA and 50% as heads.

Has your co-head part threatened by modifications in the way LAs function with schools?

NT: We are extremely fortunate that our chair of governors has a great depth of understanding about how organisations and colleges work. So the local authority dimension is lessening, but our chair mentioned as long as you can bring globe class educational experiences for the youngsters then it is really worth possessing each of you complete time.

What rewards does the co-head model give you now?

NT: Portion the deal is we operate as national leaders of education and we are a national support school. We are finishing the Ofsted training and supported mentoring of headteachers. Since there are two of us we can model our philosophy that this is really learning local community.

EH: We have received the capability to give our staff remarkable options in instructor development, working closely with, for example, Swedish colleges on leadership and other instructor developmental tasks. I believe joint headship models distributive leadership as effectively. Our staff say what helps make them satisfied is to break new ground and we work on the basis of why not?

Do you often agree with each other?

EH: Not always. But we have a core philosophy. For instance in recruitment we are like minded that we recruit the individual not the abilities, so we look for attitude and philosophy rather than a track record in raising achievement. The greatest teachers and teaching assistants (TAs) are the ones who are truly existing as themselves and have the greatest relationships with the youngsters and then right after that you can much more or less teach anything at all.

How critical are SATs consequence and amounts?

NT: There are young children in this college who are as vibrant as children in personal sector schools. Why should not the inner city young children we teach apply to Oxbridge if they want to? That is sort of what drives us rather than these statutory bits of testing. We get excellent final results, but SATs are an final result, they are not our principal objective.

Our function is to generate initial-class learners and the result is you get really great outcomes. There are distinct methods to that end. Other schools have totally different methods of getting great benefits. We hope to stand out from the crowd, at the second there is a whole lot of talk of driving young children in a linear style, a didactic strategy. We don’t feel that produces good learners.

EH: I went to Brazil 10 many years in the past with the British Council and it was a actual lifestyle changer in all kinds of techniques. The young children we met were from quite bad families and were quite explicit about saying our route to freedom is our training. They couldn’t imagine how we could have any behaviour problems in the Uk since they had been driven by the want for schooling. A lot of of our households who reside in this element of Peckham have come to the United kingdom from other nations for some thing comparable to that. So you feel you have to not let them down underneath any circumstances.

Could you perform alone now?

EH: Speaking personally, I’d never ever be interested in going back and taking on a single headship once more.

Do men and women feel you are married?

NT: The children do. They usually get in touch with me Mr Holdsworth, which is rather humorous! Apologies to Evelyn’s husband.

How can your college afford to have two heads?

EH: We had some governors here the other day from an additional school who asked, how can you possibly afford it? But I’ve acquired to the stage when I think: how can you afford not to? This school has gone from becoming 150 plus undersubscribed to being full with bulge courses, and that alterations your price range, we can bring in whatever we can to the college so it offsets our expenses as properly.

NT: The co-head model is not flavour of the month with the Department for Training. You can’t in fact have two heads so we are a co-headship, a shared headship. Officially there is a single leader at any time in the college and the other time we are undertaking other developmental routines.

How can other colleges consider on this model?

EH: You want a governing body that’s ready to be brave but it is attainable to do and there are plenty of various techniques to do it. You could even have 3 days each with a changeover day in the middle, but for me that is not the greatest since there is as well significantly time when you are not working together. You also want to find an individual you could operate who is interested in a collaborative way of operating.

Additional reading on co-headship

Headteachers that want to uncover out much more about the co-head model could be interested to read the Independent Review into College leadership which Evelyn and Nick contributed to. The entire report is interesting and it truly is really worth searching at paragraphs 19, five.44, five.52, 5.75 and five.76 which Evelyn and Nick come to feel that the co-head model addresses really successfully.

Also see the Hold your head report from the Institute of Schooling.

Evelyn Holdsworth and Nick Tildesley are co-heads of John Donne principal college in Peckham, south London.

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Co-headship: why we think two heads are better than one