Headship Index

NCSL's Headship Index survey ,which measures the appetite for school leadership, shows that over a third (35 per cent) of teachers have their sights set on becoming a headteacher, and one in ten (10 per cent) expect to get there within the next three years.

According to the second annual Headship Index, more than 151,000 teachers now aspire to headship, compared to just over 138,000 at the same time last year.

The Index is welcome news at a time when thousands of ‘baby boomer’ heads are set to retire and suggests that efforts to nurture leadership talent in schools are beginning to take effect.

  • Most teachers reckon that they can now progress to headship more quickly than ever (63 per cent).  An influx of ambitious twenty and thirty-somethings into the profession is boosting ambition levels overall.
  • Two in five (40 per cent) recent recruits want a headship, an increase of two percentage points on 2007.  
  • Ambition is strongest among the under-29s: nearly half (44 per cent) aspire to lead a school, compared with just over a third (37 per cent) in last year’s Index.
  • Serving heads have also stepped up their efforts to bring on younger colleagues. Two in five (42 per cent) teachers say that their own head has inspired them to seek a headship, up seven percentage points on the 2007 figure.

The perception that there is more support for headteachers is also making teachers keener on the job. Among those who aspire to headship, a significant majority (67 per cent) now agree that ‘a lot’ of support is available to heads, up from just over half (53 per cent) in 2007. This support comes in many forms, including moves to build capacity by distributing leadership across senior staff, and the recruitment of School Business Managers to reduce the administrative burden on heads.

The Headship Index is particularly encouraging for primary schools and helps to explain recent figures suggesting that recruitment problems in the sector have eased. Two fifths (40 per cent) of primary teachers now say they aspire to headship, compared to 34 per cent in 2007.

Of the teachers questioned who want to become heads, the motivations remain constant. Almost all (96 per cent) welcome the opportunity to influence children’s lives and nine in ten (90 per cent) say that a headteacher can leave a legacy that goes beyond their school.

For more information, see the full NCSL press release, Headship ambition up by 10 per cent.

The results of last year's Index are also available: