The decline in applications for headship has been a problem for some time, particularly when it comes to women thinking about taking on the top job in schools. In this post, former headteacher, Sarah Creegan, gives her opinion on why this might be and offers some advice for those contemplating headship to give them a boost of confidence.

What’s holding women back from headship? 

In October ’21, following a Teacher Tapp survey, TES reported ‘women teachers are less likely to see themselves as a head but more likely to aim for pastoral lead roles.’

Here are some other interesting stats, from the School Workforce Census and WomenEd:

• 75% of class teachers and 67% of headteachersare female
• In secondary schools, 34 per cent of classroom teachers are male compared to 60 per cent of headteachers
• The headship gender pay gap in state schools is almost £3000 in favour of… men
• The 8 advisers to the DFE are all…yep, you can fill in the blank! Or blankety-blank, if those stats have got you a bit riled

Obviously, things need to change, both in terms of teachers’ pay and conditions and government recruitment policies. There are some strong female voices in the world of education fighting the cause. Laughology can help too, in Creating a Diverse Workforce, if you’re interested Mr Zahawi?

Supporting heads to be braver

When I was weighing up becoming a headteacher, the biggest ‘con’ on my list was having to stand up in front of a room full of adults and talk… knowledgeably. Give me an assembly hall, several hundred kids and my team any day. But the thought of a room of prospective parents, or governors or fellow heads – no thanks! 

This seems bonkers, considering it’s what I do all the time now, thanks to Presentation Skills training.

Of course, some women have absolutely no desire whatsoever to be a head – and that’s fine. For those who do aspire to be heads, it‘s often self-doubt, irrational ‘wonky’ thinking and imposter syndrome that stop them from going for it. 

These are some of the practical tips and tricks to being brave, founded in psychology and neuroscience, that we share in our training courses. Because being braver is about:

• Calling out any current unhelpful language and behaviours you have
• Rewiring your brain to think differently
• Consciously changing habits so new neural pathways become stronger
• Recognising any fixed mindset thinking and talking back to it with a growth mindset voice

Notice any comparing and despairing

One of the things we’re all pretty good at is making assumptions about other folks and deciding they’re happier, a better parent or better at their job than us. This may or may not be true, but it’s usually underpinned by our own insecurities rather than hard facts.

If you’re pondering a move into headship, you’ll most likely be looking at existing and other wannabe heads and using them as a yardstick. It’s important to recognise when that yardstick has just become something to beat yourself with and FLIP your thinking. 

So:

‘I’ll never be able to have the tough conversations that my current head has.’ 

becomes… 

‘My current head has been having these tough conversations for years, which is why he/ she has mastered the art of getting their message across, whilst making sure everyone is psychologically safe. What can I learn from them?’

Keep things in perspective

As humans, another thing we’re prone to doing is playing out the worst-case scenario in our heads. It’s our brain’s way of trying to come up with a coping plan if things go horribly wrong. Very rarely will the situation you’re imagining happen, but the problem is it’s now in your head, holding you back and stopping you from being brave.

Again, it’s about recognising any feelings-led catastrophic thoughts you might be having about headship and focusing on the facts:

‘What if Ofsted come and fail the school. I’ll be blamed and sacked. I’ll lose my home and my family …’ Whoa, whoa, whoa. You need to stop that runaway horse.

One of the quickest ways is to think of something that makes you laugh, that you enjoy or that you’re grateful for. This reduces the stress hormone cortisol and increases levels of serotonin, which helps you to think more rationally.

The facts are that (at the moment and until the system changes for the better) Ofsted will visit you. That’s all you know… and can control.

Be in control

In life, there are things that are within your control and things that aren’t. There are also things that seem out of your control but actually aren’t.

Looking at the stat about the gender pay gap between female and male heads, you could just think, ‘Well that’s the way it is.’ But it doesn’t have to be.

In 10% Braver Inspiring Women to Lead Education WomenEd’s research shows that ‘only 7% of women in education will attempt to negotiate their initial salary offer, compared to 57% of their male counterparts.’

There are several factors that impact negotiations:

Authority and Credibility

To talk with authority and credibility, you need to understand the confidence loop and have addressed those self-limiting beliefs and negative mind chatter. 

Information

To feel more confident and informed, you need to have done your research and have facts and figures to hand, if needed. One or two tips for improving your memory might help here too.

Emotional control and communication skills

To be able to communicate clearly and effectively, without losing emotional control, you need to understand your own and others’ social and emotional intelligence. 

The great news is all of these leadership skills can be worked on and improved. To find out more, why not book our Negotiation Skills workshop or keynote?

The only other things you need are desire and motivation. And what better motivation than to be head of your own school? Go on…!