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Friday 9 January 2004

Head teacher famine result of initiative overload says NUT

Commenting on Professor John Howsons 19^thannual survey of senior staff appointments*, John Bangs, head of education atthe NUT, said:

These figures are a clear sign that thejob has become much more pressurized with the demands on heads becoming moreunreasonable. The stress levels involved are making becoming a head teacher anunattractive career path.

In the great debate over bureaucraticburdens, the Government has failed to reduce the impact of its own initiativeson heads. Instead it has increased them.

If the Government really wants to end thefamine of suitable applicants, it must pull back on its enthusiasm for constantdisruptive change.

EN D PR.02/04

• Prof Howsons study shows an increase from 15 per cent to 26 per cent in the re-advertising of head teacher posts for secondary schools between 1993-94 and 2001-02 and an increase from 19 per cent to 32 per cent between 1993-94 and 2002-03 for primary schools.