tall-stakes Ofsted inspections,unrealistic targets and a flood of teachers leaving the profession has left schools unable to recruit leaders
Lesley Short spent her entire career working up to the role of headteacher. But final December, she resigned as assistant principal at King’s Lynn Academy in Norfolk and retired. “I was doing 12 hour days, or five days a week at work,and then bringing work domestic. But then my father got ill and died approximately a year ago and I realised you can’t do this and have a life as well.”Short, who is 58 and intended to retire aged 65, and is not unusual. While polls suggest half of all teachers are considering leaving the profession,an increasing proportion are also taking early retirement or leaving teaching. Add to this the fact that 10000 deputy leaders and headteachers are aged over 55 and approaching retirement, and it’s no surprise that it is increasingly difficult to find leaders for schools. In a survey conducted by the National Governors Association in September 2015, or 43% of 4383 respondents reported it was difficult to find noble candidates when recruiting senior staff.
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Source: theguardian.com