Helen Chesters, talks about joining Sheffield as a Lead Headteacher
Helen took up her Lead Headteacher post in September 2008. She is currently acting as substantive head for two days a week at Abbey Lane Primary School and works alongside leadership teams at two other schools, one of which is in special measures. In addition, she is drawing up a leadership strategy and an induction scheme for new heads in Sheffield.
“I was attracted by the role because it combines the best of both worlds. It’s very much a hands-on approach, with aspects of headship and an aspect of local authority advisory work.”
Helen, who performed both roles in her previous authority, was keen to continue using her skills in headship and advisory areas. The Lead Headteacher role offered her that chance.
"The Lead Headteacher role offers the opportunity to contribute to sustainable improvement across the city. Lead Headteachers can ensure that schools maintain the capacity to improve, share models of good practice locally and also act as networks between schools. I like the fact that there is a long term commitment in Sheffield. It’s not just a question of fire-fighting or being an interim head for a while and then moving on somewhere else. It’s not about quick wins – though they are important. It’s about creating a situation where a school has the capacity to improve, even when you have gone.”
Helen found out about the Lead Headteacher role from a colleague in Doncaster, where she was working on school improvement, and rang Navigate for more information. “It sounded really exciting and I went along to an open forum (at a Sheffield hotel) to meet the team involved.”
The forum was an ideal opportunity to find out more about Sheffield, about the educational context in which Lead Headtechers would be working and about plans for the future. It was also a perfect chance to get to know the people she would be working with. “They were very open and honest and made it clear that you would have to be very flexible. You might move around a lot or be a substantive head somewhere for up to a year or more. But there was no pressure on you to commit yourself there and then.”
One follow-up call later and Helen applied for the role – but there were still opportunities to ask more questions. “It’s a big decision, when you have a job already that you are happy doing – but in the end it was such an exciting opportunity.”
She adds that the whole process, from her initial call to accepting the post, took just over a month. “It didn’t drag on – but, on the other hand, I never felt I was being pushed.”
Now, over a year later, she has no regrets. She says the role is challenging but stimulating and that there is plenty of support available from the team at Sheffield.
“I am enjoying it, yes!”
For more information about Lead Headteacher opportunities in Sheffield, please call Trudy Searle, Adam Brett or Phil Watt at Navigate on 0844 800 5300 or register for further updates.
