Heads Up

A network for Headteachers past, present and future

Vision:

All Headteachers are given the permission and support to be the leaders they set out to be.

Mission:

  • To celebrate the skills, experiences and vulnerabilities of school leaders
  • To provide ‘crisis’ coaching support to those HTs being treated unethically
  • To provide guidance and advice to HTs who are unsure of their future career options
  • To highlight the issue of ‘disappeared’ HTs
  • To challenge the systems and organisations that are driving the unethical treatment of HTs
  • To campaign for system wide mentoring and coaching support for HTs free at point of access

We Believe:

  • school leadership is the most challenging and most rewarding job in education.  Never has this been more true than in the last 6 months during the Covid-19 crisis.
  • Headteachers do not get the recognition, positive feedback or support that they deserve
  • Education has become overly focussed on deficit and negativity when there are so many inspirational moments happening everyday, in every school in the country and we are missing them!
  • the application of accountability systems and school performance tables have led to large numbers of Headteachers being ‘scapegoated’ out of education - cliff edge accountability and ‘football manager’ syndrome
  • the time is right to challenge and reframe the perception and treatment of HTs 
  • it is time to celebrate and promote values-led leadership and the emotional intelligences of school leadership
  • if we are to see real cultural shift and progress in the way we educate our young people then HTs should be free to deliver their vision and their strategy for their community

We Offer:

  • someone to talk to at times of crisis - coaching and advice
  • a supportive network of like-minded values-led leaders who can share their successes and concerns without judgement or accountability through access to weekly HeadsUp network Video Call events
  • The time and space to think about a future model of education through regular themed network Video call events and HeadsUp conferences
  • The opportunity to share our stories, anonymously or otherwise, so that we and the system can learn from them
  • Leadership advice and training that focus on the emotional intelligences of HTs and the tools to put this into practice within your organisations