Bright Teachers

Teaching, educationand education aides blog

How to make an impression as a new head teacher

As a head teacher coming in to a new school, you may worry about the first impressions you make. You cannot go back and redo first impressions so it is vital that you get it right from the get go. The first term is your time to make your mark and you need to think carefully about what, if any changes you want to make. If you have been bought in to a school to turn it around (following a poor Ofsted report for example) then you may need to come in quite hard and fast making a number of big chances very quickly. You will need to be prepared that this may ruffle some feathers and you will often get the impression that you are not well liked but you need to keep in mind the main focus of the situation.
If the school is currently doing well then it may not be wise to come in heavy handed and make a large number of changes. Instead you may want to evaluate the situation first before deciding what you want to do. Take time to get to know the staff, the children and also their parents as ultimately it will be their support that you need in the future.