Chapter+10

Leading the Creative School - Elizabeth Duffy Headteacher

The theme of the essay is 'the interaction of my sense of myself as an individual and my sense of myself as a professional leader and manager'. Ms Duffy describes her experience as 'falling into teaching' and 'making it up as she went along' - copying others, making mistakes gradually learning to become a teacher. She got good at it, became 'a natural' and went for leadership. Only in her second headship did she really take stock and examine the nature of leadership and vision - how to develop a 'creative' school. In management it was important to see things as a whole and share a vision for how to get from the school's present actuality to a vision and a future reality. Trigger for a change. In her second headship making the ‘vision’ a future reality was hard where the head's word was seen as law. People wanted to know **her** thoughts, **her** ideas, **her** intentions. No one took responsibility or risks all waited for the head to decide. How could she change this? She undertook reflective questioning and research in three areas - her own personal narrative, feedback from principle teachers and feedback from the SMT.

Feedback was interesting and often contradictory

Her own Narrative · Concerned about perceptions about her strengths and weakness · Concerned about the conflict between creativity and accountability to stakeholders · Dealing with difficult staff in a decisive manner ended up dividing the staff · She was a 'born' teacher but questioned if she was a 'born' leader. Middle Management · Came at people like a gattling gun · Knackering people with her energetic desire for change · Could not keep up with her zeal and felt the safety net was taken away · Some liked new professional development but also saw it as an attack on their professionalism Senior Management · Shared her vision for the most part. · Wanted her to stay true to the vision. Strategies · Articulate values more clearly - people liked her ideas but the speed was too much · Draw and set the direction more clearly · Set parameters for the staff · Accept that some would run with you while others would continue at a pedestrian pace- look for the synergy between the two · Personal relationships based on values and principles were essential if the school was to move forward – it bridged the gap between the creative and the pedestrian. · This would create a synergy not cosy complacency but a culture of creative cooperation. Impact <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">· Middle management went from feeling sidelined to be integral in the development planning of the school. They became the forum for decision-making in the school. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">· Evidence came from a professional research team invited into the school.