Analysing the Role of the Subject Head of Department in Secondary Schools in England and Wales: Towards a theoretical framework

Turner, Chris; Bolam, Ray

doi:10.1080/13632439869565

Cited by 35 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Drawing on their work with HODs in the England and Wales, Turner and Bolam (1998) proposed a model of the role played by the middle leader in leading and managing their departments. Using data from a study of middle leaders in government secondary schools in Victoria, White (2000) extended Turner and Bolam's (1998) model.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

How school leaders perceive the leadership role of middle leaders in Singapore primary schools?

Koh

Gurr

Drysdale

et al. 2011

Asia Pacific Educ. Rev.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

How school leaders perceive the leadership role of middle leaders in Singapore primary schools?

Koh

Gurr

Drysdale

et al. 2011

Asia Pacific Educ. Rev.

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“…There are commonalities between what some researchers consider to be essential for an effective HoD to possess. These areas relate to the HoD's ability to create a sense of a shared vision, developing the members of the department (and being able to manage or lead them effectively), being organised and able to monitor the departmental resources and ultimately focus on the teaching and learning process (e.g., Ainscow, 1996;Busher & Harris, 1999;Glover & Miller., 1999;Harris et al, 1995;O'Sullivan, 1996;Sammons et al, 1996;Turner & Bolam, 1998). This is a rarity given the many ethical dilemmas faced in researching these kinds of contexts (Reynolds, 1996).…”

Section: The Hod and School Effectiveness And Improvementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a study that tried to provide a theoretical basis for the role of the Head of Department in England and Wales, the researchers argued that contingency theory and situational leadership were useful approaches to understanding how subject leaders are able to influence teaching and learning (Turner & Bolam, 1998). The study was based on the premise that the HoD needed to be an outstanding teacher and be well respected by the others in the department.…”

Section: Leadership and Leadership Stylesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Collier et al, 2002;Dinham, 2006;Harris, 1995;Turner & Bolam, 1998) that an effective department is lead by a HoD who is an effective teacher and who leads by example. Indeed, Bennett et al (2003Bennett et al ( , 2007 found that the HoD should be regarded by the teachers within the department as an outstanding teacher.…”

Section: Teaching Expertisementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The review was based on the work of Turner and Bolam (1998) and examined the model of leadership based on contingency and situational leadership that was proposed in their earlier study.…”

Section: Department Meetingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Courage under fire: navigating the head of department role in challenging circumstances

Scott¹

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The Head of Department is caught between department members and senior management which underscores courage and resilience as a middle leader. In many ways, the Head of Department epitomizes the idea that middle leaders are "the meat in the sandwich" (Anderson, Scott, Coates, 2008, p. 12). This study examines the challenges associated with the leadership of an English Department within a regional, non-government school in NSW, Australia. Using the approach of an Institutional Ethnography incorporating a Teacher Self-Study, my role as Head of Department is examined. As Head of Department, I was able to implement a number of actions taken in order to assist with the improvement of the teaching and learning in the Department. These practices include: the development of a Department Handbook; incorporating Faculty Meetings with a focus upon pedagogy and shared practice; developing a collegial culture in the English Department which involved sharing of resources between teachers, classroom visits between teachers and also one-onone conversations; addressing the underperformance of staff; writing and resourcing teaching and learning programmes; building staff morale; and, protecting the English teachers from hindrances to their teaching. The key findings of this study relate to being courageous in managing the performance of staff within the department and being resilient to cope with the loneliness that this created for me in this role. This study also highlighted resilience and courage needed to maintain an effective working relationship with the Senior Management Team. It is this qualitative aspect involved in transforming anThis study found that there were many time pressures on my life as HoD. Teaching and learning responsibilities, pastoral care and co-curricular involvement as well as other duties of the HoD made the role demanding. At the heart of HoD leadership are the interactions with teachers and students on a daily basis. The importance of effective interpersonal skills in the development of a 3 collegial culture within the Department is an important finding in this study. However, as learning is the core business of the school, the HoD needs to be someone of outstanding curriculum and pedagogical expertise. This study shows how a middle leader with strong leadership vision and skills can positively impact a department despite a somewhat negative Senior Management Team operating from above in the school hierarchical approach.4

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A review of research on middle leaders in schools

Gurr

2023

International Encyclopedia of Education(Fourth Edition)

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Analysing the Role of the Subject Head of Department in Secondary Schools in England and Wales: Towards a theoretical framework

Cited by 35 publications

References 7 publications

How school leaders perceive the leadership role of middle leaders in Singapore primary schools?

How school leaders perceive the leadership role of middle leaders in Singapore primary schools?

Courage under fire: navigating the head of department role in challenging circumstances

A review of research on middle leaders in schools

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