Understandings of middle leadership in secondary schools: a review of empirical research

Bennett, Nigel; Woods, Philip A.; Wise, Christine; Newton, Wendy

doi:10.1080/13632430701606137

Cited by 148 publications

(157 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Two significant tensions affecting subject leaders are first, 'between expectations that [the] role had a whole school focus and their loyalty to their department, and second, between a growing school culture of line management within a hierarchical framework and a professional rhetoric of collegiality' (Bennett et al, 2007). The monitoring of colleagues' work and passing on assessments to more senior colleagues are an example of a situation in which these tensions can emerge (Glover et al, 1998) as classroom observation by middle leaders has been seen by many departmental members as demonstrating a failure of trust and an implementation of a culture of surveillance (Wise, 2001).…”

Section: Background Of Secondary Schools and Middle Leaders In Englandmentioning

confidence: 99%

The System of Middle Leadership in Secondary Schools in England and Its Implications for the Lithuanian Education System

Thorpe

Melnikova

2014

Education in a Changing Society

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This paper explores the system of middle leadership in English schools and its implications for the Lithuanian education system. The paper draws on the findings from original research investigated three areas relating to educational middle leadership positions in education system of England including: the formal organizational role of middle leaders; their school responsibilities and the training and professional development of middle leaders. The paper is sought to use the case of middle leadership in English secondary schools to raise questions and identify implications for Lithuania where choices about the future of education policy and schools and are being considered.

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Section: Background Of Secondary Schools and Middle Leaders In Englandmentioning

confidence: 99%

The System of Middle Leadership in Secondary Schools in England and Its Implications for the Lithuanian Education System

Thorpe

Melnikova

2014

Education in a Changing Society

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“…Another finding was the specific knowledge required to be a successful middle leader. Whilst building on the work of Turner (2006), the need for a combination of articulated and tacit knowledge was exemplified (Bennett et al, 2007). The main basis of authority for middle leaders, it was argued, came from their expertise in their teaching subjects.…”

Section: The Nexus Between Hod Leadership and The Senior Management Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This required the middle leaders to demonstrate and develop exceptional interpersonal skills (Bennett et al, 2007). One of the challenges with this was the view that they were not in a position to monitor or supervise the professional practice of the teachers within the department.…”

Section: The Nexus Between Hod Leadership and The Senior Management Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Restructure within organisations was a foundational way of changing and challenging middle leaders' perceptions about their own practice. As a result, it challenged middle leaders to reflect upon their own behaviour as middle leaders (Bennett et al, 2007).…”

Section: The Nexus Between Hod Leadership and The Senior Management Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These two tensions relate to the expectation that middle leaders have a whole-school role but where they also needed to be loyal to their respective departments. The other tension is that middle leaders mainly work in hierarchical forms of leadership structure and yet there is the expectation that these middle leaders work in collaborative, collegial cultures (Bennett et al, 2007).…”

Section: The Nexus Between Hod Leadership and The Senior Management Tmentioning

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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The impact of distributed leadership on teacher commitment: The mediation role of teacher workload stress and teacher well‐being

Bellibaş,

Gümüş,

Chen

2023

British Educational Res J

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This research aims to investigate the relationship between distributed leadership in a school and teacher commitment, emphasising the mediating roles of teachers' workload stress and teacher well‐being using the Teaching and Learning International Survey dataset 2018 with 47 regions. Structural equation modelling on pooled and separate country samples was used to analyse the data. Results indicate that the impact of distributed leadership on teacher commitment is mediated by workload stress and well‐being across all jurisdictions, with a few exceptions. The study also suggests that distributed leadership is necessary to support teacher well‐being via the lens of their workload, which may lead to an increase in teacher sense of commitment. The results recommend practitioners and policymakers support and sustain the distribution of decision‐making powers among the school community and establish a culture of collaboration and mutual responsibility for the operation of the school. In this way, a less stressful work environment and consequently increased teacher mental and physical well‐being and commitment might be possible.

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Understandings of middle leadership in secondary schools: a review of empirical research

Cited by 148 publications

References 21 publications

The System of Middle Leadership in Secondary Schools in England and Its Implications for the Lithuanian Education System

The System of Middle Leadership in Secondary Schools in England and Its Implications for the Lithuanian Education System

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

The impact of distributed leadership on teacher commitment: The mediation role of teacher workload stress and teacher well‐being

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