By using evidence from interviews with primary headteachers, this book highlights the most serious problems experienced by primary heads. The management of school finance and premises and relationships with a range of other people involved in the life and work of the school are shown to be recurring historical issues in primary headship.
Drawing on interviews with 70 primary headteachers in the UK, as well as personal experiences, the authors consider problematic aspects of primary headship and how they affect the daily work of primary headteachers, as well as how to deal with them or reduce their impact. They discuss generic problem issues faced by headteachers, then issues in the areas of the assumption of the headship; workloads; relationships with parents, colleagues, and students; and the impact of problems on professional and personal lives. The second section addresses theories that aid in the understanding of the causes and ramifications of problems, including the types of knowledge headteachers need to be able to process; how that knowledge is formed and applied to problem management; organizational micropolitics, symbolism, and value theory; the processes and implications of headteacher succession and socialization; and strategic problem management and the role of reflection. Distributed in North America by Turpin Distribution. Annotation ©2019 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
