New School Leader: What Now?

Leadership is in my opinion a much-overused term in our education system and more often than not conflated with management.  But the role of headteacher is not the one portrayed by the fictional figures found in James Hilton’s Goodbye Mr Chips, Whack-O’s Professor James Edwards or Roald Dahl’s monstrous Miss Trunchbull but one of a highly visible and accountable position in our society. In modern times it is a position holding expectations of a complex array of knowledge and skills ranging from social worker, site manager to educational visionary. 

Yet at its heart is the day-to-day need to work for and with pupils, teaching and support staff and the wider community. And despite the centrality of the role, the way we prepare our teachers to take on the role is open to question. Overnight, a teacher becomes a headteacher. 

Neil Renton’s humble and honest insight into the transition is not one that relies on an academic or philosophical take on leadership, but one that speaks from the heart about the challenges and privileges of starting out in headship. 

This highly accessible and compelling book walks the reader through the mind of a reflective, pragmatic professional stated in refreshingly plain English. This is not only something for aspiring headteachers to read, but for every person engaged in our schools and colleges to help us all to see inside the soul of a dedicated professional starting out in the role of the head of an educational institution. 

In New School Leader: What Now? Neil Renton offers a refreshingly honest and open account of his initial steps as a new headteacher in one of the United Kingdom’s largest comprehensive schools. In doing so he goes a long way to demystify the role of the headteacher. This is not to play down or make this hugely significant position seem somehow easier than it might appear but rather to offer invaluable insight and advice about how to navigate the complex terrain of school leadership. That the book is underpinned by such first-hand professional knowledge and experience make it all the more powerful and purposeful. For anyone with an interest in education and, in particular, those embarking on their first leadership position within a modern day educational organisation, this is essential reading. 

Something happens when you step from being a senior leader to being appointed as headteacher. Everyone tells you it will feel different, but no one can quite explain how. Neil Renton’s book does just that. From its first sentence, it presents the most authentic and powerfully articulated account of the shift that happens inside us as we take on the mantle of head or principal. I like the book’s mixture of candour, values and practical insights. I like its lack of misty-eyed sentimentalism. I like the way it focuses on the details of headship — the interactions with staff, the decision-making process, the skills involved in communicating with clarity and openness. This is no checklist of tricks and gimmicks. It’s a reassuringly honest yet optimistic reminder of the day-to-day reality of one of society’s most important roles: being a headteacher. I thoroughly recommend it.

Leading a school for the first time is a little bit like setting off to sea on an inaugural voyage as the captain of a ship. Few leadership roles give you the privilege to set the course and take daily responsibility for the lives, welfare, and success of so many souls. 

Neil Renton has just been on that journey and has used his sharp and curious mind to continually reflect on the experience and the lessons learned along the way. For anyone aspiring to lead, or who has recently started out on their own leadership voyage, this is an invaluable read that will help counter some of the negative stereotypes that exist about those who lead our schools. 

You won’t find action plans, spreadsheets or checklists of how to make a school ‘outstanding’ in New School Leader, what now? What you will find are insights into establishing the right culture and key lessons about what really matters when you come to leading a school. 

I hope this book will encourage many more principled, generous, and passionate leaders to set out to sea.