Headteacher

You can get into this job by working towards this role.

Work

You can become a headteacher after working as a teacher in a school.

You'll also need several years' experience as a senior manager or deputy head. You can take professional development training to help with this. For example, by completing the National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership and the National Professional Qualification for Headship .

More Information

Registrations

you'll usually need qualified teacher status (QTS) to teach in a state school in England

Further Information

You can discover more about senior teaching careers from Ambition Institute and Get Into Teaching .

You can also search for jobs through the Teaching Vacancies service.

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

• knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
• knowledge of English language
• leadership skills
• business management skills
• the ability to work well with others
• to be flexible and open to change
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• customer service skills
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

• pass enhanced background checks

Day-to-day tasks

As a headteacher, you will:

• set the school’s values, strategic direction and vision
• work closely with students, staff, parents, governors and the community
• create a healthy and safe space for learning
• develop and monitor the quality of teaching
• use data to track performance and produce reports
• inspire and motivate staff and students
• control school finances and attend meetings, sometimes outside of usual working hours

Working environment

You could work at a school.

There are opportunities to move between different types and sizes of school due to the variety of schools in the UK.

You could also train to be an Ofsted inspector , an education adviser, or become a teacher training lecturer in a college or university.