Headteachers' standards: summary

Last reviewed on 10 January 2023
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 45936

Read our summary of the Headteachers' Standards 2020 and find out how you can use them.

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Contents

  1. Overview of the standards and how to use them
  2. Section 1: ethics and professional conduct
  3. Section 2: the 10 headteachers' standards

Overview of the standards and how to use them

Like the 2015 version, the 2020 Headteachers' Standards are non-statutory.

The standards are divided into 2 sections (see below) and cover the full breadth of leadership responsibility within a school.

For most headteachers, all of the standards are expected to be relevant to you. You might meet these through:

  • Your personal attributes and conduct
  • Successful leadership and management of teams and individuals

Interpret the standards for your own individual context, and the context of your school (see more about different contexts below). 

The Headteachers' Standards build on the Teachers' Standards

You're also expected to continue to meet the Teachers' Standards. The Headteachers' Standards lays out how headteachers can meet both: 

  • The requirements of the Teachers’ Standards, and
  • The additional responsibilities of headship 

You can use the Headteachers' Standards to:

  • Self-reflect on whether you're meeting these standards as a headteacher: use our self-assessment tool to get started
  • Identify areas for development
Also in this topic: Professional standards
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