Executive headteacher: role and responsibilities
Understand the role and responsibilities of an executive headteacher and how it differs from the role of a school headteacher.
Contents
There are no set requirements of the role
The role of executive headteacher isn't defined in law, which means it can vary depending on schools' needs and contexts.
An executive headteacher might be appointed where:
- A school is failing or underperforming
- A school hasn't managed to recruit a headteacher or is at risk of closure unless it teams up with another school or schools
- Schools in a locality or town want to adopt a broad-based multi-agency approach to education and child development
- Schools decide to form a partnership or federation focused on improving teaching and learning through shared professional and curriculum development
- A school trust or academy sponsor decides to develop a group or chain of schools
This is explained on pages 3, 23 and 24 of this report published by the National College for Leadership of Schools and Children's Services, now the National College for Teaching and Leadership (National College).
It differs to
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- Accounting officer: role and responsibilities
- Accounting officer vs chief financial officer (CFO): role comparison
- Deputy headteacher (primary): role and responsibilities
- Deputy vs assistant headteacher: role comparison
- Headteacher vs head of school: role comparison
- New headteachers: taking your first steps