Subject leader: role and responsibilities

Get to grips with the nature of the role and the responsibilities of a subject leader, so you can develop an effective model of middle leadership.

Last reviewed on 5 February 2024
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Contents
  1. You're not required to have subject leaders in your school
  2. Example of subject leader duties

You're not required to have subject leaders in your school

It's up to you as a headteacher to decide if your school needs them and for which subject areas.

For example, if you're a small school, you might choose to have subject leaders for some subjects, such as English, maths and science, but not for others. 

Support for your subject leaders

If your school has Whole School membership of The Key, take a look at our deeply practical course for primary subject leaders who are new or feeling new to their role. (Four classes, running live, on Zoom in June and July 2025.)

Example of subject leader duties

The duties may look different in your school, depending on