Aspiring to Headship? - Wednesday 13 January 2027 (Online)

Course outcomes:

• Explore whether headship could be the right next step for you and consider your own motivations, strengths and development needs
• Gain insight into the role and realities of headship, including its opportunities and challenges, from a serving HMC Head
• Develop an understanding of the pathway to headship, including the application, interview and recruitment process
• Consider the skills, experience and attributes required to lead a school effectively
• Take time for structured reflection: Is headship right for me, how ready am I, and what might my next steps be?

Course Programme: 

Course Leader Biography:

Jill taught for thirty years across six different schools in the UK, state and independent, and she taught adults to GCSE and A level in the evenings for several years.  She was a head for the last ten years of her time in schools.  Since 2010 she has completed a doctorate, researching the transition to headship and written a book about it: 'Making the Leap - Moving from Deputy to Head' (Crown House, 2016) https://www.crownhouse.co.uk/publications/making-the-leap (also now available as an audio book); and carried out an extensive range of leadership development work.  She has given a TEDx presentation on the subject of ‘Take a Second Look: Bring Out the Best in Yourself and Others’: https://www.ted.com/talks/jill_berry_take_a_second_look_bring_out_the_best_in_yourself_and_others and she has published four novels. See her author page:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B01JSM9UXI