The role of the head of school in teacher training

Abstract

What the Head of a school does is a vast exercise of control which permeates every aspect of school life. There have been countless descriptions and analyses of his/her role, duties and responsibilities but they all end up by defining leadership as a very complex process. At present there is much interest in Burns' transformational and transactional categories which define Heads as either persons with a vision for their schools, concerned with values and beliefs and intent to committing others to them, or those who have their feet on the ground and are very much concerned with the day to day running of the school. While these categories are helpful in classifying Heads as transformational or transactional leaders, they do not capture the character and nature of leadership in action for they are too abstract and omit "the rigorous quality of headteachers at work." These categories are based on a false sense of separation for Heads do both things simultaneously. Heads may perhaps be better described as instrumental and expressive leaders for they can define a task and accomplish it while not driving at it relentlessly without keeping in mind the pastoral, human factor of teachers and students for in the end, "schools are not machines but social systems." Teacher training is just one item on the agenda of the school calendar. However, it is a fascinating one as here the Head finds scope to exercise his faculties in his fields of operation, namely:- a) the educational field, through which his personal philosophy of the school becomes manifest by means of the ethos he sets his school, while exercising control over the curriculum; b) management, in the sense of exercising leadership as well as taking into account human relations and practicing pastoral care; c) the conceptual and operational field, which means that he is able to start initiatives, motivate persons towards them and be aware of staff-development; d) external relations, in this case, mainly, the University, but also the community (parents) and the Education Division. Teacher training is not the sole responsibility of the Head but he can contribute, to a large extent, to make it effective. Preparing future teachers is an onus which falls upon all in the educational field, but the position of the Head is a crucial one as, once teaching practice starts, and, indeed, while it is being planned, much depends upon him to make it profitable to all concerned teacher trainees, established staff who come into contact with them, pupils/students, and tutors. It is an exercise which could revitalise a school and its teaching methods if it is organised and controlled. It is the Head who, in what follows, is frequently identified with the school, who has to do this. So, one has to ask, what should a Head's philosophy of training teachers be, and how is he set about it, given that he is to work with "externals", namely the University tutors?