Do you believe that being a headteacher is an all-or-nothing position? Or can flexible working be effective for those in the top job? Neil Renton describes headteacher Mike Roper’s flexible working insights…
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I sit next to Mike, poised, ready to deliver a webinar on the mindsets of leaders towards flexible working.

We make for a unique pairing. Me, a headteacher five years into their first headship, and Mike, who is very experienced – and who is now working flexibly.

My mind is wandering, thinking about the impending school holidays and the long list of flagged emails. Mike looks focused and ready to tell his story and reveal the benefits of his new approach to work.

In 2019, three quarters of surveyed teachers reported that they would be more likely to remain in the profession long term if they could work flexibly (DfE, 2019). But could this work for headteachers?

Mike has been a teacher for 34 years and a headteacher for 14 years. Currently in his second headship, leading a large inner city (11 to 18) secondary school, he has started to flex.

Since September 2023, Mike has been working four days a week and plans to drop to three days a week from September 2024.

Our webinar began and Mike told his story.

 

Neil: What was the turning point?

Mike: Twelve months ago, speaking with my PA, I was referring to another colleague as a “workaholic” and the negative culture this approach had on their team.

My PA responded: “.. but Mike you’re a workaholic! You never stop, you arrive early at work and leave late and your schedule is back-to-back every day.”

The demands of the job were increasingly taking their toll. My weekends were becoming nothing but recovery days.

During summer holidays, I couldn’t start to truly relax until the end of the second week. I then started to think about GCSE and A level results. In reality this gave me one-week “school-free” to focus on my family.

I realised that, since becoming a headteacher back in 2010, I had rarely been truly present at home and my family had suffered from not having dad around.

I recognised that my working pattern needed to change.

 

Neil: How did you make the change to flexible working as a headteacher?

Mike: I had already agreed with my chair of governors that I would retire in 2025 and therefore we agreed on a two-year phased retirement plan.

I had a brilliant deputy head who would be looking for headship in the next few years and if I planned my flexible working correctly, I could provide him with an excellent CPD opportunity to learn the ropes.

The first step was to secure the support and agreement of my deputy and governors. I explained that this was a succession plan well worth investing in.

I have always believed in transparency, so we agreed to share the plan with staff, providing clarity and certainty for the school in the coming years.

The support from the governing body was essential in making this happen. They turned the succession planning into one of my appraisal targets for the year – this was now going to happen.

 

Neil: What have been the benefits?

Mike: I leave school every Thursday afternoon by 4:30pm and Friday is my day off. I always have the day planned to prevent the overspill of work. In terms of my health, I am less tired and my mental health has improved significantly. After 34 years of full-time work, I have worked out what activities support my mental health. I invest my time into these.

For school, my leadership has evolved. I have to lead even more effectively through others – they are working when I am not. Flexible working has forced me into a model of distributed leadership and, ultimately, passing responsibility to my deputy and senior team. Trust is certainly a performance amplifier.

Headteachers set the rhythm of the school and my flexible working has put down a marker of what is possible here. In the past 12 months, the proportion of staff on part-time contracts has risen from 22% to 33% (including senior leaders and five curriculum leaders). I think our approach to flexible working helps us to retain great colleagues, and encourages others to join the school.

 

Neil: How does it work practically?

Mike: The key to this new working pattern operating effectively for our school was open communication. Staff are fully aware that on a Friday my deputy is in charge and we have amended his job title to clarify his status. I have always tried to be transparent with my senior leadership team and governors, but throughout this year this has been even more crucial to the smooth running of the school.

I regularly remind myself that this new approach is equally about providing “on the job” CPD for my deputy and therefore regular meetings and discussions have been essential.

In terms of meetings, I meet regularly throughout the week with my deputy and I consult him on any big decisions. We also meet on Thursday afternoon for a handover meeting and then first thing on Monday morning for a debrief. In addition, my deputy joins me for the weekly meeting with my chair of governors – this keeps everyone in the loop.

At a practical level, we have made it work. Although I check my emails throughout the weekend, there has only been one occasion all year where my deputy has felt the need to call me on a Friday. This is credit to him and the rest of our team.

 

Shifting mindsets

Mike’s story challenges us to think about our own mindset towards flexible working. In the interviews with school leaders recorded by the DfE research already cited, most felt that flexible working arrangements were incompatible with leadership roles (including their own). This research is even more sobering in the context of the fact that a quarter of headteachers leave the profession after five years (NAHT, 2022).

Mike talks openly about his surprise at the reaction from other headteachers when they hear about his story. He is inundated with questions on the webinar about how he has made this arrangement work, and the benefits of flexing.

I wonder how many headteachers are leaving the profession after a certain time simply because they believe it is an all or nothing situation? Are new leaders missing out on wisdom and guidance from their predecessors? Could we create conditions where flexible working operates at many levels throughout schools?

Mike’s strategy helps develop the next generation of leaders, promotes his wellbeing, and retains his expertise for just that little bit longer.

Mike’s approach shows us what is possible when we think more creatively about how we work. Maybe it is time to use our imaginations and go even further to figure out ways to make flexible working a viable option in schools.

  • Mike Roper is the headteacher of Allerton Grange School in Leeds. Neil Renton is headteacher of Harrogate Grammar School in North Yorkshire, part of the Red Kite Learning Trust. He is the author of the recently published New School Leader: What now? Read his previous contributions to SecEd, via www.sec-ed.co.uk/authors/neil-renton

 

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