You may have developed a strong, distributed leadership model, but as the headteacher, you will be the main spokesperson for your school.
This exercise in public relations – whereby you build a picture of your school with the things you say and the stories you tell – will typically be an unfamiliar experience when stepping into headship.
Strategic thought and time
On the other hand, you may be an experienced headteacher who has served in a school that’s had a relatively settled period. The community knows it, values it, understands it and supports it.
Should you then find yourself moving to a different headship at a school with an altogether rockier history, or one going through a period of transition, this ability to build a positive narrative about your school will be a real asset. As those of us seasoned in school leadership know, it’s a process that takes strategic thought and time.
Another consideration to bear in mind is that you may sometimes be sought out by members of the media for comment. A parental complaint might have made its way into the local press, or some complicated set of circumstances may have led to a risk of reputational damage.
What’s important in the first instance is to invest proactively in your everyday story. What is your everyday story?
Your ‘everyday story’ is what’s being told and discussed about your school each day. This can be done through a multiplicity of media – your own website and newsletters, notifications sent home via ParentMail apps or similar, assorted social media channels, conversations at events, any public talks and addresses that you give.
Use these opportunities to paint the picture you want to paint, since you get to choose the colours. For example, I’m a big fan of the weekly newsletter. I’ve produced mine for some time using Google Slides, in a way that lets the whole team access that week’s newsletter and contribute to it directly.
This kind of cloud-based approach is great, because it lets class teachers provide updates of their own.
Crucially, I also dedicate time to writing something meaningful; something that shines a light on what we value and what we’re aspiring to be as a school.
Communicate the best bits
If, on the other hand, your newsletter starts with a grid of attendance figures, followed by a dreary box about lost property and then a reminder about the need to order school lunches in time, your readers will get the impression of an uninspiring, slightly messy administrative machine.
Instead, open with something celebratory that brings your school values to life – a story about children taking the initiative with a new club. Or some feedback from teachers and students about the impact of some new equipment.
You’ll then be showing your school to be what it is: a vibrant, ever evolving learning community. Seek out other ways of communicating your best bits.
Your website, while undoubtedly a convenient destination for parents needing key information, will actually be viewed more frequently by the wider public. Among those visitors may be prospective candidates for jobs, future families, members of the local press – and potentially Ofsted…
Again, what story is your website telling? Images speak volumes, so make sure your visual language is coherent. Is there a sunny, naturalistic vibe? Or are you going for something more scholarly and sharper? Either is fine, but the more coherent the better.
It’s also worth investing time in pushing out positive news stories to the local press. A ‘bake off’ event may seem trivial, but the effects of your school being written about positively are manifold. Your families will enjoy seeing the coverage, it’ll give you something to share on your social media channels, and many of your school’s neighbours will read local news stories.
As each positive story makes its way out into the public sphere, you’re banking reputational capital. And you’re controlling the narrative.
“Care to comment?”
There are two common scenarios in which you might be asked for a comment as the headteacher of a school, and both need sensitive handling.
The first might relate to something specific to your school, such a parent contacting the local press about something they’re dissatisfied with.
The second might involve someone from the local (or indeed national) press looking for a sector expert willing to provide insight into a key news issue. The rising prices of school trips, for example, or the state of school buildings.
In either case, I’ve found it helpful to observe the following points.
1. You can decline
Remember that you can always say no. If the subject is too hot, or you feel you don’t know enough, politely decline. This is coming from someone who was recently interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, regarding changes to sex education in primary schools. Should I have declined? Possibly.
2. Written or spoken?
Speaking to someone can be much riskier than writing something down. Send in a few written sentences, if that feels safer.
3. Ask for questions in advance
If you’re happy to be interviewed, ask to see the questions beforehand. A radio interview will obviously be somewhat dynamic, and you can’t completely control where the conversation goes – but you can get at least get a sense of what the main thrust will be.
4. Do some research
Have something quantitative on which to ground your position. If you’re commenting on increases in bus fares for your students, get some national data. Know what last year’s percentage was (of whatever it is you’re talking about) so that you can highlight why the current percentage is better or worse.
5. Prepare three things
Be ready to provide three insights that relate to the issue. You might not use them all, but it’s good to have such material to hand.
6. Enlist some support
Your trustees, governors, LA advisors or MAT leads are there to support you. If you’re in a MAT, be aware that they may prefer for their CEO and/or central team to do the talking.
7. Don’t leave a hole for others to fill
If you don’t communicate to the outside world what your school is, or is becoming, you risk leaving a hole that others will fill for you. Dedicating time to telling the story of your school will be time well spent. Own your role here, and be proud of the fact that you get to choose the colours.
Rebecca Leek has been a primary and secondary teacher, SENCo. headteacher and MAT CEO; she is currently the Executive Director of the Suffolk Primary Headteacher’s Association.
