“…In school, deputy heads play a critical role in assisting and deputising for school heads, which has implications for the running of the school, since deputies are trusted to execute strategies that are important in realising the school’s visions and objectives (Al-Hazmi, 2010; Brotschul, 2013; Calabrese, 1991; Cheng, 1993; Malika, 2015). However, there remain many aspects of deputyship which have received little scholarly attention (Bukoski et al, 2015; Oplatka and Tamir, 2009; Searby et al, 2017), have attracted few written studies (Jackman, 2009), and are under-researched (Southworth, 1994). Given that the literature focusing on the deputies’ role and capacities is so sparse, despite their roles being deemed essential for school effectiveness (Chagger, 2012; Harvey, 1994a; Oliver, 2013), this topic is deemed worthy of further investigation.…”