Courage under fire: navigating the head of department role in challenging circumstances

Abstract

The Head of Department is caught between department members and senior management which underscores courage and resilience as a middle leader. In many ways, the Head of Department epitomizes the idea that middle leaders are "the meat in the sandwich" (Anderson, Scott, Coates, 2008, p. 12). This study examines the challenges associated with the leadership of an English Department within a regional, non-government school in NSW, Australia. Using the approach of an Institutional Ethnography incorporating a Teacher Self-Study, my role as Head of Department is examined. As Head of Department, I was able to implement a number of actions taken in order to assist with the improvement of the teaching and learning in the Department. These practices include: the development of a Department Handbook; incorporating Faculty Meetings with a focus upon pedagogy and shared practice; developing a collegial culture in the English Department which involved sharing of resources between teachers, classroom visits between teachers and also one-onone conversations; addressing the underperformance of staff; writing and resourcing teaching and learning programmes; building staff morale; and, protecting the English teachers from hindrances to their teaching. The key findings of this study relate to being courageous in managing the performance of staff within the department and being resilient to cope with the loneliness that this created for me in this role. This study also highlighted resilience and courage needed to maintain an effective working relationship with the Senior Management Team. It is this qualitative aspect involved in transforming anThis study found that there were many time pressures on my life as HoD. Teaching and learning responsibilities, pastoral care and co-curricular involvement as well as other duties of the HoD made the role demanding. At the heart of HoD leadership are the interactions with teachers and students on a daily basis. The importance of effective interpersonal skills in the development of a 3 collegial culture within the Department is an important finding in this study. However, as learning is the core business of the school, the HoD needs to be someone of outstanding curriculum and pedagogical expertise. This study shows how a middle leader with strong leadership vision and skills can positively impact a department despite a somewhat negative Senior Management Team operating from above in the school hierarchical approach.4