HEAD TEACHER INFLUENCE ON SCHOOLS EXAGGERATED
The Policy Exchange, an independent think tank, has challenged the conventional view that head teachers are the major factor in developing successful schools. A new report from the Policy Exchange argues that headteachers have little impact on pupil learning within the first five years of their appointment. The research shows that the quality of the teaching staff is a much more important influence on school performance than the quality of the head, and that politicians’ emphasis on leadership is therefore misguided.