CAREER TRAJECTORIES OF DEPUTY AND ASSISTANT HEADTEACHERS AND THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF SECONDARY HEADSHIP BY JUDITH BRUCE-GOLDING A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION AND LEADERSHIP School of Education University of Birmingham Edgbaston Birmingham B15 2TT March 2018 i University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. Abstract There is a dearth of literature about the career life courses and voices of Deputy and Assistant Headteachers in secondary schools. This thesis examines the career tra- jectories and the experiences of Headship from 14 Deputy and Assistant Headteachers in secondary schools in Birmingham, England. A two-phase, mixed- method study (survey and semi-structured life history interviews) was employed as part of an explanatory sequential design. This research builds upon previous work in life history studies along with career phases and stages research. The findings from this study add new insights to the senior leadership role and the perception of Headship in that the Deputy and Assistant Headteacher career stage and socialization experiences can determine whether they stay, leave or climb the career ladder to Headship. This thesis tentatively suggests that Deputy and Assis- tant Headteachers lean towards displaying mainly Bonder, Bridger or Leaver char- acteristics that contribute to aspiration and how they utilize their social capital in their career journeys. A new career stages and phases framework pertaining to Deputy and Assistant Headship in secondary schools has been forwarded which draws on the distinction between bonding and bridging social capital and career transition in school leader- ship and management. ii This thesis is dedicated to: My parents Austin and Vashti; who have taught me about the value of education and perseverance during challenge through their life histories and their inimitable approach to life, and Robert: for being my rock and wonderful support. Life history exploration is a powerful way of walking with and understanding the indi- vidual’s unique life pathway which informs and guides their values, morals, deci- sions, attitudes towards justice and personal agency. iii Acknowledgements My Supervisors Dr. Thomas Bischoff, Dr. Christopher Rhodes and Professor Peter Da- vies: for their continued support, sharing of knowledge and invaluable assis- tance. I would like to extend a very special thank you to Professor Julie Allan for having an open door and providing the encouragement, guidance and sup- port when I most needed it. My family and friends Thank you to my family and friends, in particular to Angela, Deborah, Ray, Antonio and Audrey, who have been voices of continued positivity and en- couragement for me to strive towards my goals. The 14 Senior Leaders Thank you to the Deputy and Assistant Headteachers who shared their life and career histories with me as part of this important research. iv Abbreviations AH – Assistant Headteacher BAME – Black and Minority Ethnic DfE - Department for Education DfES - Department for Education and Schools DH – Deputy Headteacher NAHT – National Association for Headteachers NASUWT – National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers NCTL – National College of Teaching & Leadership NPQH – National Professional Qualification for Headship NPQSL – National Professional Qualification for Senior Leaders NPQML – National Professional Qualification for Middle Leaders NUT – National Union of Teachers OECD - The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development OFSTED – Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills v Table of Contents CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................... 12 1.1 Theoretical framework and model ........................................................ 16 1.2 Career journey frameworks of school leaders ...................................... 18 1.3 Research Design .................................................................................... 21 1.4 Wider framework .................................................................................... 22 1.5 Structure of this thesis ........................................................................... 23 2.1 The changing responsibilities of school leaders ................................ 28 2.1.1 Accountability and Autonomy ............................................................ 30 2.1.2 Changing leadership structure .......................................................... 34 2.1.3 Social Capital .................................................................................... 36 2.1.4 Relationship bonder and builder ........................................................ 39 2.1.5 Personal attributes ............................................................................ 41 2.1.6 A changing focus of leadership in schools: from transactional to transformational leadership? ............................................................................ 46 2.2 Implications for Headteachers .............................................................. 48 2.2.1 Workload ........................................................................................... 48 2.2.2 Implications for the desirable attributes of school leaders ................. 51 2.2.3 Factors affecting applications for Headship ....................................... 54 2.3 Deputy and Assistant Headship: The Context ..................................... 57 2.3.1 Supporting the Headteacher ............................................................ 58 2.3.2 Heads in waiting ................................................................................ 60 2.4 Career trajectories of school leaders ................................................... 65 2.4.1 Life history and career stages ........................................................... 65 2.4.2 Career Stages and Career Anchors ................................................... 70 2.4.3 Career Plateauing ............................................................................. 78 2.5 Career and whole life contexts .............................................................. 79 2.5.1 Barriers to progression ...................................................................... 81 2.5.2 Career choice and lifestyle ................................................................ 89 2.5.3 Managing change and emotion in leadership .................................... 90 2.6 School leadership in Birmingham ........................................................ 94 2.6.1 Leadership Strategy .......................................................................... 94 vi 2.6.2 Succession Planning ......................................................................... 95 2.6.3 Leadership Development Programmes ............................................. 96 2.6.4 National Professional Qualification for Headship ............................ 102 2.6.5 National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership............... 105 2.6.6 Future Leaders Programme ............................................................ 106 2.7 Conclusion ............................................................................................. 109 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH DESIGN ........................................................... 111 3.0 Introduction .......................................................................................... 111 3.1 Research Design .................................................................................. 112 3.2 The social, cultural and historical context ......................................... 115 3.3 The two-phase, mixed method design ................................................ 116 3.4 The survey ............................................................................................ 118 3.5 Life history interviews: Biography Research and the Narrative Approach .......................................................................................................... 119 3.6 Sampling ............................................................................................... 121 3.6.1 Phase 1 - Survey ............................................................................. 121 3.6.2 Phase 2 - Interview sample ............................................................. 124 3.7 Data collection and analysis ............................................................... 126 3.7.1 The design and analysis of the survey ............................................ 126 3.7.2 The design and analysis of the semi-structured interviews ............. 131 3.7.3 Analysis and use of Schein’s (1971) and Putnam’s (2000) framework 134 3.8 Combining data from various sources ............................................... 136 3.9 Ethics..................................................................................................... 137 3.9.1 Confidentiality and Right to withdraw .............................................. 138