Mastering Deputy Headship:
Acquiring the Skills for Future Leadership

Trevor Kerry

Pearson Education Ltd 2005 (2nd edition)

Reviewer: Belle Wallace, Director TASC International

The overall theme of the text is how to manage change efficiently in the situation of an increasingly complex world. In the field of education, technology is expanding opportunities but challenging the traditional role of the teacher; society is presenting increasing complexities of need as families become fragmented and increasingly non-traditional; the UK government demands greater measurement and increased ‘standards’ although more and more children are coming to school under-prepared and lacking early basic skills; and schools are having to take on more responsibilty for the wider community through extended and community schools. 

Trevor Kerry has always been a pragmatic educator but he steers his pragmatism through wide and carefully considered educational theory. Always the defender of the teaching profession, understanding professional demands and working with practitioners, he has brought to the text a wealth of compassion and practical knowledge gleaned over a lifetime of educational involvement.

The text examines the key issues of leadership and responsibilities of deputy heads, making suggestions for improving competence to make it excellence, providing ‘comfort and inspiration’. 

The text includes chapters that examine possible challenges and expectations that may arise from the very first day of taking up office: issues of relationships with the headteacher on one hand and the staff on the other; issues around the deputy’s role as a leader and yet also a manager; the problems of managing time without having ‘burn-out’; the double role of teacher and curriculum developer; the double demand of understanding and carrying out the daily routine but also having a wide vision for the whole school. The duties of a deputy head are wide ranging and often s/he is the pivotal point for action, blending together the micro and the macro issues of the school. Trevor Kerry’s reflective book is a wonderful support for those trying to cope with the many issues, and I recommend it to all teachers - those aspiring to deputy headships and headships, and those already in post.

GEI Vol 22 No 1