Introduction

Dear colleague,

Research conducted for the Teaching Schools Council in the West Midlands (TSCWM) showed that there are significant numbers of colleagues at or around Deputy level taking on headship without notice or preparation, often because of the sudden departure of the substantive head. We know, for example, of 40+ in two Local Authority areas alone.

The TSC in the Region has secured some funding to develop a support programme for Unprepared Heads and it wants to design that programme collaboratively with the potential participants. This online questionnaire is the first stage in that process. That will be followed by a design workshop in November (24th November from 9.30 - 12.30 at Manor Primary Teaching School, Wolverhampton) and we hope that some of the people completing this survey will be able come to the workshop and help specify the programme content and methods

This survey is being conducted by The Centre for the Use of Research and Evidence in Education (CUREE) on behalf of the Teaching Schools Council in the West Midlands. Find out more about CUREE here and about the TSC here.

The survey is in three sections each with questions:
A –about you
B –about the leadership role
C – about the format, structure and design of the programme

The survey is not designed to be anonymous – if possible we would like to be able to contact you about the next stages of the design process – but the name and contact details sections are not compulsory. We promise that your contact details will not be provided to third parties nor will they be used for any other purpose without your prior permission.

This survey has been designed to be easy to use and quick to complete and we do hope you will find the time to make some comments to help us develop a highly relevant and practically feasible programme. We would really appreciate your input.

Best wishes,

Paul Crisp

Managing Director 
CUREE
[formerly Teaching and Leadership Adviser - West Midlands]

If you have any queries about this questionnaire or the programme you can contact me via email (paul.crisp@curee.co.uk) or by phone (024 7652 4036)

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