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A Day in the life of...

Primary School Head Teacher

Celia Curry, Headteacher at Kirkby and Great Broughton CE Primary School has had an exciting career in a range of job roles across the globe, though her heart eventually led her back to her teaching roots.

What was your route to becoming a Primary School Head Teacher?

I completed a degree in English and taught as a secondary school teacher for a year before my husband was sent overseas to Somalia. After some initial re-training in management and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) I joined him abroad and gained some valuable experiences working in marketing, public relations, local and national government and personnel.

After several years overseas we decided to move back to the UK and start a family. Having had two children, I became involved as a parent helper at their school and, inspired by teaching once again, I completed a returners to Primary Education course and applied for a position as a primary teacher in a Services school. Due to fluctuating numbers as families were posted, I gained a vast amount of experience, including clerking for the Governing Body, in a short space of time. Following the retirement of the Headteacher I was Acting Headteacher for one term. Before long I became Headteacher at Long Marston where I was a teaching Head for 7 years. I moved to my current post in January 2006 ready to face a fresh challenge.

What is a typical day for a primary Head Teacher?

I arrive at 8am, deal with e-mails, prepare for assembly then liaise with the staff, parents and children as they arrive. I then usually prepare for teaching with the teaching assistant and teach until lunch time. During the lunch break I try to get into the hall and talk to the children, Midday Supervisory Assistants (MSAs) and cook. On Mondays and Fridays I have my headship time and on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons I cover for other teachers' PPA time by teaching French. At 3.15pm the children go home and I try to catch up with staff, or attend meetings. I usually stay at the school until about 6pm. There are regular Governor's meetings which generally start at 7.15pm or staff meetings which finish at 5pm.

What skills/ experience do you think a head teacher of a small primary school needs?

Optimism and energy
A love of children
A sense of perspective and a sense of humour
Ability to prioritise
Skills to build on the strengths of the team around you
Ability to deal with a variety of people
The desire to keep on learning

What would you say are the challenges you face in your role?

Lack of time
Providing PPA
Watching everyone else's workload as well as your own
Disproportionate amount of time spent on issues that are only loosely connected to the children

What advice would you give to someone who wants to be a primary school Head?

Get some life experience. I think this gives you the ability to deal with pressure and with the huge variety of tasks headship now involves. It gives you credibility and a broader understanding of people.

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