New School Leader: What Now?
Simple lessons to navigate doubt, embrace challenge and lead well every day
By (author) Neil Renton
Publication date:
25 August 2023Publisher
Critical PublishingDimensions:
234x156mm6x9"
ISBN-13: 9781915713421
Written for all school leaders and headteachers who are feeling daunted by their new role or need a little inspiration and encouragement in an existing role. Neil Renton answers that simple question - what now? - with guidance to help navigate feelings of self-doubt and overcome leadership challenges.
It is based on the author's own experience as he tells the uplifting and incredibly honest story of his leadership journey as the new headteacher of one of the largest comprehensive schools in the North of England. Neil Renton captivates you with his story, from being appointed in late 2018, leading through a pandemic, and coping with an Ofsted inspection. It examines the kinds of challenges that new leaders face and how they can be overcome, dealing with both one-off events and the every day of school leadership.
The book provides a clear focus on those first moments, months and years of being a new school leader. Its four part structure covers navigating doubt, conquering challenges, the basics of leading every day, and creating the right mindset and culture. It encourages critical reflection based on both serious and humorous stories while offering practical advice and strategies for effective educational leadership.
Something happens when you step from being a senior leader to being appointed as headteacher. Everyone tells you it will feel different, but no one can quite explain how. Neil Renton’s book does just that. From its first sentence, it presents the most authentic and powerfully articulated account of the shift that happens inside us as we take on the mantle of head or principal. I like the book’s mixture of candour, values and practical insights. I like its lack of misty-eyed sentimentalism. I like the way it focuses on the details of headship — the interactions with staff, the decision-making process, the skills involved in communicating with clarity and openness. This is no checklist of tricks and gimmicks. It’s a reassuringly honest yet optimistic reminder of the day-to-day reality of one of society’s most important roles: being a headteacher. I thoroughly recommend it.