Sue Foreman
Head Teacher of the Children with Medical Needs Service, Stockton.
Sue qualified as a teacher from Durham University in 1973 and has worked in a number of secondary schools in the North East teaching Drama & English. She also worked as a part time Youth Worker from 1974 – 1985.
She has worked as a SENCo in a secondary school as well as Acting Head Teacher in an Assessment Centre for Children in Care in Durham.
Sue became Education Co-Ordinator in a Special Unit in 1999 and was appointed to her present post as Head Teacher of the Children with Medical Needs Service in Stockton in 2006.
Sue joined the Union of Women Teachers in 1973, before it amalgamated with NAS to become the NASUWT. She was elected as Negotiating Secretary for Stockton on Tees in 1994 and was elected to the National Executive of NASUWT in January 2003.
What makes a good headteacher?
For me, yes you must have values, competencies and skills. You can train to be one, you can do you middle managers training, but for me its about managing teaching and learning. People – that’s what leadership is about. Much emphasis is put on managing systems, managing budgets, but for me the main thing is about managing my staff.
Only in an environment where you respect your staff can you expect them to flourish and become good teachers themselves. I see far too many of my colleagues suffer at the hands of what I call bad managers and bad leaders. Some people think that in order to be a good manager and good leader, they have to put people down. That’s not what leadership is about. Leadership is about being fair. Its about integrity, its about being reasonable, committed, and committed to equality. Its about communicating, teamwork, and building relationships, and consultation.
I see the role as being the first among equals not someone who sets themselves apart from others and sees themselves as sitting above everyone. Someone who has got to be obeyed, that is not what leadership is about.
I've never lost sight of the fact that I was a classroom teacher. I don’t teach very much but I still do teach. I never ask them to do something I would never do myself. I ask myself 'is what I'm asking them to do reasonable?'.
What responsibilities does the head have for his/her staff?
I've got conditions of service, the same as everyone else. I ensure that I pay them for everything that they do, that they get their contractual entitlements - PPA time, management time, reasonable work-life balance, adequate CPD and that performance management is in line with policy. I support them on pupil discipline and I ensure they get the resources for what they need to do.
A lot of head teachers fail to maintain relationships with the staff trade unions. They need to work constructively with them. Headteachers have a duty of care to the pupils, the community and their staff. Its enshrined in health and safety legislation. The duty applies not just on the premises but in how they teach, what the classrooms are like, and do they feel comfortable teaching? If staff feel uncomfortable or threatened they cannot teach to the best of their ability.
Many heads put staff on capability and don’t see it as a method of improvement but getting rid of someone. That’s not the right way to lead a team. Heads then wonder why they are not respected. They may be feared, but not respected.
What about NASUWT and headteachers?
NASUWT has a great number of heads in membership. There are many headteacher unions out there but you don’t have to leave NASUWT when you become a head. We have a great fountain of knowledge such as the leadership advisory group and school leadership bulletins.
