Headteacher to deputy head teacher
A headteacher already meets 59% of what the deputy head teacher role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
43.7/ 100
1 How much of what a deputy head teacher is expected to do is already part of a headteacher’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the deputy head teacher role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A deputy head teacher role treats 10 of its required skills as things a headteacher already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- communicate with youth
- cooperate with education professionals
- curriculum objectives
- curriculum standards
- education administration
- education law
What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 26 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A deputy head teacher role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a headteacher background worth leading with.
- already held manage student admissions management skills
- already held provide education management support management skills
- already held liaise with board members communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held apply for government funding information skills
- already held kindergarten school procedures education
- already held promote education programmes communication, collaboration and creativity
All 26 carried skills, including the 10 the deputy head teacher role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 18 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn present reports required
- still to learn provide feedback to teachers required
- optional, not held advise on lesson plans optional
- optional, not held develop professional network optional
- optional, not held maintain relations with children's parents optional
- optional, not held prepare youths for adulthood optional
- still to learn assist in the organisation of school events required
- still to learn maintain students' discipline required
- optional, not held assess the development of youth optional
- optional, not held analyse staff capacity optional
- optional, not held manage government-funded programmes optional
- optional, not held monitor student's behaviour optional
- still to learn pedagogy required
- optional, not held learning technologies optional
- optional, not held assessment processes optional
- still to learn guarantee students' safety required
- optional, not held escort students on a field trip optional
- still to learn monitor educational developments required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a deputy head teacher role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assist in the organisation of school events practise this
- 02 guarantee students' safety practise this
- 03 maintain students' discipline practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 26 skills that carry over
- already held communicate with youth skill
- already held cooperate with education professionals skill
- already held curriculum objectives knowledge
- already held curriculum standards knowledge
- already held education administration knowledge
- already held education law knowledge
- already held project management knowledge
- already held provide education management support skill
- already held supervise educational staff skill
- already held write work-related reports skill
- already held advise on teaching methods skill
- already held apply for government funding skill
- already held contract law knowledge
- already held create a financial report skill
- already held evaluate education programmes skill
- already held funding methods knowledge
- already held kindergarten school procedures knowledge
- already held labour legislation knowledge
- already held lead inspections skill
- already held liaise with board members skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held manage contracts skill
- already held manage student admissions skill
- already held primary school procedures knowledge
- already held promote education programmes skill
- already held secondary school procedures knowledge
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held assess the development of youth optional
- optional, not held learning technologies optional
- optional, not held advise on lesson plans optional
- optional, not held analyse staff capacity optional
- optional, not held assessment processes optional
- optional, not held develop professional network optional
- optional, not held escort students on a field trip optional
- optional, not held maintain relations with children's parents optional
- optional, not held manage government-funded programmes optional
- optional, not held monitor student's behaviour optional
- optional, not held prepare youths for adulthood optional
27 held skills the deputy head teacher role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accounting knowledge
- not needed by the target role accounting techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse curriculum skill
- not needed by the target role assess students skill
- not needed by the target role budgetary principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role build trust skill
- not needed by the target role develop learning curriculum skill
- not needed by the target role develop organisational policies skill
- not needed by the target role electronic communication knowledge
- not needed by the target role evaluate budgets skill
- not needed by the target role financial management knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle financial transactions skill
- not needed by the target role identify education needs skill
- not needed by the target role maintain contract administration skill
- not needed by the target role maintain records of financial transactions skill
- not needed by the target role manage enrolment skill
- not needed by the target role manage school budget skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role office software knowledge
- not needed by the target role post-secondary school procedures knowledge
- not needed by the target role prepare examinations for vocational courses skill
- not needed by the target role prepare syllabuses for vocational courses skill
- not needed by the target role provide information on education financing skill
- not needed by the target role provide information on school services skill
- not needed by the target role trace financial transactions skill
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
- not needed by the target role work in vocational school skill
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn pedagogy required
- optional, not held learning technologies optional
- optional, not held assessment processes optional
Common questions about this move
Can a headteacher become a deputy head teacher?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A headteacher already covers 59% of what a deputy head teacher is expected to do: 26 skills carry over, 10 of which the deputy head teacher role treats as required.
What skills does a headteacher need to become a deputy head teacher?
7 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is assist in the organisation of school events.
How hard is the move from headteacher to deputy head teacher?
Its learning distance is 43.7 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.