how to become a deputy head

We have had a question from an assistant head wanting to know more about becoming a deputy head and applying for NPQH. She is 35, has taught for 12 years and has been a senior manager in two schools for the past four years. She is also a MEd. But the advice I've given is relevant to anyone wishing to gain promotion to a deputyship.

To apply for the NPQH, a teacher needs to be in a position to carry out duties associated with being a deputy head or senior manager. Although the title "assistant head" can cover a variety of roles, it is likely that anyone with this title will be eligible, but it would be worth contacting the DfES for confirmation.

The intention is that the NPQH will become the mandatory qualification for all new headteachers in due course (DfEE), but it seems this will be the case in the near future.

It seems that this teacher is also well placed to apply for headships, even though it is not her first choice. Her age (35) is not really relevant. Another deputy head wrote to us concerned that he had applied for a several headships and was concerned that being 50 might be an issue.

At the moment as there is a huge demand for good candidates irrespective of age, so it is far more likely that other areas need to be brushed up, such as interview technique.

She is also interested in training or advisory work, but isn't sure whether she needs to have been a head first.
The training or advisory route does not require a teacher to have been a head, experience of a variety of schools is more important. Even HMIs are not necessarily headteachers. One of the more practical reasons why heads don't become advisers is that the salary is lower.

In addition to having taught in a range of schools, it would be useful to look out for relevant courses to build up a CV. Such courses can be found in the pages of the THES and can also appear fairly randomly on staff noticeboards. The other good source of varied courses is your local university department of education. Ideally, every school will have a rigorous staff development policy and plenty of encouragement from line-managers to attend courses which match personal and institutional targets. In practice, individual teachers need to be prepared to be proactive.

It is also important to look for opportunities to develop a role while in post. This is particularly true if there is a tendency to stagnate, perhaps because a line-manager isn't being supportive in supporting professional development. One way to do this is through appraisal or formal reviews covering key areas such as pastoral, policy and curriculum work. Once areas have been agreed, a teacher is then in a better position to apply for courses.

Always be prepared to be creative: look for areas that aren't being covered or ways that management structures can be streamlined. Coming up with innovative ideas, following them through and evaluating results always looks good on CVs.