Question: When is a college principal not a principal?

Answer: more and more.

If you look in a dictionary, “principal” is defined as “first in rank or importance, chief”, or more simply, “head, ruler, superior.” Of course, this doesn’t mean college principals are the Henry VIIIs or Queen Victorias of education (though there have been some in past years who have behaved as if they thought they were). But still, until recently, a principal has been a principal. Not any longer.

In FE colleges across the country, a new phenomenon is emerging. As more and more colleges amalgamate to form multi-site entities, the person at the top is increasingly likely to be called a chief executive. In fact, they are likely to have one or more college principals reporting to them.

This new division of responsibilities may actually be helpful. There have always been two competing images of leadership in FE colleges. On the one hand is the idea of the principal as the leader of a large educational business: primarily a corporate CEO, responsible for income targets, investment in facilities, managing human resources and running the operation efficiently.

Perhaps the fact that the principal is no longer head honcho reflects the reality that leading a modern FE corporation is more akin to running a business than managing a set of classrooms

There has been a growing tendency for go-getting college corporations to appoint principals from the world of business and industry, not from education or training - a trend quite unique to the FE sector.

On the other hand, there is the more traditional image of the principal as an academic leader: someone who is an expert in a particular subject area, and has a track record of achievement in teaching and learning.

The reality is that most college principals have to be able to do a bit of both. And in my experience, it’s difficult to find individuals who are equally good at both. In my own case, I was trained as a school English teacher and I quite often experience a sort of mental sinking sensation when faced with the complexities of college funding and finance. In the words of poet Stevie Smith, in the middle of finance discussions I often feel that I’m “not waving, but drowning”.

So the rise of the multi-college conglomerate might be performing the useful function of distilling these two different skill sets. Let the CEOs run the business while the college principals provide educational leadership.

Perhaps the fact that the principal is no longer head honcho reflects the reality that leading a modern FE corporation is more akin to running a business than managing a set of classrooms.

Having said that, it’s excellent senior teams, not heroic principals, who run excellent FE colleges. Having a multi-skilled team, not a super-powered individual, is the key to success. Think the Avengers, not Superman.

So, let’s try again. Question: when is a college principal really a principal? Or, for that matter, a CEO?

Answer: when they realise that they are only as good as the team around them.

Andy Forbes is principal and CEO of the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London