The new school term will see many new headteachers bracing themselves for the reality of leading a school.

Some will be the “new broom” of which no one in the school has much, if any, prior knowledge, allowing that headteacher to start with a clean slate. However, for many other settings, the new head will be the former deputy head, known to all.

This makes a lot of sense - after all, who better to lead a school forward than someone already there with in-depth knowledge of the school and its community and with, hopefully, good existing relationships with staff?

However, if you are moving from being deputy to head in your school then the reality is those existing relationships, which may have served you so well as deputy, could actually be your biggest potential banana skin as a head.

Resetting boundaries

As a deputy, you probably had some close working relationships with colleagues. You may even have personal friends in the staffroom, shared lifts to work, socialised together, mixed as families.

If not friendships, then you will likely be much closer professionally to colleagues than the existing or former head, often taking the role of medium between the two.

Without the authority of the head, you will have had to develop relationships, cajole people, and get alongside colleagues to work things out or instigate improvements.

So to go from these relationships to the kind required to enable you to make the difficult decisions to achieve the bigger picture, may well be one of the most difficult challenges of taking on the big job. 

On the face of it, why can’t these relationships continue? We are all adults and surely the human-social side can be balanced with the need for professionalism at work. 

A new dynamic

Well, here’s the truth: it just doesn’t work like that when you’re the head. And while you may have good intentions and be able to separate work from play, that may not be the case for others.

Whether that’s your friendly colleagues who now see you in a new light, or because of the perceptions of the staffroom.   

As the head, it is not wise to be too close to anyone. Your every move and decision is scrutinised and talked about. What you say and do has more effect on the school’s culture than any other single individual in the school. And because of this, your professional and often personal relationships with colleagues will likely change, and it’s better that you manage these, rather than allow others to do so.

And this is to protect yourself and to protect them, as the slightest perception of favouritism can lead to jealousy or cries of inequity. Conversely, there may be a risk of colleagues trying to get their own way because they are close to you; and worse still, then bragging about it to others.

I’ve seen this happen - it’s the quickest way of destroying integrity and respect and is very hard to come back from. Tougher still is when one of your friends or close colleagues needs to be held to account. There is a reason why people call headship a lonely job. 

So what can be done? There are three things I would recommend:

1. Hold one-to-one chats with those close to you

Tell them what to expect from your leadership, and how that might sometimes change the style of your professional relationship together. Explain why it is so important for you as a head to be impartial and independent in both word and deed.

Taking time to set out the context to people early on will help, and your colleagues and friends will respect you even more for considering them. Also be open to the impact of your relationship on them, as some of their colleagues may well take issue or find it awkward talking in their company, if they are seen as “mates of the head”.

2. Address your ‘promotion’ publicly in your first whole staff meeting

Acknowledge your previous life as deputy head, but while you are still the same person, you now have a different role and responsibilities - that will require you to sometimes have a different approach, and for some professional relationships to evolve.

By tackling this head-on, you’ll take the sting out of the whole thing and gain further respect from your colleagues. You may also find this a helpful tactic with parents and pupils.

3. Play on your domain knowledge

While your former role as deputy brings its challenges, it is unlikely that any other candidates for the headship will have known the school and its stakeholders as well as you. So play on this from day one.

Tell your staff and pupils that you know them, talk about the school’s strengths and weaknesses, and use that knowledge from the outset to communicate your vision for the school. 

I stress from the outset, because, as the former deputy, your prior knowledge of the school will give you momentum in your new role - and that is priceless to enable you to pick off one or two low-hanging fruits.

Make a big statement from the get-go - grab hold of a key change that’s needed and do it early. Lead it, stay close to it and ensure its success. Successful heads turn most events into opportunities to lead, and your domain knowledge is too good an opportunity to pass by.

So, however daunting, you can take great pride in being selected for the top job in your own school: it is a real vote of confidence in you and your achievements in the school to date. You’ve got a great opportunity to now take the school in your direction.

Geraint Jones is the executive director and associate pro-vice-chancellor of the National Institute of Teaching and Education, Coventry University.

He has also served as the chief education officer for the international schools group Cognita, and was headteacher and principal of Quinton House School in Northampton, which he turned into one of the most successful schools in England