Secondary School Staff Structure

Schools in the UK that teach children of secondary school age tend to have very similar staffing structures. The structure within each school can be broadly split into four main staffing categories:

1) The Senior Management Team
2) The Academic subject leaders
3) The Pastoral staff
4) The Administrative and Support Staff

The Senior Management Team (SMT)

Overview
Every school has a group of very senior teachers known as the Senior Management Team or SMT. They are usually experienced teachers who have worked their way up to this position of responsibility. The SMT is made up of the following positions:

Head Teacher or Principal
Has overall responsibility for the school, its staff, its pupils and the education they receive. The Head is directly answerable to the board of Governors for his/her actions. More recently new schools (particularly new academies) are starting to employ "Executive Head Teachers' who are people with no teaching experience but who come from a formidable business background.

Deputy Head Teacher(s)
Play a major role in managing the school; particularly in the absence of the Head Teacher. In most secondary schools one deputy head will take on an overall pastoral responsibility and one deputy will be in charge of curriculum and academic matters.

Assistant Head Teacher(s)
Support the head and deputy heads with the management of the school. Some Assistant Head Teachers take on the monitoring of pupil and staff performance, some can be responsible for the timetable, and some can take overall responsibility for the support staff network. No two Assistant Head Teacher's responsibilities will be the same and will differ from school to school. This is partly due to the fact that the role of Assistant Head Teacher is considered to be quite a new addition to the SMT.

The Bursar / Business Manager
Determines budgets and is in charge of the finance team. Although the Bursar essentially holds the purse strings, once the money has been devolved to individual departments in April of every year he has no say on what the individual departments spend their money on as this is the responsibility of the subject leaders and Heads of Departments. Very often the Bursar will oversee the site development of the school and will work closely with the Head regarding Health and Safety, staffing and funding issues.

The Academic Subject Leaders

Overview
A school's main objective is to provide a good quality education to it students. The choice of curriculum, teaching methods, and resources, falls to the Academic Subject Leaders. They consist of:

Heads of Department
Are in charge of their particular subject and hold full responsibility for the delivery of their subject effectively, the choosing of resources for their course, and to enable good teaching and learning within their department. In smaller schools some Heads of Department are the only member of their department but some can be in charge of up to twelve teachers. Some Heads of Music have also been known to coordinate in excess of 20 visiting Peripatetic Teachers.

Heads of Faculty
Tend to be the most senior member of staff of a set of related subjects. They oversee the departments within their jurisdiction. Little money is devolved to faculty bases as there is little need for a budget in the first place. Different faculties include: Science, Expressive Arts, Languages, Maths and Humanities.

Curriculum Coordinators
Can sometimes be the Head of the Department or can be another senior member of the department. They are responsible for different areas of the curriculum and this can also include the monitoring, standardising, and improving of standards.

The Pastoral Staff

Overview
As well as providing a solid educational foundation, schools also need to provide care and support for its students. Student's welfare, personal development, discipline and general organization is overseen by the pastoral staff.

The Deputy Head
One deputy head at every school will usually be assigned the responsibility of overseeing all pastoral matters including coordinating the Heads of Year/House. They deal with discipline and parental contact, liaise with external bodies like social services and government bodies, and will deal with community issues.

Heads of House / Heads of Year
Are senior teachers who are in charge of either a particular year group or a body of students known as a "House'. They instil discipline and provide a first point of call to parents who wish to discuss their child's progress. They also provide support to pupils in distress, who need help, or who need encouragement.

Head of Citizenship / Personal Development
Is in charge of the coordination and delivery of these pastoral subjects.

The Administrative and Support Staff

Overview
Is an integral part of the school and include receptionists, secretaries, financial assistants, health and safety officers, first aiders, caretakers and general office staff. They ensure the smooth running of the school's administrative and site affairs.

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