Reviewed Federation Headteacher Policy adopted for Moray schools

Recruitment to Head Teacher vacancies in Moray continues to be a challenge with many posts being re-advertised multiple times.

In the last school academic session (2022-23) there were eight Acting Head Teacher posts advertised. Three of these have been re-advertised, two of which are still vacant.

The previous Paired Head Teacher policy allowed the consideration for a head teacher to be paired with another school when there was difficulty filling a vacancy in a school with fewer than 145 pupils. This became a normality across Scotland and a viable career path for Head Teachers who have a passion for leading small schools in particular.

However, given the service continues to face challenges in recruiting Head Teachers it has been agreed to now move to the wider Federation Headteacher policy.

This will allow the continued consideration of paired head teacher positions in certain situations but also now delegates authority to the Chief Education Officer, who alongside the Business Support Team Manager, will consider initial management structures for any new arrangements. The formula for school pairings will also be extended to include larger and smaller schools, as well as multiple pairings.

The new policy will be used for vacancies from 1 April 2024.

Full details on the federation head teacher policy can be found in the committee papers.

Chair of Moray Council’s Education, Communities and Leisure Services Committee, Cllr Kathleen Robertson, said: “It’s been a continuous challenge recruiting for Head Teacher positions, particularly in Primary Schools. We hope this new federation policy will support permanent leadership arrangements, provide another career pathway for head teachers and create a more stable learning environment for the young people of Moray.”