Due: 22nd August
“Leaders instil in their people a hope for success and a belief in themselves. Positive leaders empower people to accomplish their goals.” -Unknown
Leadership Administration is a collective term for at least two important aspects of leadership—operational leadership, the organisation of systems and structures that ensure day-to-day school goals are met, and strategic leadership, setting the vision and goals that will guide the school performance and culture.
Operational leadership is about effective team management (the right people for the job) and orchestrating tasks that develop and sustain school progress and achievement. Successful administrative leaders are able to establish systems that protect and sustain essential operational functions to meet the needs of children, the school team and the wider school community. Operational leadership is accomplished through activities like hiring and supporting staff, overseeing budgets, and maintaining a positive workplace climate.
Strategic leadership involves guiding the direction of an organisation with the future in mind. Strategic leaders clarify purpose, inspire individuals to pursue a shared vision and ensure that goals and outcomes are attained. Strategic leadership sets the path; operational leadership ensures the travellers have everything they need to follow that path.
As middle leaders your contribution to administrative leadership is likely to be more in the operational than the strategic domain, with your administrative responsibilities ensuring progress towards school goals.
Your role might involve:
- orchestrating tasks that meet the needs of your school team and wider school community
- establishing systems that are in line with your school targets for student achievement
- running school events
- resourcing for a particular budget
- use resources to meet the needs of learners in the most effective way possible; including time, space and material resources, as well as utilising the strengths of the people in the team
- planning and timetabling
- tracking and monitoring student achievement and progress
- monitoring and assessing progress towards strategic goals
- evaluation of new tools and resources employed – identifying the theory behind the resource, evaluating the effectiveness and validity of the resource and investing or rejecting the resource
- contribute to strategic planning; through assistance in identifying targets, for instance
- pastoral care for a team of staff or students
- performance review
These are essential and important responsibilities of leadership. As your leadership role grows, it is helpful to be aware of what these dimensions of effective administrative leadership look like and in what ways your role is pivotal to operational leadership.
Provocation:
As a middle leader, what responsibilities do you have for operational or strategic leadership within your kura and/or Kahui Ako? What challenges have you faced and how did you meet those challenges? Share your response in the comments.
Resources:
https://hbr.org/2016/12/4-ways-to-improve-your-strategic-thinking-skills
https://teachingcouncil.nz/assets/Files/Leadership-Strategy/Leadership_Capability_Framework.pdf Pages 9, 10, 14, 15 and 16.
34 Responses
As a middle leader, my current responsibilities for operational leadership within my kura are as follows:
Pastoral care for a team of staff or students: I do a lot of walking and talking, constantly checking in with students, staff and parents.
Running school events: One-day events such as Purple Day for Epilepsy and Wig Wednesday for Child Cancer. Longer-term events such as school production.
Resourcing for a particular budget: An example of this is my work to source and obtain PTFA funding for embellishments (school logo) to be added to our currently plain black kapa haka uniforms.
Planning and timetabling: Staying on top of what is happening on a day to day basis, updating calendar myself, or at least ensuring that someone else does. Putting together Term Overviews, sharing these with the team and working through them together.
I don’t have a lot to do with strategic leadership, these decisions rest with our principal and the BOT. I have tried to make suggestions but I feel that these are not really taken seriously.
The biggest challenge I have faced recently is having my principal undermine my mana by attempting to extensively change my classroom physical set-up, teaching/learning practices and overall culture while I was away on PLD for two days. When I said I would “disagree and commit” (i.e. I would do as I was told for the sake of peace) I was told “You are not allowed to disagree.”
I dealt with this challenge by giving my notice, to be worked out in whatever way is least disruptive to the school. My principal has since gone on leave and we currently have an acting principal.
Claire, you are a visible, active and valuable team leader with a range of teaching & learning, pastorial and operational responsibilities who gives 100%. So sorry to hear about your current challenge. Perhaps an open conversation with the acting principal and BOT chair may be appropriate.
All the very best.
As with so many of us in this group, my job stretches between the two worlds – academic and pastoral.
With my Assistant HoF – English hat on, my responsibilities are largely operational in that I am in charge of the junior English curriculum. This includes:
* setting, and sometimes creating, assessments, overseeing the junior reports, observations of teachers, mentoring PCT’s (this is split between me and the HoF), working with the HoF in regards to budget and staffing, resource creation.
As a dean of two year levels, my operational leadership looks like:
* collaboration with whanau teachers
* Reporting on tracking for Year 11 & 13
* Behaviour management
* Initiating mentor programs for priority learners
The biggest challenge I have come across is largely from SLT with the age old response of, “but this is how we’ve always done it.” I find this extremely frustrating as our community has drastically changed in the last 5-10years and what used to work is simply no longer working. It’s this outlook that also makes it quite hard to build on any strategic leadership skills as change takes a very long time.
I can well remember the same level of frustration that you are currently experiencing. Eventually the clouds part and you can see a way forward. The school you return to in 2026 after your study leave will be a very different place and who knows what opportunities might open up. Your school would be very foolish not to find an avenue for your energy and vision.
My main area of leadership comes as an Across School leader in our Kāhui Ako. This involves working with/supporting our Within School Leaders on their inquiries throughout our 11 schools, strategic planning, meeting with Principals, organising (and sometimes running) PD for our schools, and supporting our schools with the Kāhui Ako achievement challenges. This can take many forms and therefore I end up wearing many hats as the ASLs in our Kāhui Ako don’t each focus on one specific area, but we all work together on all areas. Although this can be challenging, it has also helped me to grow as a professional as well as a person.
The main challenge for me has been balancing my role as a teacher in my school, my role as an ASL, and my personal life. Reflecting on this, I have made efforts to prioritise what is important/urgent and delegate where possible to prevent myself being overloaded and burning out.
I am not currently in an official leadership paid position. However over the many years I have been teaching I have held leadership positions involving curriculum leadership as well as team and middle level leadership.
Originally when I arrived at our school six years ago I was the only teacher in our Year 0-3 area of the school. Our school and numbers in Years 0-3 have grown greatly and now this area includes two more staff and also adding a third in 2025 in this area of the school. When I first began in this area of the school there were many aspects that needed changing and updating. I worked hard to develop/promote and improve this area of our school. I went about improving curriculum and implementing systems and programmes. I held Junior School Stay and Play mornings on Saturdays to raise awareness of our Junior School and in turn hopefully gain enrolments.. To cut a long story short we have grown from one classroom of Year 0-3 to now having separate Year 1. Year 2 and Year 3 classes and adding in another Year 1 class in 2025.
I have been a Science Curriculum Years 1-8 leader at our school and last year I applied for the Primary School Coordinator position but this position was cancelled by our previous headmaster before going to the interview stage.
Responsibilities
I have a Year 0-1 class and work with teachers in Year 0-3 to create engaging lessons that meet the needs of learners and curriculum demands. I share resources and review curriculum and learning objectives that need to be covered
Assist with short listing, interviewing and appointing new Year 3 staff member for 2024
Assist with short listing, interviewing and appointing new Year 3 staff member for 2025
Mentor Teacher for a beginning teacher who is in her second year.
Teacher responsible for transition to school, communication/liaising with preschools, school visits, preschool visits and also liaise with Executive Assistant on new enrolments and numbers.
School Entry Assessment and current rewriting of this for Term 4
Manage and oversee Maths Whizz (our digital maths platform) solving any problems and liaising with ILearn
Manage and oversee Seesaw (our year 0-3 digital learning platform) solving any problems, adding new students and supporting staff who still need support.
Oversee our Year 1-3 Behaviour Management Plan that I wrote a few years ago that staff need support adhering to.
Liaise with school literacy leader and school maths leader regarding the needs of learners and teachers in Year 0-3. Liaise with these people regarding purchasing of resources needed for Year 0-3
Writing of new Writing Matrix incorporating Structured Literacy for Year 0-3.
Support and liaise with After School Care staff who run After School Care in my room. Before staff were employed this was my responsibility.
Organising junior school events including Matariki Breakfast, Outdoor Ed excursions, Daffodil Day etc
I have an interest and need to ensure there is tracking and monitoring of junior school student achievement and progress so monitor this regularly.
Junior Art Budget and organisation/ordering/purchasing and management of resources funded by our HPA.
Challenges
Working with staff members who aren’t as collaborative and resist change or feel threatened by knowledge and/or experience in this area of the school
Carrying out and maintaining responsibility for these aspects without a specific role.
My role as a Team Leader is operational, however my roles as Maths and Cultural Lead as well as WSL involve both operational and strategic leadership.
For me, operational leadership looks like:
– Organising our team with meetings, planning, timetabling, and systems to support target leaders.
– Contributing to, monitoring and assessing progress towards strategic goals
– Pastoral care for team of staff and students as well as performance review
– Tracking and monitoring student achievement and progress schoolwide
– Resourcing and budgeting for areas of responsibility, including intervention programmes
– Leading, supporting and monitoring Teaching as Inquiry
Strategic leadership in my roles involves:
– Leading change in the Maths curriculum and teaching
– Leading change in culturally responsive practises and Te reo me ona tikanga Māori.
– Working alongside the principal to lead consultation on the redevelopment of school values and, in 2025, the school vision.
One of the challenges I have faced is working with a wide range of stakeholders to lead change in culturally responsive practises and school values. Getting iwi, hapu and whānau involvement has been difficult at times and has led to conflicts with our Board as I have tried different ways to engage. I found that some people felt quite threatened by these changes and the process and it took a lot of research and confidence (that I didn’t always have) on my behalf to push through that and get all stakeholders on board. We got these, but it cause me a lot of stress!
I am a Strategic leader at my school. There are 10 of us involved in this group which includes all SLT. We meet on a fortnightly basis to discuss the strategic direction of our school. It’s an opportunity to share how your portfolio ios tracking alongside any highlights and challenges. We have recently turned our attention as a team solely towards achievement. This is a response to the 15% pass rate in Year 11 with the CAA’s. We are extremely concerned about student achievement, particularly at NCEA L1.My own Strategic responsibility is in 2 parts:
Guidance, pastoral care and attendance
Trades Academy and Vocational PathwaysThe main challenges have been in the Guidance and pastoral care role. We are a school of 1700 students in Mangere/Papatoetoe, South Auckland where the community is doing it tough. This has brought an increase in social issues with anxiety being the main concerning trend. Meeting this demand is a real challenge. We have introduced the Linewize Pulse wellbeing check-in app for students which allows us to gauge the feeling in the school and any potential trends of concern. Students can ask for help and to see someone and we have been coping well with this system. The challenge is encouraging more students to engage and check-in.As we all know, Attendance is a huge challenge. We have actually made a 10% increase in attendance on last year. I have introduced a new tracking and monitoring system which has had some impact but there is still a long way to go. Our weekly attendance is now on average 79% per week. A real challenge we have is engagement from our community. Sadly, our school community has become quite passive which I feel is due to a number of factors post covid such as the cost of living, overcrowded homes and unemployment.. These are social factors beyond our control although we aim to make the school a safe and welcoming place for students and whanau alike.
Yes I imagine things will be tough for your community and it will impact everything that happens in your school. Life must be really stressful for a lot of your kids. Your new app sounds intriguing Rich. I’d like to know more. That’s a great improvement in attendance so I think it’s important to take time to celebrate those successes especially after a stressful term like you’ve had.
I’ll send you the PULSE details tomorrow, Geraldine.
I wear many hats at school. The roles and responsibilities that I do are as follows:
– Day-to-day relief – I sort this out every day, even when I am sick, I organise the relief and then ask one of my SLT colleagues to print/email. It can get quite tricky with staff don’t follow the right processes, or expect me to drop everything during the day so I could sort out relief for them.
– Pastoral care – As a Dean, we do a lot of pastoral care for our students. Also, ensuring that Ako teachers are following up on students, and being the first point of contact for any issues/concerns about their students, before coming my way. This can be challenging as some staff members run straight to the dean, without notifying or letting the Ako teacher know.
– Pasifika communities – I overlook this area as Senior Leader in the school. I attend all the Asosi meetings, facing Pasifika parents and ensuring that there is a strong connection between our school and Pasifika communities. I help organise Pasifika events, run Pasifika study hub, and involved in anything/everything Pasifika in the school. I am looking forward to seeing who will take my place in this space when my contract for Senior Leader ends – this will be a great space for whichever SLT member takes this on board, to learn about our Pasifika cultures, see how things are done in a Pasifika way, and hopefully find a new appreciation for our Pasifika families with the work they all do in the background to support our Pasifika students and Pasifika staff.
– Wellbeing initiative – this is part of my profile as Senior Leader. This is an area that I am still yet to figure out what I was meant to do – whether I find wellbeing programmes and organise these for our students. However, I have been involved with organising a lot of various events for students to be exposed to so that they have learning outside of the classroom, and be able to see what goes on outside of school i.e. inside various workplaces, festivals, university trips, etc. And hopefully, these contribute to the overall wellbeing for the student.
That’s a lot of responsibility Erica. There is going to be a real issue when you relinquish your place in SLT. Given your huge sense of responsibility and empathy for both Pacifica students and their families unless there is a very deliberate appointment made then you will end up doing all of this by default but without the recognition in either time or money.
I’ve just focused this reflection on my role as Assistant HoLA for English, as my other two key roles finish at the end of the term and this position is one I will have a bit more space for next term, I hope.
Operational:
Oversee year 10 and year 13 programmes e.g. year outline, checking in, assessment…
Administrative support e.g. exam printing, noticeboards, moderation, relief support…
Scholarship English programme (across senior school)
Public speaking/debating convening
Strategic:
Māori/Pacific literature integration (looking more strategically at incorporation of Mātauranga Māori, for ex.)
One of my big challenges is wearing too many hats, which meant in term one I wasn’t really doing what I needed to be doing as assistant HoLA. I have since moved back up to the English bookroom office from SLT corridor and am making an effort to be more present and visible there. I also block out at least one period each week where I focus on whatever English job is a priority that week.
I think the biggest challenge I’m now facing is wanting to make change around the texts we teach and incorporating far more Māori and Pacific texts in a meaningful way (i.e. not being like ‘here’s a token poem by Selina Tusitala’). My first step has been to figure out where the gaps are. Next step is to build capacity and a more consistent approach across the board. There’s really varying degrees of knowledge and comfort in the department, but I think everyone’s open to this, so I’m hoping that with support we’ll all get there.
It will be so good for you to be able to focus on your department as you’ve been do ‘scattered’ with all your additional responsibilities. Taking time to engage with some of those new ‘works’ you are exploring and contemplating incorporating into your programme will help you feel more centered. Time to take a deep breath!
I consider my role to be both inclusive of operational and strategic responsibilities.
With my operational leadership, I am am fully involved with maintaining staffing requirements that meet the learning needs of all our students. This includes resourcing, planning for consistency and culturally responsive Technology curriculum. When teachers are absent, I oversee the maintaining of quality learning and teaching outcomes for all our students within our kura. We cater for nine contributing schools in Technology with a total roll of 400 students with varying abilities, ethnicity, social and economic backgrounds. I maintain a close net liaison on a daily basis with respective principals, teachers, parents and caregivers of the visiting kura. This also includes monitoring student pastoral care, health and safety needs.
With my strategic leadership role, this means I have the responsibility for organising an annual meeting of all contributing school principals and teachers of year 7 & 8 students. We discuss future goals for our learners, making possible improvements to present programme delivery. I am also responsible for timetabling, future staffing, transport arrangements, open days and EOTC.
I give feedback to our B.o.T. for future budgeting for resourcing, equipment maintenance and upcoming purchases.
My biggest challenge is to have my team (PPTA) on board with supporting our in-school colleagues (NZEI) with some teacher release time.
You have a large and complex role to manage, Pratima. It is a real challenge to navigate those different contracts within one school setting.
In my middle leadership role, I primarily engage in operational leadership, although I also contribute to strategic leadership through my role as a WSL.
Strategic Leadership:
I have led changes within core curriculum areas
I have led professional development sessions based on my most recent PL or initiatives that I am implementing within our kura.
I participate in discussions and support T.A up-skilling and staff buy-in.
Connect with other kura/staff to improve our practices.
Operational Leadership:
I ensure that all students under our care are safe and happy by addressing behavioural and pastoral issues, engaging with deputy principals, and maintaining open communication with whānau.
Collaborate with my team of teachers to create engaging, differentiated lessons that cater to the diverse needs of our students. This may involve sharing effective resources, brainstorming new ideas, reviewing the curriculum, and aligning our objectives.
Our team regularly tracks student progress through moderation, summative assessments, and pre/post testing to ensure consistency and support informed teacher judgements.
In our busy school environment, I play a key role in communicating essential information related to school culture and extracurricular activities. This includes leading meetings, sending out key updates via email or HERO, and having informal discussions with staff or parents throughout the day.
One challenge I often face is that, before implementing changes, I must run information through our Senior Leadership Team (SLT) for approval, which can slow down the process. Sometimes, it is hard to know which Leader to visit but once this is over the line, it is can be tricky to get staff onboard with change/buy-in.
Wiki it’s interesting that you are being ‘slowed down’ by needing to wait for that ‘sign off’ from senior leadership. You are in a unique situation with leadership that you have known and trusted for a long time and I’m fairly sure the trust is entirely reciprocated. Maybe it’s time for a conversation in which you ask for a little more autonomy. What do you think?
In my middle leadership role, I primarily engage in operational leadership, although I also contribute to strategic leadership, particularly through my WSL responsibilities.
Strategic Leadership:
I have led changes within the health curriculum, keeping up to date with the latest curriculum research and initiatives.
I have led professional development sessions based on courses I’ve attended and actively engage in curriculum-related conversations.
I participate in discussions on resources and programs that benefit the entire staff.
I also observe and connect with other schools to gain insights and improve our practices.
Operational Leadership:
I ensure that all students under our care are safe and happy by addressing behavioral issues, engaging with deputy principals, and maintaining open communication with whānau.
I collaborate with my team of teachers to create engaging, differentiated lessons that cater to the diverse needs of our students. This may involve sharing effective resources, brainstorming new ideas, reviewing the curriculum, and aligning our objectives.
Our team regularly tracks student progress through moderation, summative assessments, and pre/post testing to ensure consistency and support informed teacher judgements.
In our busy school environment, I play a key role in communicating essential information related to school culture and extracurricular activities. This includes leading meetings, sending out key updates via email, and having informal discussions with staff throughout the day.
One challenge I often face is that, before implementing changes, I must run information through our Senior Leadership Team (SLT) for approval, which can sometimes slow down the process.
That is a real challenge, Rowie. It is definitely tricky to bridge that gap between SLT and teaching staff in your team.
In my role as
– teacher of physical education and health (organisation, implementation, delivery and reflection of quality physical education and health programmes)
– HOF Physical Education and Health – supporting and overseeing the delivery of PE and Health, supporting giving guidance to staff, facility management, budgets, EOTC opportunities. This year leading Level 1 – New NCEA programme.
– Pastoral Dean (Tauroa House) – care, guidance and support to students from year 9-13 in my house, overseeing supervision of organisation of house events in particular house drama and music, athletics, swimming, organising social events for year 9 and 10 with other schools.
In my first and most important role as teacher of PE and Health I love working with akonga and supporting them to find confidence and strengths in their abilities.
In my role as HOF and Pastoral Dean it can often feel like you are pulled and feel you are stretched in different directions. Knowing that to lead is to share responsibility and find capacity in your colleagues, empowering them to deliver their best can has been insightful this year. This course has allowed me to gain greater leadership capacity and insight how to get the best out of others.
I think you’ve overlooked the role of your enormous self discipline and superb time management which have enabled you to carry out all these roles with style. Add into this moving house, going on a school trip to Europe during the last holidays and you have an extraordinary work load! You actually missed your hockey coaching out of the list. Phew!
Kia ora koutou, as with most middle school leaders, I too wear many hats in multiple leadership roles. When I sat down to look at this module I realised there are a lot of roles we take on, and an important skill is delegating and growing leaders of our own. This year I have stepped away from some roles and worked alongside others to support them in stepping into roles I used to have.
Below are the key responsibilities I have as a middle leader.
Kāhui ASL – lead a digital integration team, manage the website and resource upload, construct and send fortnightly newsletters, visit schools and meet with principals, model lessons, engage with teachers and leaders on digital opportunities, meet with WSL fortnightly, share learning, ASL/Principal fortnightly hui, special projects, coaching team members, report to BOTs.
ICT Leader at kura – device management – stocktake and distribution, google management (including account creation and management), digital securities (multiple platforms), digital citizenship lessons and roll out, strategic planning, ICT contract, addressing teacher ICT issues and concerns, private contract management for external companies, report to BOT, report to parents, information evenings on digital safety, budgets – ICT hardware, ICT consumables, Digital Technologies, STEAM
Digital Leader at kura – school programmes and PD for kaiako, lessons for tamariki, collaborating/leading digital team (5 kaiako), robotics, STEAM Room, Minecraft, Google training, targeted lessons to develop digital skills, upskilling myself – AI, Digital integration, securities, Google, Innovation
Year 3 ILE Kaiako
Mentor 1st Year BT
PTA – Calendar Art Co-ordinator
A key challenge for me has been balancing life and work. As teachers and leaders, we want to do our best for our tamariki and our colleagues. However, this is sometimes to our detriment. So this year making balance a priority has been a good step for me. The last school holiday was the first school holiday break I didn’t go into school! Surprisingly the world didn’t end ha!
Reflecting on the above list, I am looking at who and how I can continue to pass on my knowledge so that I can begin to take on new challenges.
You have quite a work load Jackie, given that you are three days in the classroom and two days carrying out your in school and across school responsibilities. I think you are very wise in ensuring a life / work balance, and investing time in passing on your knowledge and delegating responsibilities to others in your team.
My roles and responsibilities in my school are:
– WST for our communities Kaahui Ako – with a focus on Writing
– I hold the Arts Budget – so I prioritise where money will be spent in a fair manner – within this role I also organise a biannual Art Exhibition for our school.
– I organise and run a lot of school events – including all of the dress up days
– I am the social events coordinator for our staff (which is so fun but has its challenges!) – which this year has meant creating a roster system for staff morning tea shouts.
– I run our school communications through Facebook and Skool Loop – this takes up a lot of out of school hours
– I am also a Year 3/4 classroom teacher which I prioritise as my most important role
I guess the biggest challenge (and I know I am not alone here!) is trying to get everyone on board and to be supportive in all of my roles. I do my best to make sure I am involving every person and every area of my school but there are always people who don’t like what is happening or don’t get involved. I have learnt over time to just go with it and accept that we are not all the same and not everyone is going to be up for the events, the changes and ‘being told what to do’. I have grown in resilience over the years not to let those who would rather not be helpful get to me – accepting that I am doing my job and what’s best for ‘most’.
What a wonderful professional attitude you have Femke. I love that out of all your responsibilities you put your students first. It is great that you have grown in resilience and that you don’t alllow the few who are not helpful or supportive to inhibit your effectiveness in carrying out your responsibilities.
As a middle leader my responsibilities include:
I have established a tracking system for our priority learners and monitoring the data. I then feed back this information to the leadership team. We then discuss at team levels what we can do support our students and make a difference.
• running school events, particularly enjoy this, Special persons day, Whole school Matariki activities/sessions. Working alongside our student leaders has been awesome to get student voice.
• I am in charge of our senior team budget. This is done alongside my team and we prioritize where we want to spend the money.
• planning and timetabling is a key role of mine, including setting up the weekly and term calendar. Something as simple as making it more visual and keeping it up to date helps to keep things running smoothly.
• Tracking and monitoring student achievement and progress working closely with my principal. Focus is on tracking the data and sharing this with our teachers to discuss our next steps, our strengths and ways to support our students to achieve.
• I am currently evaluating the effectiveness of Prime in the senior school, we have just started with this resource and will monitor both student progress and dispositions. Are they enjoying Maths?Is it improving our teachers ability to provide a better program?
• Our senior leadership contributes to strategic planning; through assistance in identifying targets. This is a really collaborative process, firstly at leadership level then with the rest of the teaching team.
• pastoral care for teachers, mentoring a beginning teacher and also supporting new staff members.
• Performance review is completed by myself and the leadership team. We are completing more observations of teachers to give specific feedback. All staff members are encouraged to observe each other and provide feedback as part of their growth cycles.
Challenge, my biggest one is getting staff on board with change. They are a staff that tend to take time to get on board. I am using a structured approach tackling one thing at a time. I can’t rush them but also need to see evidence that they are on board. Our last module has been helpful and I have a great principal that supports me. I have just been away with our leadership team to visit two schools and meet with their middle management teams. This is providing a group to discuss/share with outside of my school group. I am finding this so valuable and making connections with supportive teachers who are facing the similar challenges.
Sheree you have a broad range of responsibilites across the whole school in your role as DP. This will assist you if you choose to apply for a principal position. Getting staff on board with change is one of the biggest challenges facing leaders. Your approach to meeting this challenge is very sound.
In my role in middle leadership I would say I am involved in operational leadership a lot more, although I am exposed to the strategic leadership when making decisions around future goals and programmes.
How operational leadership looks like for me:
– As we are a busy school with many different opportunities, my role is to deliver important information around the school culture and extra curricular activities. This could be leading meetings, send them key information via email or having informal conversations throughout the day.
– Working with my team of teachers to create engaging lessons that met the level of each individual student. This might be sharing resources that have worked in the past, coming up with new, fun ideas, reviewing the curriculum and what learning objectives will be covered.
– Ensuring all students across our team are safe and happy. So this is dealing with any problems and behaviour. Apart of this is discussing these issues with deputy principals and having open communication with whanau.
– As a team we often focus on tracking progress through moderations, summative assessment and pre/post tests. This ensures we are consistent across our team and helps supports teachers make correct judgements of their students.
How strategic leadership looks like for me:
– Being involved in discussions round different resources and programmes that will benefit all staff.
– I have lead PD within my school based on courses I had been on. I also actively involve myself in conversations around the curriculum.
Challenges:
I believe the biggest challenge would be leading change with the bi in from staff. As I’m apart of the decisions of meeting future goals, I can see the direction the school is trying to head but getting staff to be enthusiastic about this can be difficult at times.
Reflection:
Having the opportunity to be apart of middle leadership has allowed me to be involved in the discussions and decisions around change within the school. I enjoy being involved in these discussions and seeing the positive outcome on our whanau and students.
It can be a real challenge to inspire enthusiasm in staff, especially in times like these when there is negative media attention and change coming from a government level.
As the Tumuaki Tuarua at our kura, I wear many potae/hats in my role and every day is certainly different. Lots of successes and challenges. I could write a book around all the responsibilities for operational and strategic leadership and all the challenges faced and how I dealt with these, but limited space on this forum. So I’ll just share some key points with you all.
From the readings and links provided, I’ve found the resource Tū Rangatira a great resource to support and strengthen the leadership of teaching and learning. The 7 key roles of leadership and focus help remind me of the importance of my role. Changing your mindset was also a good read and reminder to pay attention to issues raised, knowing, observing and seeking trends and the importance of being proactive and connecting.
In terms of my operational leadership, one of my key responsibilities is the daily communication to all staff, via email, first thing, so all are aware of events happening and those who are away on the day. This helps prepare staff, so they know if a colleague is away, or as a reminder of what is happening for the day. Comments from staff shared it helps set them up for the day. Communication is important as shared back from my previous staff survey. Facebook, face to face discussions are not always easy, so wording and your approach is important. Previous challenges is ensuring you listen to whānau concerns and organise a plan together, involving the kaiako whenever possible to help come to a collaborate resolution.
Pastoral care is huge within our kura, as I support kaiako, team leaders, the tamaiti, and whānau. Every day is a different day. Certainly challenges around how you deal with behavioural issues, as some Kaiako want you to growl the student or get them out of their class. Restorative approach is important for all involved is how we have face these challenges and giving all involved time.
In my strategic role, working collaboratively with our tumuaki is key, ensuring the school vision is at the forefront of everything we do. In a quick summary my role is leading alongside and with others, supporting ākonga, staff, whānau, working collaboratively with all involved in achieving our school vision and goals, assisting all when needed, promoting a positive school culture, engaging all to meet the needs of our tamariki, analysing data and representing our kura in external hui, events, and gatherings. Having our tamariki at the heart of everything we do is something I remind myself of often and why we are in the role we are.
One of the challenges I am still working on is how to lead and manage change initiatives while minimizing resistance (as in Module 9). Having kaiako who believe their way is best, even though the data shows it isn’t and willing to change their practice. Ways previously dealt with is getting the kaiako to observe others and have discussions about their concerns and using coaching in a way of helping kaiako learn and bringing them to the goal/vision/needs of the tamaiti has been a way of overcoming previous challenges.
Linda, you statement highlights such a common challenge of resistance to change in education. Your strategies of observation, discussion, and coaching are definitely effective ones. You could also consider reframing resistance as an opportunity for growth, perspective taking and collaboration.
As a middle leader, my responsibilities for operational or strategic leadership within my kura and/or Kahui Ako include:
Team and Community Needs: Orchestrating tasks to meet the needs of the school team and wider community, including organising events and managing resources effectively.
Systems and Targets: Establishing systems aligned with school targets for student achievement, including planning, timetabling, and monitoring progress.
Resource Management: Utilising resources efficiently to support learners, leveraging team strengths, and overseeing my team and their planning.
Pastoral Care: Providing pastoral care to my team of staff and students, fostering a supportive environment.
Strategic Planning Contribution: Assisting in identifying targets and aligning team efforts with the school’s vision and goals, contributing to strategic planning.
Behaviour Management: Implementing restorative practices and supporting teachers with high behavioural and learning needs, ensuring a consistent approach.
Collaboration: Promoting effective collaboration among staff, encouraging open communication and teamwork to achieve common goals.
Professional Standards: Meeting the Practising Teacher Criteria confidently and role-modelling professional standards, demonstrating effective leadership.
Flexibility and Emotional Intelligence: Exhibiting a flexible mindset and high emotional intelligence, relating well with children, teachers, and parents.
Crisis Management: Managing difficult situations calmly and respectfully, supporting PC4L processes across hubs and attending additional leadership meetings as required.
Challenges and Responses:
Resource Constraints: Addressed by prioritising resource allocation and seeking additional community support.
Behaviour Management: Implemented restorative practices and provided additional support to teachers.
Staff Collaboration: Fostered a culture of open communication and mutual respect.
Work-Life Balance: Developed time management strategies and delegated tasks effectively.
Strategic Alignment: Established regular check-ins and reviews to ensure alignment with the school’s vision and goals.
Reflection:
Being a middle leader has allowed me to grow and significantly impact our school community. The challenges have taught me resilience, adaptability, and effective leadership, ensuring the progress and success of our school.
Sorayah, you are a very busy leader and classroom teacher and I am glad that you recognise the importance of work/life balance. I just love your professional attitude towards the challenges you face.