Stepping into the role of a head of department (HoD) in a secondary school can be an exciting yet nerve-wracking experience. You’re in a position to be strategic now - to lead and shape the direction of a department - meaning your impact is enhanced.

But this can be accompanied by nerves given the new weight of responsibility. You’ll need to manage up (working with SLT) and manage down (working with your team), which may require you to develop new skill sets. That’s OK. Some say to give it three years to feel fully settled into the role of HoD.

It is also common for new HoDs to experience a degree of ‘impostor syndrome’, a nagging self-doubt that you’re not qualified or deserving of this new role. I’m here to tell you that you’re not alone, and to offer some top tips to help you on your new journey.

1. Get to know your team

As a new HoD, it is crucial to invest time and effort into understanding and building relationships with your new colleagues. Take the initiative to have one-on-one meetings with each staff member, listen to their ideas, and get to know their strengths and areas for development. Building trust and fostering a positive working environment will lay the foundation for effective collaboration and teamwork. Remember that you are absolutely dependent on these colleagues if the department is to be successful and that, just like the students we teach, you have to know how to get the best out of each member of your team.

2. Delegate to team members

As your responsibilities grow, you’ll probably realise that you can’t manage everything on your own. Your responsibility is no longer just to the 30 students in each of your classes, but to the hundreds of students who study your subject across all key stages. Therefore, you need to delegate roles and responsibilities appropriately. Not only should this enhance the quality and time dedicated to these areas (eg. KS3 / enrichment / intervention), but it allows your team to take ownership of an aspect of the department, developing them professionally - an important feature of a good leader.

3. Review and design your curriculum

A primary responsibility of a HoD is to ensure that their curriculum is well-structured and develops skills and knowledge that directly contribute to a student’s future academic learning. Take the time to review and analyse the existing curriculum, identifying where you can enhance your offering. Collaborate with your team to develop a coherent and logical sequence of topics, ensuring progression and continuity throughout and across the academic year. Remember that there is no such thing as the ‘perfect’ curriculum, just a well-designed curriculum that best meets the needs of your current students. As their needs change, so may your curriculum.

4. Source and share the best teaching resources

Considerable time can be squandered on developing new materials despite the existence of excellent and highly-recommended resources. It is essential to invest time in researching readily available materials and resources in your specific field, as their quality has often been thoroughly tested. Discovering suitable resources revitalises teaching and learning, leading to enhanced learning experiences and outcomes for your students. Moreover, this not only enriches your own subject knowledge and pedagogical approaches, but it also elevates the teaching quality within your team, fostering a culture of continuous learning and academic excellence. A team that reads is a team that succeeds!

5. Use student assessment data effectively

To make informed decisions, HoDs should embrace the use of evidence and data. Recalling a range of scripts from the summer exams can give you clear insights into trends and patterns of students’ skills and knowledge, and help you to identify areas for improvement. This gives you quantifiable evidence to support any changes you may need to make. Always remember, though, that data is only useful if you are doing something useful with it. What does it tell you? Now, what are you going to do with that knowledge?

6. Tailor your CPD offering

Continuous professional development (CPD) is vital for both individual growth and the development of the department. Encourage your team to engage in CPD opportunities, such as workshops, conferences, and online courses, that align with their professional goals. Additionally, consider implementing a collaborative approach to CPD, where staff members can share their expertise and learn from one another through peer observation, coaching, and collaborative lesson planning. Your priorities here will depend upon the make-up of your team, and you should tailor your CPD programme based on the experience, knowledge and skills of your colleagues.

7. Don’t shirk difficult conversations

As a new HoD, you will likely encounter challenging situations that require you to have a difficult conversation. It is essential to approach difficult conversations with empathy, active listening and a focus on your commonalities rather than your disagreements. Remember that nobody is consciously underperforming, and that the more time you invest in getting to know them, the more ‘good credit’ you can build with colleagues that you can then draw on in difficult times. Remember too, though, that not having these conversations can see you lose the trust of other colleagues, who see you tolerating and thus condoning undesirable practices or behaviours.

So, armed with these seven tips, I hope that you’re feeling positive and confident about the road ahead. Remember that creating the right environment, practices and routines for your department will take time: it is a process, not an event. Be ambitious yet realistic about what you want to achieve, taking time to reflect - independently and as a team - on how you can make each year smoother, more cohesive and more engaging than the last.

Oliver Cross is the Head of English at Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School in Marlow, where he is also ITTCo and staff governor. He is about to undertake his third head of department role in September at Wallingford School.