Thanks to our governance experts Fiona Stagg and Jill Wakefield for their advice on this article.
Appointing headteachers and deputy headteachers
The governing board has legal responsibility for selecting a headteacher, according to section 2.2.1 of the headteacher recruitment guidance from the Department for Education (DfE).
Your board can't delegate responsibility for the establishment of a headteacher or deputy headteacher selection panel, or the approval or appointment of the panel’s recommendation. See paragraph 96 of the Governance Handbook.
During the headteacher/deputy headteacher recruitment process, your board will:
- Appoint a selection panel of at least 3 governors (see regulation 15 of The School Staffing (England) Regulations)
- Tell the local authority (and diocese, if you're in a church school)
- Advertise the vacancy and shortlist candidates
- Request references
- Hold interviews
- Appoint the successful candidate
For more detailed information about what you'll do in each stage of the process, see our articles on: