Co-headship: guidance for governors

Learn what co-headship is and what you need to consider when deciding if it might be right for your school. Read about common co-headship models and find pointers for long-term success.

Last reviewed on 10 March 2025See updates
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Contents
  1. Flexible working can work for leadership positions
  2. Reasons you might consider co-headship
  3. Consider the possible pros and cons 
  4. Choose the best co-headship model for your school
  5. Questions to ask if you're considering co-headship
  6. Follow these tips for long-term success

Flexible working can work for leadership positions

Headship is no exception.

The DfE's guidance on flexible working in schools sets out how, under The Education Act 2002, maintained schools must have a headteacher at all times. But as long as the headship isn't left vacant for part of the week, this requirement can be met by 2 part-time contracts brought together to create a job share (go to the section 'consideration for employers' then 'part-time leadership roles').

The guidance also encourages schools and multi-academy trusts (MATs) to adopt a flexible working policy that responds to the needs of staff and employers.

Headship is often referred to as a lonely position, and some headteachers are finding a better work/life balance through flexible working arrangements that allow them to share the workload and accountability. See how 2 co-headteachers developed a successful job-share partnership at their school.

The DfE sees the improved retention rate as an important benefit of flexible working.  

This is good news, because headteachers are stepping down at an increasing rate due to the demands of the role. The fact that this is playing out alongside a headteacher recruitment crisis means that retention is even more vital. 

Reasons you might consider co-headship

Co-headships often grow out of an existing relationship, where 2 individuals are either asked or volunteer to jointly step up to the headteacher role.

Your reasons will be unique to your school, but might include:

  • The amalgamation of an infant and a junior school, both of which had headteachers
  • A headteacher not wanting to return full time following maternity leave
  • 2 deputies stepping up to replace a departing headteacher after the school was placed in special measures
  • A headteacher wanting new challenges

Given the growing popularity of the concept, you might even find that a pair of co-heads respond to your advertisement for a headteacher with their own proposal for how they'll work together and how co-headship might look in your school.

Consider the possible pros and cons 

"There are both opportunities, as well as challenges, in co-headship and, if planned well and with total commitment from the employer, the approach can contribute massively to a school's success. Conversely, there could be serious risks and problems, and therefore negative impact on the school, if not planned for and handled well," notes Phil Preston, a governance expert. 

The pros and cons will be unique to your school, but here are some of the most common:

ProsCons
Can be an effective way to retain a headteacher that's looking for a way to cut workloadThe arrangement can be more expensive than 1 single head
The right co-heads bring complementary skills so the whole is greater than its partsPotential for confusion about who's running the ship
Allows an existing head to modify their work and develop new professional skillsMore work for the board (and the chair in particular)
It's good for succession planningAccountability issues might not be obvious until a major incident occurs
Can improve mental health and wellbeing Where 1 head might be more ambitious than the other, workload can be disproportionate

The DfE's flexible working guidance also notes that you'll need to consider how workloads will be managed for people working in leadership roles part time make sure you keep an eye on your co-heads' workload and wellbeing (go to the section 'considerations for employers' then 'part-time leadership roles').

To consider how the possible cons could be managed at your school, choose the best co-headship model and ask the right questions as a board (more on this below).

Choose the best co-headship model for your school

Just as there's no single way schools end up with co-heads, there's no single model for what co-headship looks like.

The 2 most common models are:

Divided by days of the week

This is what comes to mind when most people think of co-heads: 2 headteachers that both work part-time and share the role more or less equally. 1 headteacher is on duty at a time (sometimes with an overlap) and both are equally responsible for all decisions.

Divided by task

In this model, 1 or both co-heads can work full-time and they divide the workload by task rather than day. For example, 1 might be stronger at strategic planning and budget management, while the other has better people skills and manages staff, pupils and parents/carers. Each is responsible for their specific area of concern.

Questions to ask if you're considering co-headship

How do we make sure that stakeholders are happy with this arrangement?

Who's accountable for what?

How will we afford this?

How will we performance manage co-heads?

How will this change how we function as a governing board?

Follow these tips for long-term success

  • Have each co-head go through the interview process so you're confident that each will be able to fill the headteacher position independently 
    • As a side note: you should still advertise the role, even if you're thinking about promoting from within your school. If you're a maintained school, seek input from your LA, as you would normally
  • Don't expect to find 2 people that will work the same way and make the same strategic decisions, but do expect them to have a shared vision and equal capacity to deliver on that vision
  • All stakeholders must support the decision to have co-heads and have a clear understanding of who does what, when
  • There must be strong leadership from the governing board – and from the chair in particular
  • Co-heads should preferably share an existing professional relationship (it's difficult to make 2 people who've never worked together share a leadership role)
  • Ideally, your school itself should be stable – with no challenges significantly greater than the day-to-day business of running a 'good' or 'outstanding' school

Sources

Jacqueline Baker is an education consultant who specialises in senior leadership recruitment. She supports schools through the recruitment process and helps them develop leadership capacity.

Maria Coles has extensive experience of senior management in primary schools and has worked as a headteacher, school improvement consultant and inspector. She also provides training and mentoring for school leaders.

Christine Megson has worked as a consultant in public service redesign and as a leadership adviser. She has helped new schools to open successfully. and provides coaching and mentoring for senior leaders including co-headteachers.

Matt Miller MBE is an educational consultant and a former national leader of governance. He's also the chair of governors of an 'outstanding' school in north London.

Matthew Parris is the chair of governors of a primary school that was profiled by the DfE for its successful co-headship.

Ian Preston is a school governance consultant. He provides governor training to LAs and other organisations. He has considerable experience of governance in both the maintained and academy sector and across the primary and secondary phases. 

Phil Preston is an education consultant and experienced practitioner in new schools provision, school organisation and development planning, capital strategy and asset management, and governor development. He has been head of service in the education departments of 3 LAs, and a national programme and project gateway reviewer.

Article updates

25 March 2024

We've updated the answer in this article on how governing boards function with co-heads (found within the 'questions to ask if you're considering co-headship' section), with the information given in the maintained schools governance guide, published on 7 March 2024.

19 April 2023

We've updated the answer in this article on how governing boards function with co-heads (found within the 'questions to ask if you're considering co-headship' section), to explain how voting at meetings works. A representative from the DfE told us that co-heads are to share a single vote if your board's instrument of government specifies only 1 headteacher.

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