Schools ‘are facing leadership crisis’

In the wake of a national report which reveals 37 per cent of head teacher positions in the primary sector had to be re-advertised in 2007, teaching unions say staff are being turned-off top jobs throughout the district.

However Education Bradford - the private company that helps to run the district's schools - said the picture in Bradford was similar to that in the rest of the country.

Louise Smith, head at Keighley's Long Lee Primary School and co-chairman of the Bradford Primary School Head Teachers' Association, said many Bradford schools could face "huge difficulties" as heads begin to retire.

She said: "Bradford benefits enormously from having a very strong cohort of primary head teachers - many of whom have been in education for many years. It's quite unusual in that sense. We have this vast pool of very capable people. But the age profile is such that there are going to be huge difficulties in recruitment."

Mrs Smith said the pressures of the top job and particularly the issues head teachers at primary schools in "difficult areas where there are high levels of poverty" could face, would make recruitment at some schools difficult.

Pam Milner, Bradford branch secretary for the NASUWT, said it was now "very hard" to get heads of the calibre that Bradford primary schools need.

"Bradford is still suffering from the media portrayal it received during the riots," she said. "It is fighting the perception given by low league table positions and it is fighting the image given by the number of schools in special measures. Given the choice, many teachers will prefer to go to schools in the leafy suburbs."

Ian Murch, Bradford branch secretary for the NUT, said the number of primary sector teachers applying for headships had fallen across the country, but he said the problem was worse in Bradford.

The Education Bradford spokesman said there were seven primary schools which did not have a permanent head teacher.

He said: "There is a small number of primary head teacher vacancies at the moment - but no more than usual for this time of year. Over the next few weeks we will be helping schools advertise headships for schools where we know the head teacher is due to retire or leave in September."

Councillor Colin Gill, Bradford Council's executive member for children's services, said: "We have excellent, high-quality primary head teachers in the Bradford district doing fantastic work.

"Our vacancy rate is in line with the national average and considerably lower than some areas of the country."

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