Summary of the position of the head of school in eight European countries
Country:	Bulgaria	Greece	Netherlands	Poland	Portugal	Scotland	Spain	Sweden
School characteristics
Age-groups the school is catering for:	6-14	6-12	4-12	16-19	6-16	3-7	12-adult	16-20
Number of pupils:	323	320	230	1050	1000	132	700	350
Board characteristics
Public (municipality, state etc.) or private (association, foundation etc.):	Public (municipality)	Public (municipality)	Private (foundation, state funded)	Public	Public	Local Authority	Public (Reg. board of education)	Public (municipality)
Number of schools under the same board:	20	9	3	15	1			6
Who has the ultimate responsibility for the board?	Major	Representatives of municipality	Foundation council	District	President of Executive Council	Local Authority	Reg. board of education	Board of the municipality
Who is responsible for day-to-day management on board-level?	Education specialist (municipality)	Chair of municipality representatives	Board manager (part time)		Pres./Vice-pres. Ex.Council		Reg. board of education	School director (board manager)
Position of the head
Who decides about appointment of the head?	Regional Educational Inspectorate (REI)	Regional Service Council (RSC)	Board (in consultation with repr. of staff and parents)	District	Ex. Council is elected	Commission of Local Auth. representatives	Education administration (in consultation with staff and parents)	School director
How are candidates for a vacancy normally attracted?	Advertising (in the National educational newspaper)	By a public document sent to each school	Advertising and/or headhunting.	Advertising	Candidates are free to apply	Advertising	Application from within the school (and sometimes other schools)	Advertising, recruiting company
Is special education or training for heads required?	· No, but teaching qualification	· No, but teaching qualification and 10 years experience · Measurable qualifications (university degree etc.)	· Heads don’t necessarily have to have a teaching qualification. · Special training courses for heads were introduced but not yet compulsory.	· No, but teaching background	· Yes, or one complete mandate as a vice-pres.	· Yes (or a commitment to undertake training)	· No, but teaching background	· Not yet (in discussion)
Which stages are normal in a recruitment procedure ?	· Develop a strategy plan · Interview with REI-comm. (with staff representatives attending) · Assessment	· Interview by RSC	· Interviews with recr. commission, del. from staff/parents. · Assessment and/or other test.	· Interviews (recr. comm. staff/parents, teacher unions)	· Presenting a program · Conveying it to the voters	· Leet drawn up. · Interview with presentation (30 mts.) · Post offered same day.	· Presenting a project · Recruitment commission (inspector, teachers, parents)	· Interviews (board members, teacher unions) · Tests
For how long gets a head normally appointed?	Temporary (few years) or indefinite	Four years	Indefinite period of time (can be until retirement).	Five years (once renewable)	Three years (re-election possible)	Indefinite period	Three years (3 times renewable, so 12 in total)	Two to three years
Can/do heads get dismissed because of malfunctioning?	Yes	Yes, but mainly theoretical	Yes (though difficult to proof) and it happens now and then.	Yes, but seldom	Yes	Yes, but seldom.	Yes	It happens
Has the head a teaching task?	Normally yes	Yes, 6-9 hrs./week	Normally not.	Yes (3 hrs./week)	Own choice	Not in bigger schools	Yes (9 hrs./week)	Normally not
Is the head solely responsible for the management or is he/she member of a management team?	Deputy	Deputy	Deputy	Two deputies	Executive council	Depends on size of the school.	Deputy and pedagogical coordinator	Deputies (in managementteam)
Does the head attend board meetings?	Yes	Yes, in case he is a member of the Community Education Committee	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
To whom does the head report?	Educational matters: REI Financial matters: Municipality	Head of the Education Office of the prefecture	Board.	District	Regional Authority	Chairperson & representatives	Reg. board of education	School director and/or board
Is functioning of the head discussed on a regular basis?	Sometimes by REI	No	Yes, in a yearly conversation with the chair of the board (board policy).	Yes	No	No	No	Yes, yearly with school director
Autonomy of the head
Who decides on strategic policy (f.e. school profile)?	Municipality and REI	Ministry	Board (in consultation with the head)	Head (in consultation with staff and district)	Head (within central limits)	Head (in consultation with staff)	Head (in consultation with staff)	Board (on advice from head)
Who decides on hiring/firing of staff?	Head	RSC	Head	Head	Head (with approval of Reg. Auth.)	Hiring: head. Firing: Local Authority	Reg. board of education	Head
Who decides on budget-setting?	Municipality	Ministry	Board, ministry	District	Reg. Auth.	Local Auth.	Reg. board of education	Board (consulting the head)
Who decides on budget-spending?	Head	Community Education Committee	Head	Head	Executive Council	Head	Reg. board of education	Head
Who decides on quality standards?	Ministry	Ministry	Board (in consultation with the head)	Ministry	Executive Council	Education Officer	Reg. board of education	Board and ministry
Who decides on quality management (how the standards are reached within the school)?	Head (in consultation with staff)	Head	Head (in consultation with staff)		Pedagogical Council	Head	Reg. board of education	Head
Who decides on the curriculum?	Pedagogical council (within legal framework)	Ministry	Head (within legal framework)	Ministry (head)	Ministry	Head	Ministry and Reg. board of education	Ministry
Who decides on entrance policy for pupils/student?	Pedagogical council (within legal framework)	Ministry	Board (in consultation with the head)	Head (in consultation with district)	Ministry	Local Auth.	Ministry	Board
Who decides on entrance/expel from individual pupils/students?	Municipality	School Council	Head (with appeal to the board)	Head (in consultation with staff)	Reg. Auth.	Head (in consultation with Educ. Officer)	Reg. board of education	Head
Who decides on decrease or increase of the number of classes in the school?	Municipality	School Council in cooperation with Head of the Education Office	Board (in consultation with the head)	Head (in consultation with district)	Reg. Auth.	Head	Reg. board of education	Head
Who decides on staff salaries?	Legislation	Legislation	Legislation	Legislation	Legislation	Legislation	Reg. board of education	Ministry (Head on individual basis)
Who decides on type of functions in the staff (f.e. more/less teachers etc.)?	Head (according to national standards)	Ministry (Head i.c.o. auxiliary staff)	Head (in consultation with staff)	Head	Head	Head (in consultation with Educ. Officer)	Reg. board of education	Head
Who decides on the school’s timetable?	Head (in consultation with staff)	Ministry	Head (in consultation with staff)	Head (in consultation with staff)	Pedagogical Council	Head (in consultation with staff)	Reg. board of education	Head
Who decides on special school projects?	Head (in consultation with staff)	Staff	Head (in consultation with staff)	Head (in consultation with staff)	Pedagogical Council	Head (in consultation with staff)	Reg. board of education	Head
Who takes care for housing and equipment for the school?	Head (in cooperation with municipality)	Head (in cooperation with comm.. Education Committee)	Head (on major matters f.e. new building: board)	Head (in consultation with district)	Reg. Auth.	Local Auth.	Reg. board of education	Head and/or municipality
Who has (official) external contacts on behalf of the school?	Head	Head	Head	Head	Head	Local Auth.	Head	Head

Some comments

The information gathered above shows some interesting characteristics on the position of the heads of schools.

I point out a few aspects that I find intriguing:

· Appointment. Only in Portugal the head gets elected. All other countries work with an appointment decision by the responsible authority after interviews. In Poland and Sweden unions are involved in the procedure.

· Special education for the head. Obviously this is an aspect to develop. In two countries this is actual policy (Portugal and Scotland). A few others are planning this. Only in The Netherlands a head doesn’t have to have a teaching qualification.

· Employment period. Countries differ very much on this aspect, from a minimum of two years (Sweden) to indefinite appointments in Scotland and The Netherlands.

· Functioning of the head. Only in a few countries (Sweden, Netherlands, Poland) the functioning of the head is discussed on a regular basis. Heads also seem quite safe for dismissal.

· Autonomy. Least autonomous seem to be the Spanish heads (which corresponds with the comment that in Spain it’s hard even to find candidates). From the various answers one could conclude that the Greek system is rather centrally organized too. The heads with the most autonomy seem to be the Swedish, the Scottish and the Dutch.

08.02.2006/JvE