Are you a middle leader wondering about the importance of your role? Torn between teaching full time and catering for your pupils and guiding and motivating colleagues? If yes, then this is the post for you. Read on to find out just how important your role as a middle leader is.

The term ‘middle leader’ is used to describe teachers in primary schools who have responsibility for leading specific subjects, key stages or other aspects of the school’s work.

To be an effective middle leader, you need to innovate and lead change, set direction, plan and, most importantly, influence and motivate others.

In outstanding schools, middle leaders are highly visible in their curriculum areas and around the school, via displays, ensuring continuity among year groups and in pupils’ progress.

Middle leaders interact well with other teachers and pupils throughout the school to help support them as well as the senior leadership team by overseeing curriculum planning and ensuring that teaching and learning is at its best.

In outstanding schools, middle leaders play an vital role in highly effective management systems. This can be done by setting long term goals and small steps to reach them. It will help in leading others on the same path.

In a nutshell, it’s pretty damn important if you do it effectively. The following quote from ‘The Guardian’ sums up the importance of middle leadership in a single, powerful sentence.

‘Middle leaders, the engine room of the school, sit at the heart of this drive.’

The Guardian

Easier said than done? Indeed, that engine room is hard work! Finding the right balance between your teaching role and your leader role is tricky and I think that the best way to achieve this is through trial and error. You just have to try to find what works for you and adjust accordingly.

If your heart is in the right place and you are willing to put in the work, you will be a great middle leader.

It’s all about finding your footing and making this role work for you and don’t think for a minute that your role is of little value.

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Till next time…

Photo by Samuel Toh on Unsplash