Growing difficulties in head teacher recruitment revealed

In addition, the proportion of head teacher posts requiring more than one advertisement lept up in 2009/10 compared with the previous year. 

The number of special school head teacher posts needing to be re-advertised jumped from 27 per cent to 43 per cent, while in primary schools this figure rose from 26 per cent to 33 per cent.

Secondary school head teacher posts were less badly hit, with 20 per cent of posts needing to be re-advertised this year compared to 19 per cent last year.

Russell Hobby, general secretary of the NAHT, warned that the absence of a permanent, substantive head interrupts a school’s development, adding that any changes to pension arrangements could cause a mass exodus of school leaders from the profession.

High re-advertisement rates also cause significant additional expenditure for schools as well as uncertainty for staff, pupils and parents, he said. 

"You can’t have great schools without great school leadership," Hobby explained. "The issues highlighted by this report make it essential that all those within education promote the job of school leadership.

"This applies to the unions, the media and the government. To encourage the leaders of tomorrow we need to give leaders today freedom and autonomy under fair and accurate accountability in order to flourish in what, on a good day, is the best job in the world."