As I prepared for my first term of headship, I called friends and former mentors for advice.
All of them said the same thing: “Tom, you are going to a great school but you can also be impatient. Just wait, listen, learn and watch for the first two terms, and then make some subtle and informed changes.”
It was good advice that I intended to follow. Then on day three I decided to restructure the entire management and leadership structure.
There’s some context here that needs explaining.
Restructuring SLT
On my first day in charge of Dubai College - indeed, my first day as a headmaster - I gave an opening speech to the school in which I outlined my passion for character education, driven by the value of kindness, and asked the students to actively practise empathy.
Then I pitched myself to the 250 or so staff - both teaching and non-teaching - outlining how I would be careful and cautious, and promote and celebrate the culture and community of this fine educational institution that has the potential to be a leading light in the future direction of global education.
And I meant every word.
Then on day two my deputy head resigned.
Change at the top
As it happens, he and I cycled in together that morning. After the first day not being a total disaster and him being kind and supportive, I was hit by a wave of positivity: this was going to be OK. Only for him to end my second day by calling it quits.
Again, this calls for context.
The deputy head of Dubai College is a living legend called Clive Agent, who has essentially run the day-to-day operations of the school for the best part of his 28 years of service.
With him being known to generations of students and educators in the Middle East, I was excited to work with him, and he has been incredibly helpful in helping me to settle into my new role.
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But he wanted a change. He assured me that this was always his plan and the decision was nothing to do with me, but I couldn’t help feeling that this was a comment on my start. I asked him to take 48 hours to think it through - essentially begging him to stay for another year.
Unpicking the knots
Clive, though, didn’t change his mind.
This led me to start to consider how we could replace him. But the more I investigated and tried to understand what his role was, I realised he was irreplaceable.
Not just as an individual, but as a role. If you began working in an organisation when Tony Blair was starting out as UK prime minister, your role there today is not governed by neat organigrams and oven-ready processes. You are the machine.
Two things became abundantly clear. The first was that I needed to take this opportunity to not replace the person but instead develop my understanding of the role that the school needed next.
The second was that I needed to rethink what that role does, who it manages and how it fits into the overall structure.
The latter consideration caused me more problems. Because while what Clive did was working well - people felt supported and valued, and things got done as required - when I started to write down the job description for a new role, I realised it made no sense.
It made perfect sense to Clive and everyone at the school. But to fresh eyes, or indeed to anyone who might apply for the role, it was a heady mixture of academic, pastoral and operational.
The closest thing I can compare it with is what I think boarding schools used to have in terms of a “second master”.
Now I was faced with not only changing Clive’s role, but also, as I moved around the roles that he had crossing into other jobs, having to restructure the rest of the SLT as a consequence.
Starting again
So for all of the warnings to be calm, patient and circumspect as a new headteacher, I convinced myself that for the benefit of the school, I needed to start again.
What happened next has, thus far, been extremely positive. I pitched the idea to the SLT, who were supportive and helpful. I outlined my plan to the board in my second week, who, albeit surprised, were positive and understanding.
Then I outlined the rationale to the staff and made a joke of how they could forget everything I said in the meeting three weeks ago because I am restructuring the school. Again, it was received with good grace and hopeful pragmatism.
It was an early warning that headship is incredibly thrilling and that when plans change, there is nothing wrong with changing with them.
Tomas Duckling is headmaster of Dubai College
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