In 2004, Greg Dempster became the first full time general secretary of primary school leaders’ body the AHDS and now - with membership having more than doubled - .
“When I took on this job 20 years ago, we had just a little over 1,300 members, and now we’ve got 2,800. It’s a huge difference. We have also added to our own workload in lots of different ways,” he said.
This includes the AHDS representing primary school leaders on key government policy groups, said Mr Dempster, and on the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers, the tripartite body that sets teachers’ terms and conditions.
Growth of professional learning
The organisation has also developed its own professional learning, including in-person and online training.
“All the different aspects of the work of the association have grown because the membership has grown,” Mr Dempster said.
However, primary school leaders are also seeking support from the association in ever-increasing numbers, added Mr Dempster, because “year-on-year” their role has become “increasingly difficult”.
Every year since 2016, the AHDS has conducted a workload survey.
In 2024, it found that headteachers’ typical working hours increased by over an hour a week on 2023, reaching almost 55 hours a week on average and hitting the highest level since 2019.
Over the period the AHDS has been running the survey, the proportion of principal teachers and deputes saying that they are keen to become headteachers has also diminished.
From a starting figure of over a third in both roles, the 2024 survey found just 15 per cent of deputes and 14 per cent of principal teachers indicating that they wish to become headteachers.
In 2024, just 28 per cent of headteachers said they would recommend headship to others - the lowest proportion offering a positive response in any year of the survey.
Speaking up for primary school leaders
Mr Dempster said: “There are particular things that are pressures for school leaders that aren’t pressures for the rest of the teaching profession, so that distinct voice for school leaders speaking up on their behalf and talking about the unique pressures they face is something that members value.”
Applications for the post of the AHDS deputy general secretary close at 8am .
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