School Leaders Scotland general secretary Graham Hutton has announced that he will retire this August after two years in the job.
A has now been started by School Leaders Scotland (SLS), which represents headteachers and other leaders in secondary schools, in the hope of announcing Mr Hutton’s replacement towards the end of May.
The former headteacher of Grove Academy in Dundee took the helm at SLS after Jim Thewliss retired in August 2023.
In a message to SLS members, Mr Hutton said that “after a lot of soul searching, I have decided to step down as general secretary and finally retire at the end of August”.
He added: “In October I shall be 67 and with recent events in my family, I have become more aware of my mortality and none of us knows how long we have, so after 43 years of being in education, I shall move on into the autumn of my years!”
Hutton departs School Leaders Scotland
SLS president Pauline Walker and members of the professional body’s council will be responsible for appointing a new general secretary, who should start on 1 September. The salary range for the full-time post is from £93,189 to £97,867.
Mr Hutton said that “SLS has influence at the highest levels” so his successor “will have the opportunity to make a real difference to the future of secondary education in Scotland”.
He added that the successful candidate will be a “dynamic individual” who has “considerable experience of leading in a secondary school”.
SLS has also told members that Allyson Dobson will stand down from her part-time post as professional learning (PL) coordinator at the end of August. SLS aims to advertise the post and appoint Ms Dobson’s successor before the summer.
Mr Hutton said he was “very sorry to see her go as she has been superb in this role and has resuscitated PL completely”.
Meanwhile, SLS admin and finance manager Lyn Honnan has indicated that she will retire at the end of 2025, with her successor expected to start after the summer.
Time of ‘momentous change’
Mr Hutton said this would mark a “momentous change” because Ms Honnan is “the font of all knowledge on things SLS” and would be “a very hard act to follow”.
SLS - which works closely with its partnership organisation in England, the Association of School and College Leaders - represents principal teachers, depute headteachers, resource/business managers and headteachers in secondary schools throughout Scotland.
The closing date for applications to the post of SLS general secretary is Friday 25 April, with interviews planned for Tuesday 20 May. Enquiries and applications should go to pauline.walker@royalhigh.edin.sch.uk
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