Latest guidance on executive head posts

Members considering taking on executive head posts are urged to read new guidance on the ASCL website. The term 'executive head' does not have a basis in law, though quite clearly executive heads do exist on the ground and are being appointed as such in increasing numbers.

The STPCD 2009 provides for a head to be the head of more than one school on a permanent or temporary basis. Thus, every school must have a head, but no school may have two heads, though one head could be the designated head of more than one school.

Where the schools retain their individual identity and the executive head is on site for say, two days a week, it could be argued that those schools do not have a head on the other days. In such a case, it might be reasonable to pay the deputies on an interim basis because otherwise the schools would technically be without a head altogether (which would be illegal).

Their range for such responsibility would lie somewhere between the lowest point of the head's ISR and (presumably) the maximum of their normal range.

• See www.ascl.org.uk/publications for the full guidance paper.