Britain's Best Leaders Are Headteachers

A survey commissioned by the National College for School Leadership (NCSL) finds that headteachers are viewed as better leaders than any other group in Britain.

A survey commissioned by the National College for School Leadership (NCSL) finds that headteachers are viewed as better leaders than any other group in Britain.

The MORI survey shows that over half (52%) of British adults think headteachers provide particularly good examples of leadership.

And headteachers top the poll by a long way. The next best leaders according to the survey are officers in the armed forces -- 37% say they provide a good leadership example, closely followed by doctors and the police with 33% each.

Amongst the lowest scoring are local politicians (four per cent), health service managers (four per cent) and civil servants (three per cent).

But despite ranking heads as the country's best leaders, ironically the survey reveals respect for heads and the job they do is not as high as for doctors. Fifty-eight per cent say they have a great deal of respect for doctors while only 38% say the same of headteachers.

Among the lowest scoring are politicians, journalists and council officials.

The survey also shows considerable confidence in the way schools are run today with seven in ten parents (71%) saying they think that school leadership is good and nearly half (46%) saying school leadership has improved in the last three years.

Six out of ten people (59%) also say they think NCSL will help heads to do their job more effectively.

Technical details

A nationally representative quota sample of 2,001 adults (aged 15 and over) was interviewed throughout Great Britain using the MORI general public Omnibus. Interviews were conducted face-to-face in respondents' homes, using CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing) between 20 and 25 February 2003.

NCSL was launched by the Prime Minister in November 2000. It aims to:

  • provide a single national focus for school leadership development, research and innovation
  • be a driving force for world class leadership in our schools and the wider community
  • provide support to and be a major resource for school leaders
  • stimulate national and international debate on leadership issues

Topline Results

Q1 Which, if any, of the following professions do you think provide particularly good examples of leadership? You may choose up to three.

  %
Headteachers 52
Officers in the armed forces 37
Doctors 33
Police 33
Ministers of religion 16
Business directors 13
Sports coaches / Sports managers 11
Deputy headteachers 9
Members of Parliament (MPs) 9
Trade union officials 6
Local politicians 4
Health service managers 4
Civil servants 3
None 7
Don't know 5

Q2 Please could you tell me, for each of the professions I am going to read out, how much respect, if any, would you say you have in them and the job they do?

  A great deal A fair amount Not very much Nothing at all Don't know
  % % % % %
Headteachers 38 50 8 2 2
Lawyers 13 48 27 8 4
Doctors 58 38 3 * 1
Police officers 38 44 14 3 1
Politicians 2 24 48 25 2
Journalists 2 22 50 23 3
Businessmen / Businesswomen 7 56 28 5 4
Council officials 2 35 47 13 3

Q3 What leaders inspire you, from any walk of life, past or present? Who are they?

  %
Winston Churchill 24
Margaret Thatcher 11
Nelson Mandela 7
Martin Luther King 4
Mahatma Gandhi 3
Teacher / headteacher 3
Tony Blair 3
Mother Theresa 2
John F. Kennedy 2
Parent(s) 2
Other (*) 37
None / no answer 22
Don't know 16

* = includes all people cited by less than 2% of respondents. We will be able to provide you with a list of who is included in the 'other' category for your information.

Q4 How often, if at all, have you visited a school in your area, for any purpose, during the last 12 months?

  %
Daily 16
At least once in the last week 7
At least once in the last month 7
At least once during the last 6 months 10
At least once during the last 12 months 6
Never in the last 12 months 51
Don't know / can't remember 3

Q5 Thinking now about leadership within schools, to what extent do you feel that leadership is good or poor?

Base: All parents of dependent children under the age of 19, and/or those who have visited a school in their local area at least once in the last six months (887)

  %
Very good 19
Fairly good 53
Neither good nor poor 14
Fairly poor 7
Very poor 3
Don't know / can't remember 4

Q6 To what extent, if at all, do you feel that leadership provided by headteachers and/or their deputies has improved or declined over the last three years?

Base: All parents of dependent children under the age of 19, and/or those who have visited a school in their local area at least once in the last six months (887)

  %
Greatly improved 11
Improved to some extent 36
Neither improved nor declined 29
Declined to some extent 13
Declined a great deal 4
Don't know / can't remember 8

Q7. A national college for school leadership has been set up. To what extent do you think this will help headteachers and their deputies to do their jobs more effectively?

  %
A great deal 15
A fair amount 44
Not very much 17
Not at all 6
Don't know 19

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