The career perspectives of deputy headteachers

This paper reports on a study of the career perspectives of primary and secondary deputy headteachers in two LEAs in England and Wales as they consciously make the decision whether or not to strive for headship. Drawing upon the data, five categories of deputy headteacher emerge: 'potential aspirants', 'active aspirants', 'unpredictables', 'settlers' and 'unavailable aspirants'. Evidence is presented which indicates that the career perspectives of deputy headteachers are constructed from a broad range of professional and personal factors. In the final section of the paper, the implications of these findings for the process of management development are discussed.