Effective School Management

Effecting the dismissal
Governing bodies must give any person whose dismissal is being considered
the opportunity to make representations (orally, if requested) to the committee
which has been convened to consider the dismissal. A friend or trade union
representative may also accompany the member of the staff. There is a right
of appeal to an appeals committee, which must comprise governors who have
taken no part in the original process.
PICKING UP THE PIECES
You also need to consider the effect of a dismissal on the rest of the school
staff, so that you can manage the ‘fall-out’. Bad news travels fast and often
becomes unhelpfully embellished. The victim will naturally want to shift
blame, probably on to you, and to curry sympathy. Although relieved that the
axe has not fallen on them, people will wonder who is next, and a mood of
apprehension and depression is likely to spread.
If you have played down the prospect of dismissals, the staff will not have
had time to adjust to reality. They will need to know enough of the
background to be able to understand the rationale for your decision, even if
they cannot at first accept it emotionally. They will want to ask questions –
especially the union representative. You must provide them with adequate
opportunities for access. Although a staff meeting about the matter may
daunt you, you will have to face it. Try to resist any attempts to personalize
the issue; the reactions you can expect are less a reflection on your personal
competence than a natural response to a trauma befalling the school’s social
system (see the four phases above). Let the anger play itself out but, as soon
as you can, move people towards the fourth phase, ‘getting on with life’.
Practical measures must be taken to fill the gap caused by the victim’s
departure; just as the arrival of a new recruit provides an opportunity to take
stock of existing roles and responsibilities. Can it help to improve something
that needed changing anyway?
Your task is to restore morale as soon as possible, and not allow a mood of
discontent to take root. Try to direct attention to superordinate objectives: e.g.
the need continually to provide the best quality of education with whatever
resources are available. If there are precedents in which a former colleague
passed through the slough of despond ultimately to reach a higher peak,
quote them.
Advising governors as to which close colleagues to make redundant is one
of the most stressful situations you are likely to face as a manager. You will
probably need a support system to protect your own emotional well-being. A
supportive senior management team can provide this, or you may have to
turn to someone outside the school.
The positive leadership that you offer the school during its adversity will
help to dissolve the negative feelings that usually accompany redundancy
situations. This is what the school will look to you for.

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9 8
EFFECTIVE SCHOOL MANAGEMENT
PERSONAL APPLICATION
Role play informing a colleague that she/he will be recommended to the governors
for dismissal. Then reverse the roles.  In each case act as though you or your
colleague is being made redundant from the actual job you now hold. You will be
surprised how realistic the role play becomes.
DISCUSSION TOPIC
Compare and contrast the functions of recruitment, employment,
appraisal, development and dismissal of staff  with the corresponding
functions applied to pupils. What does this tell you about ways in which
staff management and pupil management could each be improved?
FURTHER READING
Armstrong, M. and Baron, A. (1998) Performance Management, Chartered Institute of
Personnel and Development, London.
Blandford, S. and Welton, J. (1999) Managing Professional Development in Schools,
RoutledgeFalmer, London.
Dukes, C. (2002) Easy Step by Step Guide to Recruiting the Right Staff, Rowmark, Hayling
Island.
Everard, K.B. (1986) Developing Management in Schools, Blackwell, Oxford.
Fidler, B. and Cooper, R. (eds) (1992) Staff Appraisal and Staff Management in Schools and
Colleges: a Guide to Implementation, Longman, Harlow.
Greene K. et al. (2002) Administrative Support Staff in Schools: Ways Forward:  NFER
Research Report RR331 for the DfES, NFER, Slough.
Hartle F., Everall K., and Baker C. (2001) Getting the Best out of Performance Management
in your School, Kogan Page, London.
Horne, H. and Pierce, A. (1996) A Practical Guide to Staff Development and Appraisal in
Schools, Kogan Page, London.
Kalinauckas, P. and King, H. (1994) Coaching: Realising the Potential, Chartered Institute
of Personnel and Development, London.
MacKay, I. (1995) Asking Questions and Listening Skills (2nd edn), Chartered Institute of
Personnel and Development, London.
Montgomery D. and Hadfield N. (1989) Practical Teacher Appraisal, Kogan Page, London.
Mumford, A. (1997) Management Development (3rd edn), Chartered Institute of Personnel
and Development, London.
Parsloe, E. (1995) Coaching, Mentoring and Assessing: A Practical Guide to Developing
Competence, Kogan Page, London.
Reeves, J., Smith, P., O’Brien, J.P., Tomlinson, H. and Forde, C. (2002) Performance
Management in Education, Sage, London.
West-Burnham, J. (1998) Leadership and Professional Development in Schools, Financial
Times Prentice Hall, London.

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MANAGING CONFLICT
99
A KEY SKILL
The ability to handle conflict is a key factor in managerial success. Whenever
we wish to make changes, there is potential for conflict. Furthermore, we not
only have to handle situations in which there is conflict between ourselves
and one or more other members of staff but may also at times have to resolve
conflicts between our subordinates or, most difficult of all, to plot a course
through the minefield of ‘politics’ when two of our peers or superiors are
locked in struggle. In the last case, it often happens that one party will
deliberately block anything which appears to be the initiative of, or have the
backing of, the other, and progress may be difficult. On the other hand, one
may have more freedom of action while the opposing parties are locked in
battle: a head who is ‘at war’ with a local authority, his or her governors, a
parental committee or a pressure group may be only too pleased if the staff
just get on with running the school. The worst situation occurs when no one
fills the vacuum caused by his or her preoccupation.
This chapter deals with the nature of conflict, how it builds up, its positive
and negative effects and some guidelines for handling conflict situations.
THE VALUE OF CONFLICT
Conflict in the sense of an honest difference of opinion resulting from the
availability of two or more possible courses of action is not only unavoidable
but also a valuable part of life. It helps to ensure that different possibilities are
properly considered, and further possible courses of action may be generated
from the discussion of the already recognized alternatives. Also, conflict often
means that the chosen course of action is tested at an early stage, thereby
reducing the risk of missing an important flaw which may emerge later.
Alfred Sloan, a former president of General Motors, would always refer
for further consideration at the next meeting any proposal on which his
board members were unanimous. A large proportion of such proposals were,
it appears, eventually rejected! (Sloan, 1986).
The absence of conflict may indicate abdication of responsibility, lack of
interest or lazy thinking.