In the opening episode of the Sustainable School Leadership podcast, Dr Mike Collins and Dr Tom Perry delve into the personal and professional identities of those at the helm of our schools. The discussion explores the idea of leadership as a "vocation" and how a leader’s personal values, background and ethnicity fundamentally influence their resilience and approach to the role. By looking at the "human side" of the headship, the panel examines how leaders navigate the emotional weight of the job and why identity is often the anchor that keeps them grounded during times of intense systemic pressure.

The research highlights a significant "diversity gap" within UK school leadership, particularly regarding gender and ethnicity, and how these factors shape career pathways and the daily experience of being a leader. The experts discuss the importance of "community-anchored" leadership and the role of mentorship in building a sustainable pipeline of future heads. By acknowledging that leadership is not just a set of tasks but a deeply personal identity, the episode argues that sustaining the profession requires a better understanding of the emotional strain and the diverse lived experiences of those who lead our school communities across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Our guests in this episode:

• Gurpall Badesha: Deputy Headteacher at Crofton School in Hampshire and Vice-President of ASCL (Association of School and College Leavers).
• Dr Caitlin Donnelly: Senior Lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast and a specialist in educational leadership and school governance in Northern Ireland.

You can find out more about the research project and its findings at sustainableschoolleadership.uk.

The project, and this production, is funded by the ESRC Education Research Programme.

This is a Research Podcasts production.

You can read a transcript of the conversation here.

Episode Credits

Presenter: Mike Collins, University of Nottingham

Guests: Tom Perry, University of Warwick, Gurpall Badesha, ASCL and Caitlin Donnelly, Queen’s University Belfast

Producer: Alex Canner, Research Podcasts

Music: Jahzzar - Leith Walk, courtesy of Free Music Archive

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