Best Practice

What school leaders can learn from Stoic philosophy

Leadership/school profiles Senior leadership
From being values-driven and promoting mental fortitude to embracing uncertainty and being patient, primary headteacher Jim Mepham puts forward his case for how Stoic philosophy can transform the leadership of your school


When I first became a headteacher, 14 years ago, I thought that I had a clear grasp of the requirements, skills and duties of headship.

Headteachers lead and manage the curriculum, school standards, including achievement and progress, the budget, the quality of learning and provision, staffing, pupil welfare, safeguarding, community cohesion, to name just a few things.

When the National Standards of Excellence for Headteachers came out in January 2015 (since replaced by the Headteachers’ Standards – DfE, 2020), I prided myself on being able to tick most of the boxes.

To anyone now wishing to apply for their first headship position, I would say that being a headteacher is about much more than box-ticking, skills and duties.

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