Positions and Dispositions: Locating Leaders within New Zealand Secondary School Faculties

The faculty head role in secondary schools is a complex one, for it is both positioned and defined within a management hierarchy, but has evolved out of the more traditional curriculum leadership role of head of department. While there has been some early research done in England on the role of faculty leaders, little has been done in New Zealand. This article draws on findings from a case study conducted in three large New Zealand secondary schools which, explored six faculty heads' perceptions of their work and curriculum leadership. Findings from my research suggested that faculty heads gave top priority to the social practice of supporting shared work practices, both within subject departments and across wider faculty groupings. Nevertheless, the pull of expecting to fulfil an organisational management role may cause a shift in focus away from a faculty head's subject leadership disposition, with reported tensions between competing managerial and professional demands. The faculty heads acted as conduits for senior management but were mindful to locate their work within the professional role of leading teams of teachers in the pursuit of improved teaching and learning.