Resigning your Headship can be a difficult, sometimes upsetting decision. You have built a vision for the school but now recognise the opportunity to move onwards – either developing your career in education, moving to a consultant role or looking forward to a well-earned retirement. The Headteacher resignation dates are set to ensure that school’s have smooth transition periods and a suitable replacement for your hard work can be sourced. Changing jobs can be daunting at any level, take time to find a role that works for you either within education or in a totally different sector. As the last day of term approaches it’s quite normal to start thinking about
Resignation Dates for Headteachers
The notice periods for headteachers in UK schools work in a similar pattern to classroom teacher resignation dates but allow for a slightly longer recruitment process than for a teaching post. Essentially you are usually required to provide a full academic term notice period; this is up to twice as long as a teacher’s notice period.
Use the table below to work out your resignation date:
| I want to leave | I should resign by |
| At the Christmas Holidays | 30th September (First month of Autumn Term) |
| At the Easter Holidays | 31st January (First month of Spring Term) |
| In the Summer Holidays | 20th April (First month of Summer Term) |
It is in the interests of schools to use the Summer period for reconfiguring Senior staff but the decision has to be one you make for your career, family and wellbeing. Furthermore, a decision to resign from Headteaching provides the opportunity to consider bringing your expertise to roles outside of the confines of the school walls. Take time to consider roles in Teacher Education, Leadership Consultation or even organisations like Ofsted. Employers recognise longer notice periods so if you find yourself the “dream role” and worry that it won’t wait for you, contact them and let them know your position; honesty is the best policy. Many professions have 2-3 month notice periods for senior positions.
Why are headteacher notice periods so long?
Headteacher resignation dates are long to protect the future of the school. It takes time to recruit school leadership so there is an expectation that headteachers, principals, etc. provide a longer notice period. There are huge costs involved in running adverts or employing recruitment consultants to manage the process so schools and Trusts like to be able to prepare for the financial and leadership uncertainty.
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