Principal Rachel O’Connor notices it when she puts a vacant leadership post on the staffroom wall.
“There is a weird culture,” says O’Connor. “The principal puts up an assistant principal post advertisement and, all of a sudden, it’s like an episode of Men in Black. No one talks about it. There’s no shared culture of ‘Let’s help each other, let’s support each other’.”
Jean O’Sullivan, a primary school teacher, also experienced this staffroom silence when a promotional post was advertised at her school.
“Nobody was talking about it. Nobody knew who was going for the interview,” she says. “Maybe it has something to do with competition versus collaboration. It’s your colleagues; you don’t want to be the one to upset anybody.”
The desire to shift this silent staffroom culture was a key motivating factor behind the establishment of the Women in Learning and Leadership (Will) network.
The Will network was established by principals Kathryn Corbett and Rachel O’Connor a year ago.
“Will is about creating a support network for women given the imbalance and the lack of women going for the leadership positions,” says O’Connor.
The network grew from workshops the duo delivered that addressed barriers and bridges to leadership for women in education.
“The whole theory behind this is being leadership-ready. We’re not going to do interview techniques – it’s not a grind for going for the post. It’s about creating a leadership portfolio and having a look at how you visualise yourself as a leader,” says Corbett.
The Will network offers a variety of supports to women aspiring to be leaders in education. They run online chats once a month, face-to-face brunches and workshops throughout the year.
I think it is really powerful that you can be that honest with each other, share what’s worked for somebody and encourage each other going forward
— Jean O’Sullivan, teacher
When O’Sullivan first came across Will she wasn’t sure if it was for her. She had 16 years of experience teaching in different countries, but had ambitions of going into a leadership role.
“But I decided to be brave, and signed up.” She began by attending some of the online Will chats and then decided to complete three workshops aimed at aspiring leaders.
“It was a very safe space and it’s good to hear the ups and downs,” says O’Sullivan. “There was a lot of honesty within the group and sharing of the disappointments and the successes. I think it is really powerful that you can be that honest with each other, share what’s worked for somebody and encourage each other going forward.”
The following Thursday, O’Sullivan did an interview for an assistant principal post in her school, and was successful.
“The three workshops really benefited me going into the interview,” says O’Sullivan. “They made me think about leadership in a different way, and made me look at the kind of leader I’d like to be.”
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Statistics show that even though women account for the majority of the workforce in education, they are still underrepresented in leadership roles. Figures from the Department of Education indicate that women are, proportionately, less likely to be appointed principals than men.
In 2020/21, 85 per cent of teachers (35,518) working in primary schools were women; 6 per cent of these teachers (2,157) were principals.
By contrast, 15 per cent of teachers (6,494) were males; 16 per cent (1,061) of these teachers were principals.
Third-level institutions tell a similar story. A review conducted by the Higher Education Authority in 2018 found that while 52 per cent of lecturers in higher education were women, just 27 per cent were professors.
Corbett and O’Connor saw the same issues cropping up in their workshops across different sectors.
“It comes down to three main themes,” says O’Connor. “Confidence, culture, and childcare.” She says research shows women will generally only apply for leadership positions if they fulfil all the criteria.
“I think it can also be the impostor syndrome that is a hindrance,” says O’Sullivan. “The overthinking it and doubting yourself.”
Denise Kelly, a leadership coach who works with teams in primary and post-primary schools for the Centre for School Leadership, says it is important that women believe they can take on these roles.
“Belief that you can do it: that is generally what I find is missing more in women than in men,” says Kelly. “And that impostor syndrome that so many women have, they need to really shrug that off and do whatever it takes to keep fighting that little voice that sits on your shoulder and tells you you’re not good enough.”
For the women on staff, there is no opportunity to network. You can go to professional development but you’re in a group with all aspiring leaders
— Kathryn Corbett, principal
Corbett says that for women in staffrooms, there is often no opportunity to network.
“You can go to professional development but you’re in a group with all aspiring leaders, you’re never in the same room as different leader role models,” says Corbett.
Childcare is the last of the three barriers that make a leadership role appear unsustainable to some women. Corbett says it is important for women to see that leadership roles can be flexible.
“What we talk about in the Will network is that, while a leadership position is based around your values and decision making, the way you work has to be in line with maybe what your family context is at that time,” says Corbett. “I keep it flexible so that I can have some sort of balance, but what if you have no exposure to that flexible way of working? Then it doesn’t feel like it’s an option.”
Kelly also says leadership does not have to follow a linear mould. “Sometimes when they get a leadership position and they start having a family, the pressure is on and they really find it difficult to cope,” she says.
“My advice to those women is to be brave, step back out of the leadership position for a while. People behave as if once you have a position you can’t let it go, that in some ways it will make you look weak. It’s not a sign of weakness. In fact, if anything, it’s the sign of strength.”
Ultimately, Corbett and O’Connor would like to see more diversity in all areas of education, but they are adamant about one point. “For us, without a shadow of a doubt, and we say this at every single Will event, good leaders are good leaders, regardless of gender.”
Four tips for women considering leadership roles in education
1. Familiarise yourself with latest research and curricular development. Denise Kelly, a leadership coach for the Centre for School Leadership, says: “You should be on the NCCA website, for example, on a continuous basis, and on the Teaching Council website, not only to access the resources that are there, but to make sure you’re keeping abreast of curricular decisions.”
2. Self-awareness: “I think that before you go into leadership, you need to have a very good sense of yourself, and what you need to nurture you,” Kelly says.
3. Time-management skills: It is important to develop these early. “For women with families and young families, they need the strategies in place,” says Kelly. “They need time-management, prioritisation techniques, but then also all of the strategies or the activities that help them unwind and replenish them after a day at school.”
4. Portfolio: “Start developing a portfolio,” says Kelly. “Start recording and storing all of the occasions on which you have stepped up to a leadership plate, without actually having a leadership position at all.”
The Will network can be accessed @network_will
Denise Kelly (denisekellyeducationservices.com) is a leadership coach for the Centre for School Leadership and provides a private coaching service for those preparing for competency interviews
