The challenges of leading a rural school

Rural headteachers collectively run about 5,000 schools across England (over 20% of all schools) yet – until now – there has been a dearth of published insight into the unique challenges they face.

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This report draws together insights from more than 500 rural school headteachers to shine a light on the very context-specific strains on their budgets, staff, their own role, and how they’re coping.

Download your free copy and help us to advance the debate on what policy makers and all of us who work with schools in rural communities can do to support their particular needs.

What's in the report?:

  • Contextual insights
    •  Exploring the main factors that impact the running of rural schools, unique to their setting

  • Budget challenges
    •  Not having enough money is a problem for all schools - but rural schools are spending their money tackling location demands.

  • Workforce complexities 
    • Motivated by leading their school, rural heads have multifaceted roles.

  • The role of the rural headteacher
    •  Not having enough money is a problem for all schools - but rural schools are spending their money tackling location demands.

  • Is joining a MAT the answer?
    • Potential economies of scale exist, but most rural schools believe they’re not financially viable for MAT.

  • 1 in 10 rural heads shared their views
    •  We conducted the analysis by a combination of face to face interviews and online surveys – there are c.5,000 rural schools in England, and 542 completed the survey.

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