Preparing a profile: Likely applicants for primary school headship

In response to complaints of a lack of applicants for primary headship an inquiry was initiated into 87 deputies' perceptions of headship and their likely application for such posts. This paper reports on the deputies' familiarity with the headteacher role and their views on its attractions and disadvantages. It examines (1) whether these perceptions significantly affected the likelihood of application for headships, and (2) to what extent career decisions were influenced by age, gender and time in the deputy's post and overall career planning. The use of 'application likelihood' as a discriminator enabled the construction of a profile of those most likely to apply. It is suggested that the profile and its constituents would be of value in the training, selection and induction of future heads as well as to attempts to widen the pool from which they are drawn. © 1998 BEMAS.