Managing Teams in Secondary Schools

Les Bell gives practical advice to teachers, looking in particular at planning, staff development and appraisal. The need for effective communication is stressed and the skills required of the successful team leader are explored.

The Education Reform Act of 1988 had enormous implications for the management of secondary schools. In particular, the Act brought about changes for those responsible for departmental, year or cross-curricular teams. Managing Teams in Secondary Schools gives practical guidance to teachers who carry out such responsibilities. Based on the premise that all teachers in secondary schools have direct and developing part to play in the management of the school at some level, the book examines the changes the Act entails, and locates the work of team leaders and their colleagues within that framework. it provides an accessible and detailed discussion boyh of the nature of teamwork, underlying the role of planning and the need for effective communication, and of the skills required of the succesful team leader. Les Bell looks in particular at team-building in the context of planning, decision-making and problem-solving as part of the process of change management, and at staff development and appraisal programmes. The key focus is on the management of staff and relationships within staff and the relationships within staff groups. Primarily directed at those in middle management positions in secondary schools, the book''s emphasis on teamwork means that it will be of interest to anybody involved in secondary school teaching.