Heads of Department (HoDs) sit at the critical junction between classroom and executive leadership. They are closest to the realities of teaching yet are often the most unsupported tier of school leadership. Despite being fundamental to daily teaching and learning, their leadership role frequently remains invisible, undervalued, and under-resourced.
The invisible leadership problem
On paper, HoDs carry heavy expectations. They are tasked with leading curriculum, shaping pedagogy, managing teams, guiding teacher development, all the while continuing to teach.According to AITSL, middle leaders typically hold recognised leadership responsibilities in addition to their teaching duties. But in practice, many HoDs operate with “high expectations, low capability.”
HoDs juggle extensive administrative tasks (unit overview planning, curriculum alignment, compliance, resource management, assessment schedules and tools) which leaves little time for genuine coaching or mentoring of teachers. The administrative workloadoften dwarfs opportunities for meaningful pedagogical leadership. Many are never given formal leadership or coaching training. They were appointed to the role because they applied and were a great teacher. The new “ProfessionalStandards for Middle Leaders”, introduced by AITSL aim to define key leadership capabilities, but prior to these standards, many HoDs assumed their role without structured preparation or support.
In effect, schools ask HoDs to reshape culture, lift teaching quality and drive change, but rarely equip them with the tools, skills, or time to succeed.
Why this matters
This hidden burden matters enormously because HoDs shape the day-to-day teacher experience, arguably up to80% of it. While precise metrics vary by school, middle leaders (includingHoDs) are widely acknowledged as the “engine room” of schools, bridging senior leadership strategy and classroom practice.
HoDs play a pivotal role in whether institutional intentions, new curricula, pedagogical reforms, inclusion policies, actually reach the classroom. When a HoD is empowered, supported, and skilled, improvements can stick. But when they are overburdened andunder- resourced, or left out of the consultation process, change stalls, becomes inconsistent, or never lands at all. Vision dies at the middle leadership gate.
When HoDs struggle, whole-school improvement stagnates, not for lack of vision or effort, but because the people closest to the teaching frontline are over-stretched, under-enabled or left out of the process.
The emotional reality HoDs often don’t voice
Behind the organisational charts and strategic plans lies a more human reality. Many HoDs feel stuck: torn between the demands of senior leaders and the needs of teaching staff, who are often their friends. They are often held accountable for outcomes beyond their control yet lack the skills or systemic support to effect meaningful change.
They carry guilt for not being able to support teachers as much as they wish; frustration when administrative burdens choke out time for coaching; and exhaustion from the constant reactive problem-solving that comes with bridging so many competing demands.
That emotional weight is rarely acknowledged, yet it matters to the sustainability of leadership, staff morale, and ultimately, student outcomes.
What happens when schools undervalue HoDs
The consequences of undervaluingHoDs ripple through the entire school ecosystem:
- Staff drift and inconsistency: Without strong, consistent leadership at department level, teacher approaches diverge; mediocrity abounds.
- Fragmented curriculum and pedagogy: Without departmental guidance, different classrooms may implement curriculum differently, undermining coherence and consistency.
- Stagnating improvement: School-wide initiatives stall when middle-level leadership wanes.
- High leadership turnover: HoDs may step back to classroom teaching, discouraging future leaders. As one teacher put it: “the amount of extra work … is disproportionate to the additional pay”. Fewer people are wanting to put their hand up for the role.
When schools neglect their HoDs, the result is often a slow drift away from consistent, high-quality teaching and sustainable improvement.
Four ways schools can empower HoDs today
The new AITSL “ProfessionalStandards for Middle Leaders” offers a timely opportunity, but only if schools act intentionally. Here are four recommendations to strengthen and value HoDs:
- Give them a clear leadership pedagogy: Use the standards as a foundation. The standards articulate the knowledge, skills and dispositions expected of middle leaders, providing a common language and a coherent vision for what effective middle leadership looks like.
- Remove administrative clutter: Recognise that administrative duties erode time for instructional leadership. Delegate or streamline admin tasks (e.g. by using support staff or technology, like the Vivedus Planner) so HoDs can invest time in coaching and professional learning.
- Offer coaching, not compliance: Rather than simply holding HoDs accountable to logistical metrics, provide them with genuine leadership development: mentoring, peer collaboration, structured induction (especially for new middle leaders). Research shows induction helps new leaders navigate identity shifts and better support staff.
- Build collaborative leadership rhythms. Encourage regular collaboration across departments, year-levels, or faculties to share practices, co-design pedagogy, and support each other.Effective middle leaders do not operate in silos. According to the Standards,strong middle leadership involves leading improvement by collaborating with staff to implement evidence-informed practices.
Closing reflection
If schools truly aspire to transformation(deeper learning, improved teacher growth, student wellbeing and equity) they must invest in the leaders closest to the work: the Heads of Department.
The adoption of the new AITSLProfessional Standards for Middle Leaders signals a long-overdue recognition of the strategic importance of middle leadership in Australian schools. But standards alone are not enough. What matters is how schools choose to implement them, by lifting HoDs out of administrative overload, offering sustained leadership development, and treating them as the strategic, pedagogical backbone that they are.
By doing so, schools can unlock the potential of their greatest under-utilised resource, support teachers more effectively, and ensure that change doesn’t just live in policy documents but thrives in classrooms.
