Skills
44 skills are associated with this occupation.
0 skills selected
Essential knowledge
7 skills
Essential skills / competences
15 skills
Optional knowledge
3 skills
Optional skills / competences
19 skills
Overview
Secondary school department heads manage an assigned school department so students receive teaching and support in a safe learning environment. They coordinate teachers, meetings, curriculum programmes, communication with school management and sometimes delegated observation of staff.
In job descriptions, look for curriculum standards, teaching methods, student safety, staff capability, parent meetings, education programmes, school events, process improvements and shared responsibility for resources.
Explore this occupation
Open in Job ExplorerWhat the work can involve
Secondary school department head work sits between classroom practice and school leadership. The role turns curriculum goals, teacher coordination, meetings, student safety and delegated staff observation into a working department routine.
Skills and specializations
Useful strengths include curriculum standards, assessment processes, instructional strategies, learning technologies, staff capability assessment, cooperation with education professionals and practical organisation of parent meetings or school events.
Salary context
Salary context depends on department size, subject area, staff supervision, timetable or resource responsibility, delegated principal duties, budget involvement and how much direct teaching remains in the role.
Career paths
Paths can move from secondary teaching or subject coordination into department leadership, assistant principal duties, curriculum leadership, school development projects, headteacher preparation or specialist education management.
Good to know
Check adverts for the assigned department, subject scope, teaching load, staff supervision, curriculum review duties, parent communication, delegated observations, budget tasks and how authority is shared with the principal.
Editorial note
This guide gives editorial career context for secondary school department head work. It is not official labour-market statistics or salary data.
Map overview
Zoom and click to see available jobs.
— Jobs total — Countries with jobs
Alternative labels
Occupation group
headteacher (1345.1)
Source facts
| ESCO URI | http://data.europa.eu/esco/occupation/d37cc820-15f5-4a81-88db-af48b0ee6a32 |
|---|---|
| ESCO code | 1345.1.7 |
| ISCO group | 1345 |
| Concept type | Occupation |