The Role of the Head Teacher in the Church of England Primary School: Leadership, Values and Ethos

This article considers how the head teacher’s value system influences the ethos of the Church of England (C of E) Voluntary Controlled (VC) primary school. The findings were generated from a case study of six head teachers of rural primary schools in the East of England. The role of a head teacher in any school is a huge responsibility. Leading a C of E school comes with the added responsibility of providing a Christian distinctiveness, within the traditions of the school’s foundation. The head teacher has a vital role in providing this school distinctiveness through the ethos they create.