Teacher leadership in action: an inquiry into the lived experiences of subject heads in secondary schools

The move toward more shared and participatory approaches to leadership is gaining momentum in South African schools. This move is underpinned by the supreme law of the country – the Constitution which informs all laws including education law. Specifically, the National Education Policy Act No.27 of 1996 fosters democracy and wider participation in schools by advocating that teachers practice and participate in leadership. According to this policy, teachers need to participate in democratic decision-making structures that support learners and colleagues, as well as demonstrates responsiveness to changing circumstances and needs. One way in which schools can heed the call of the aforementioned policy is through creating informal leadership opportunities like subject head positions, which give ordinary teachers an opportunity to coordinate a group of teachers teaching a similar subject in a school. In this paper, we direct our focus to this informal leadership position. Through narrative inquiry methodology, the lived experiences of three subject heads in three secondary schools were solicited and examined. Upon the examination of these leaders’ lived experiences, the study brought to light the functions of subject heads, complexities experienced by subject heads and also their reaction to the complexities.