Umbrellas, funnels and fans: a narrative inquiry into the lived experiences of subject middle leaders in English secondary schools

Middle leadership positions in schools have been placed under increasing academic scrutiny within the last decade. Most academic literature has prioritised the potential of these positions as engines of change within schools, with the ability to drive forward initiatives and improvement. This ability is derived from their position within school hierarchy, as middle leaders are responsible for leading a subject department, a position of some influence, while also continuing with a significant teaching commitment. However, the academic focus on middle leadership has come at the expense of studying middle leaders themselves, and their experiences of the role. This narrative inquiry uses interviews with six middle leaders from across England to provide an insight into their lived experiences. Narrative techniques, including verb and metaphor analysis, as well as in-depth narrative examination will discuss what middle leaders do, how they feel, and what it means to “be” a middle leader. These interviews will suggest that middle leaders are placed in a position of significant vulnerability and threat, in which they face increased accountability without the agency to meaningfully change their situation. They are forced to be reactive and operational in their priorities to maintain the smooth running of their departments, their many different responsibilities leaving little time for strategic thinking and long-term improvement. Their job satisfaction is highly dependent upon the context of their schools and departments, and yet middle leaders are placed in this position of vulnerability by the underlying ideologies of neoliberalism. It is suggested that not only does neoliberalism create the conditions within which middle leaders work, but it uses misleading terminology to misrepresent the very nature of middle leadership itself.