Adam checked his rear-view mirror and accelerated away. ‘Um, no…it wasn’t something I applied for. The post is the result of a restructure within the school. It’s a little complicated.’
Henry nodded, stroking the wale of his corduroy trousers so it lay flat. If he didn’t know better he’d say that Adam was looking for some advice.
‘And how do you feel about taking on Humanities as well? Quite an ask, I would have thought.’
There was a long pause. ‘Well, it won’t be all of them. Probably not, anyway…Probably just history. I think someone else might be getting geography and religious studies. And it’s not definite yet, anyway. It was a bit last-minute – I only had the conversation with the head the day before term finished.’
‘Oh…’ Henry scratched his head. ‘I thought Sofia…I thought it was all agreed.’
‘It probably is, in fairness. I’ve got the holidays to decide before we talk again in the new year. It won’t come into effect until Easter, though. There are still a few things to be worked out.’
‘The restructuring you mentioned?’
Adam nodded. ‘Schools are having to be more creative about how they make the curriculum work with less money.’
‘But you’ll be getting a pay rise?’
There was silence for a few moments as Adam concentrated on a junction. He slid Henry a glance. ‘It’s not about the money, Dad.’
‘Is that a no?’
‘We didn’t really discuss it. But I’m sure there will be. It’s a much bigger managerial role, and, like I said, there are still details to be worked out.’
‘So what’s happened to the current Head of Humanities?’
‘She left in the summer, but they’ve struggled to replace her, so I think this is a new solution to make things work. It’s been a bit hit and miss this term.’
‘I see…’
‘What, Dad?’ Adam was beginning to sound irritated.
Henry needed to choose his words carefully. ‘Nothing…I’m just interested in what you’re going to be doing. You’re not a history teacher, after all.’
‘Yes, but I won’t be teaching the subject, just taking responsibility for it.’
‘And you’re getting more time out of the classroom for that?’
‘That hasn’t been decided yet.’
‘Right…Sorry, but I thought Sofia said?—’
‘I might have intimated that I’d get more management time…’ Adam frowned, taking a deep breath. ‘But only because it’s what Sofia expects. It’s kind of how she measures promotion, but that’s only because she doesn’t really understand teaching.’
‘Because she thinks time in the classroom is less important than being stuck in an office making policy?’
Adam made no comment.
‘Okay…’ said Henry slowly, thinking for a moment. ‘So last year they made you Head of English, which meant you had overall responsibility for a department of six teachers. And that responsibility meant that your teaching commitment was cut by a quarter so that you could perform your new duties. Now, I don’t know how many teachers are in the Humanities department, but even if you just take on responsibility for the history staff, it will still be an increase. That sounds like an awful lot more work, and yet from what you say there might not be anyextra time made available to do the job, or indeed extra money.’ Henry gave his son a sideways glance. ‘Are you certain this is something you want to do?’
A loud tut echoed around the car. ‘Yes! Because it’s a great opportunity. Honestly, I don’t know why I bother telling you these things.’
Henry raised his hands in submission. ‘I’m not being critical, Adam, just trying to be a sounding board – playing devil’s advocate, if you will.’
Adam nodded. ‘Okay, but it’s all about results these days, Dad. I’ll be responsible for raising attainment levels across the board and whether you like it or not, that’s how the field of education views success. That’s going to be the thing which takes my career to the next level.’
‘Or takes advantage of it. I work in education, in case you’d forgotten, and while I’m sure there are many differences between higher and secondary education, there are an awful lot of similarities as well. Don’t be so anxious to do your master’s bidding that you hand yourself to them on a plate. You still need to ask yourself the same questions – am I happy with what I have now? And will I still be happy if I take the promotion?’
‘Of course I’m happy. This year has been great. Becoming Head of English has been tough, but no one takes on a promotion thinking it’s going to be easy, do they? That’s not the point.’
