Why do school leaders stay in or leave the profession? Using identity theories toexplore career decision-making — Professor Toby Greany
Toby will explore the professional identities of school leaders, asking how these interact with career choices and leaders’ sense of sustainability, informed by data from a large-scale study of school leadership sustainability across the UK (Greany et al, 2026). There are widespread concerns about school leadership succession and sustainability across many jurisdictions worldwide. Explanations for school leader departure decisions generally focus on ‘push’ factors, such as workloads, salary, and administrative burdens, but the role of professional identity in these decisions remains under-explored. Toby will outline four theories of identity: Narrative theories propose that identity is constituted through the stories we tell about ourselves; Discursive theories view identity as multiple, not fixed and constructed through discourse and social practices, with certain identity categories privileged while others are marginalised; Social identity theory focuses on how group memberships contribute to self-concept and behaviour, providing individuals with a sense of belonging through ‘in-group favouritism’ and positive ‘distinctiveness from out- groups’; while Fluid identity theory views identities as continuously constructed and reconstructed in response to changing contexts, challenges, and opportunities, including online. Toby will invite participants to consider how these perspectives and findings might enhance their own sense of sustainability in role, and the potential implications for their wider teams and organisations.
About the speaker
Toby is a Professor of Education at the University of Nottingham. His research is focused on how policy and practice interact to shape educational opportunities and outcomes, in particular across local systems and through networks, and the nature and role of leadership in these processes. He has led studies funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, Education Endowment Foundation, Nuffield Foundation, Wellcome Trust and England’s Department for Education. His most recent book – Leading Educational Networks: Theory, Policy and Practice (Bloomsbury, 2022) – was co-authored with Dr Annelies Kamp, University of Canterbury, Aotearoa New Zealand.
