The need for interim school leaders with excellent track records, particularly in the primary sector, continues to be an issue for governing bodies up and down the country. The age demographic of headteachers (‘the so-called ‘baby-boomers’) is such that many continue to reach retirement age without an adequate supply of deputy headteachers willing to take up headships. This could in some part be explained by the increased pressure on headteachers who are now more than ever in the public eye. What with a revised Ofsted framework and the threat from the DfE of forcing underperforming schools into academies, you really need to be thick-skinned to take on this added responsibility. In many cases, a deputy role seems like a safe option and in many cases the pay differential isn’t that great anyway. The current economic climate means that ambitious headteachers of smaller schools along with aspirant deputy headteachers are less likely to move to take up their desired role which again limits the pool of candidates available to a school.