Almost everyone remembers their head teacher. If they don’t then they will probably remember the Principal, Headmistress, Headmaster, High Master, High Mistress, Direktor or whatever other title the person who led their schools went by. Since 1986 I have photographed hundreds of these people and I have made the journey from being a little bit scared of them through accepting them to being impressed by the work that they do and the huge difference that their being good at their job makes to children and young adults.
I decided to put together a slideshow of some of the headteacher portraits that I have done. Most of the portraits date back to my time at The Times Educational Supplement. I also made the decision to keep them anonymous – I just wanted to show how different they are yet how much they have in common. Some of the Heads featured in this selection are famous in the world of education and one or two have been made Knights or Dames for their services to education. A few have since retired but that doesn’t matter. I don’t want to suggest that the person in charge is the only reason that some schools are better than others but I have yet to visit a successful school that doesn’t have first rate leadership.
Neil Turner Photographer 
Good to see more of your work as always Neil. Great image of Sir Michael Wilshaw, tells the story perfectly. Lovely slideshow too, the opening image in the greenhouse is another favourite. This must be some kind of record for the most head-shots in a slideshow! I’d actually argue that a good leader is essential if a school is to be successful. We recently experienced the opposite and ended up moving our kids to another school with an outstanding head. The difference couldn’t be more marked.
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A really nice selection of portraits Neil, which is your personal favorite?
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Too many that I like to be sure of a favourite but the two that I love are the first one in the greenhouse and the one of the lady on her horse in the sea.
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