Middle leaders, are you confident in your teaching ability? Tick. Happy leading and helping others? Tick. Ready for a pay rise? BIG tick. Perhaps, then, it’s time to take the next step: one that fills you with equal dread and excitement. The step towards - drum roll, please - being a member of the senior leadership team. But how do you know when it’s the right time? That’s what English lead Adam Riches is asking himself this week. He weighs up the factors:

Experience

Every time you feel like you’ve seen it all, something else happens. Maybe you need more time on the ground before moving up.

Age

If you’re a spring chicken and under 30, you may have the ability and necessary classroom experience, but will the “old guard” respect and support your decisions?

Family

The greater workload isn’t something many teachers would take on lightly. Is spending time with your loved ones more important than spending extra time in and around school?

If it ain’t broke…

Take time to enjoy what you’re doing now. If you’re pushing yourself in your current role, why move on to senior leadership when you’re happy with what you’ve got?