She is blonde, wears pink suits, runs the school from an outsized office - and is married to Brad Pitt.
Her management style is a mixture of authority and empathy and she drives a flashy car.
This is the ideal head, dreamed up by primary pupils and depicted in paintings and descriptions at this week’s National Eisteddfod in Wales. Only one pupil idealised male heads. For most, the perfect school leader was blonde, with tousled curls tumbling carelessly on to smart, pink business suits.
One believed she played games on her computer, another said: “She tells children off and lives in a big office.”
Shannon Brook, 10, from Oldford primary in Powys, said: “A good headteacher is someone who has a very flash car, has a very cool dress sense, listens to your problems, and makes our work really fun to do. She has long blonde hair, dresses head-to-toe in pink. She is 24 years old, and is called Mrs Pitt, because she’s married to Brad Pitt.”
Yvonne Jones, head of Oldford, said: “It’s all about idealism. Children think a head can do anything. Of course, to me, my husband looks like Brad Pitt. Though I do wear very thick glasses.”
Anna Brychan, director of NAHT Cymru, which organised the exhibition, said all pupil suggestions would be taken seriously.
“As with all focus-group activity, we will recommend members incorporate findings into their manifestos,” she said.
“So far, heads have responded favourably. Most felt that, if being married to Brad Pitt were part of the job’s terms and conditions, any recruitment and retention problems would vanish overnight.”
Leader 14
