This paper explores uncertainty in school leaders’ work, with a focus on high-stakes school inspections in England. We explore the ways inspections cause uncertainty for school leaders navigating the politics of post-panoptic education policy (Courtney, 2016). The paper takes up the network call to explore the unintended consequences of education policy in a time of uncertainty. In doing so, the paper analyses concepts of surveillance; the role not making sense to those within it; and leaders' work in filling gaps they experienced in support that would have enabled them to navigate uncertainty more confidently. Post-panopticism (Courtney, 2016) provides the lens for our analysis of uncertainty for school leaders who are navigating the politics of school inspection. The features of post-panopticism lead to uncertainty for leaders in how they might prepare for school inspection as well as to the unintended consequences of school inspection policy enactment. These characteristics include total visibility for the school and leader, norms that are characterised as fixed but in reality are in flux, and that disrupt the ways leaders have constructed themselves within these policy environments. Importantly, the effects of post-panoptic school inspections are experienced differentially depending on local context. This paper analyses stories of leaders in ‘disadvantaged’ schools who experienced school inspections in ways that were more uncertain than those who were more advantaged within the current system. Comprising loosely structured interviews (Alvesson, 2011) with 14 former headteachers of public schools in England, we undertook a collaborative analysis exploring uncertainty and the unintended consequences of school inspection policies in three areas: 1. The embodied effects of surveillance in a post-panoptic policy environment. We explore the consequences for leaders’ health and wellbeing, and intention or ability to remain within the profession. 2. The ways leaders attempt to make sense of the unintended consequences of school inspections and the surrounding apparatus. 3. The ways leaders who leave the profession undertake work that fills gaps they identified, including professional support, care work, development and mentoring. The final point underscores that former leaders are addressing inadequacies in systemic support for their colleagues. It also shows that they were not necessarily unwilling to continue in education, but that the work of a school leader in its current form is unsustainable. This holds consequences for long-term workforce planning, and greater attention needs to be paid to the stories of former leaders so we can learn from their experiences.

Alvesson, M. (2011). Interpreting Interviews. SAGE Publications. Courtney, S.J. (2016). Post-panopticism and school inspection in England. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 37(4), 623-642. doi:10.1080/01425692.2014.965806