Which roles a school org chart shows, and why
Parents, new staff and governors all ask the same question: who is responsible for what? The template separates teaching leadership from the business side of the school, because the two report differently.
- Headteacher
- Leads the school and is accountable to the governing body or school board, which sits above the chart rather than inside it. In the US the same role is usually called the principal.
- Deputy Head
- Runs day-to-day teaching and learning and stands in for the head. Larger schools add assistant heads for areas such as curriculum, pastoral care or safeguarding.
- Heads of Lower and Upper School with teachers
- Phase leaders coordinate a group of year groups and the teachers in them. In a secondary school you may prefer heads of department (maths, English, science) here instead.
- School Business Manager and Site Manager
- Finance, admissions, HR administration and premises sit with the business manager, who reports to the head directly. The site manager looks after buildings and safety checks.
Variations: small primary school or large secondary school
Small primary school
Often there is a head and one deputy who also teaches a class. Remove the phase leaders and put teachers directly under the deputy, with teaching assistants under their class teacher.
Large secondary school or district
Add assistant heads, heads of department and heads of year, and show pastoral leads in their own colour. For a whole district or trust, make one chart per school and export each one separately.
Tips for a school org chart
Make safeguarding visible
Add a custom field or a short title note for the designated safeguarding lead so parents and staff can find them on the chart.
Show part-time teachers as FTE
Enter working time such as 60% for part-time staff. The FTE totals per team help when you plan next year's timetable.
Show staff who work across teams
A SENCO or special educational needs coordinator often supports several phases. Keep one manager and add dotted lines to the phase leaders they support.
Publish one version for parents
Export a PNG or PDF of the leadership team only for your website, and keep the full staff chart for internal use.
Questions about this template
Where do governors or the school board go?
Most schools put them above the headteacher as a single box, or leave them off and mention them in the title, because they govern rather than manage the staff.
How do I show teachers who also lead a subject?
Keep each teacher under their line manager and write the extra responsibility in the title, for example "Year 5 Teacher, Science Lead".
Can I add photos of staff?
Yes. You can add a photo to each person. Ask staff for consent before you publish a chart with photos on your website.
Can I share the chart on the school intranet?
Yes. Saved charts can be embedded as a live, read-only view, so the intranet always shows the latest version.
Ready to put in your own names?
The template opens in the editor with the example people. Replace them by hand, or import your staff list and keep the structure.