ABSTRACT
Primary schools increasingly are being required to respond to current developments in education by making the most of the wide range of expertise available within each school. This chapter explores a model for effective teamwork which can be applied to the whole staff room in the primary school or to working groups within that staff team. It recognises that teams normally work through meetings and through the delegation of tasks to team members in order to maximise the use of time, skills and experience especially in situations in which, as at present in schools, there are considerable pressures for change. The chapter emphasises the importance of the task in effective team management and examines the four key elements in effective team management: individuals, task, team, and leadership. The development of an effective staff team is a complex business. Building and managing the staff team is the prime responsibility of the primary school headteacher.
