An impossible choice

Imagine this: You are newly appointed as headteacher. Two phone calls arrive, moments apart. The first is from your Head of Sixth Form - a student has been stabbed. The second is from a family member - your parent is in critical condition. Both lives are at risk. Both demand your presence. What do you do? Where do your priorities lie?

I once came across a scenario used at a training event. It described a situation in which you are in the first year as the Headteacher of a school. The timing is important as added a level of vulnerability in leadership. It reminded me of an article in my leadership journal by Roger Pope, Principal of Kingsbridge Community College.

This is not simply a crisis management question. It’s an ethical test, as well as a professional one.  The words of two school leaders I have worked with echo in my mind. One would regularly reference the mythical ‘work/life balance’ and the importance of being able to switch off; the other would remind us that we had ‘taken the king’s shilling’ which brought with it an expectation of commitment and responsibility. As an RE teacher, I navigate towards the books on my Ethics shelf for inspiration, and my natural go-to of Aristotle, Kant and Heidegger (Hegel was unavailable for comment). Perhaps it would be easy to work out my endpoint from the philosophers I value the most. I wonder whether modern dilemmas require a more modern approach to navigating the decisions which would sit comfortably with others.  I chose not to play Bentham’s numbers game or Nozick’s solitaire. I’ve already latched on to the idea of duty but want to explore to where my duty lies.

1. The Ethical Foundations of Leadership: Deontology and Duty

Immanuel Kant’s deontological ethics provides a grounding framework for leaders in crisis. According to Kant, moral actions arise from adherence to duty, irrespective of consequences. As he argued in the Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals (1785), “Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.”

From this lens, the headteacher’s first duty is to the student in their care. The role of a school leader is defined by statutory and moral responsibilities—chief among them the safeguarding of children. The Department for Education’s Keeping Children Safe in Education (2023) affirms that the protection of students is a non-negotiable duty.

In Kantian terms, attending to the injured student is not merely a professional expectation but a categorical imperative: the student is vulnerable, entrusted to the care of the school, and immediate action is necessary

2. Virtue Ethics and the Character of Leadership

Aristotle’s virtue ethics offers a broader perspective. In the Nicomachean Ethics, he emphasizes phronesis (practical wisdom) as the hallmark of moral leadership. The virtuous leader is not simply rule-bound but discerning, courageous, and just.

Here, the headteacher must weigh the gravity of both calls. The student’s crisis is acute, potentially life-threatening, and implicates the wider school community. The parent's condition is deeply personal and emotionally devastating. Aristotle might ask: What decision reflects the character of a just and compassionate leader?

Virtue ethics does not prescribe a formula. It demands deliberation. The leader must be reflective, not reactive. To respond with integrity, the head must ask not only 'What must I do?' but 'Who must I be?'

3. Ethics of Care: Relational Responsibility

In a similar vein, Feminist Ethics challenges the conventional approach of duty, where the leader must consider the depth of relational ties. It asks 'who needs me more right now; not in the abstract sense, but as the person I am?' The students might be best served by professionals on site and senior staff, whose minds are firmly in that situation but offer strength in number. A child is brought up by the village. The parent, who may have one person at their bedside, may need a different kind of presence; one that is more familial and irreplaceable. In this approach care is not weakness; it is moral strength rooted in connection.

4. Existential Leadership: Authenticity and Being-Toward-Death

The existential philosophers bring an unflinching gaze to mortality and presence. Martin Heidegger, in Being and Time (1927), insists that authenticity emerges when we confront our own finitude. “Being-toward-death,” he says, awakens us to what matters most.

The headteacher in crisis faces the rawness of death—not theoretically, but viscerally. It is in these moments, Heidegger suggests, that we become truly ourselves. Leadership, then, is not about perfection. It is about presence. How can the headteacher be most fully present—ethically, emotionally, existentially—in the face of dual tragedy?

In this light, stepping away from the school, if systems and deputies are in place, is not abandonment. It is authenticity: an affirmation of being, of love, and of the finite nature of life.

5. Practical Application: Leadership Structures and Moral Readiness

The philosophical reflections must be tethered to action. The headteacher must act swiftly and with clarity. The immediate steps may include:

• Confirming that the student is receiving emergency care and is under the supervision of senior staff and medical professionals.

• Activating the school’s critical incident plan, including mental health support, police liaison, and communications.

• Contacting the Chair of Governors or Trust CEO to ensure transparent oversight.

• Delegating operational leadership to the Deputy or Assistant Head.

  
  

Only once the safety and management of the student incident is assured can the leader ethically step back. Here, the philosophy of distributed leadership (Harris, 2014) becomes more than a theory—it is an operational lifeline.

Preparation is essential. Effective leaders build resilient systems and empower teams, so that the school can function ethically and safely in their absence. Leithwood et al. (2020) assert that “the hallmark of sustainable leadership is the ability to let others lead.” In moments of personal crisis, this becomes critical.

6. The Moral Cost of Leadership: Woundedness and Resilience

Ackerman and Maslin-Ostrowski (2002) write in The Wounded Leader that leadership trauma is both inevitable and transformative. “Leaders do not merely endure pain,” they argue, “they are changed by it.” The decision to remain or to leave, to prioritize professional duty or personal love, will leave a mark.

This wound—if faced with integrity—can foster a deeper, wiser leadership. Not less effective, but more human. Not hardened, but deepened.

Leadership as Moral Navigation

To lead is to choose. But in crisis, choices are never clean. The headteacher receiving these two calls stands not at a crossroads but slap bang in the middle of the storm itself. 

Having once sat at the bedside of my father in his final days, though I was not there for his final passing, I remember vividly our last interaction.  I can’t help but think that Headteachers have Deputies for a reason.  Maybe I would feel it more of a dilemma if it were an aunt or uncle or cousin. I come from a large extended family who live far away. I recall the family funerals that I have missed due to work commitments.

There can be no judgement in reaching the right answer, by the way; only the right process, the right values, and the right heart.

References

• Ackerman, R. H., & Maslin-Ostrowski, P. (2002). The Wounded Leader: How Real Leadership Emerges in Times of Crisis. Jossey-Bass.

• Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. Trans. Terence Irwin. Hackett Publishing, 1999.

• Department for Education. (2023). Keeping Children Safe in Education.

• Harris, A. (2014). Distributed Leadership Matters: Perspectives, Practicalities, and Potential. Corwin.

• Heidegger, M. (1927). Being and Time.  Harper & Row, 1962.

• Kant, I. (1785). Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals. Cambridge University Press, 1998.

• Leithwood, K., Harris, A., & Hopkins, D. (2020). Seven strong claims about successful school leadership revisited. School Leadership & Management, 40(1), 5–22.