Abstract:
The role of the leader of a school is, on any day, demanding and challenging. It is not surprising then that when faced with a crisis, they often find themselves rethinking and reevaluating school structures as well as the capacity of their staff. In this paper we will present the findings of a qualitative project investigating the organic and inclusive leadership responses at schools that have suffered from major fire. It is unusual that an entire school is destroyed by fire. More often the damage is partial: significant, but with enough of the school infrastructure still in place to continue operating. There have been two New South Wales high schools that have suffered the more ruinous fate of complete destruction. One school site, destroyed in 2005, is located in a rural setting and the other, burnt down in 2014, is located in the midst of a capital city. This paper draws on extended interviews with the school principals as they recall the fires, the immediate aftermath and the period of rebuilding and recovery. It will offer insights into the brash resolve demonstrated by the two as they rebuilt their schools and resources. The study has shown that both resisted the pressure to comply with a narrative of defeat or calamity. Instead they have demonstrated a distributive and collaborative leadership approach by turning to their executive, teaching staff and school captains to collectively map out the rebuild of the school infrastructure and create a renewed resilient school culture.