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Glite Dictionary
head teacher

head teacher

1 3.2
A person who leads a school and is responsible for its teachers and students
  • noun
  • /hɛd ˈtiːtʃər/
  • UK
translation icon : director
  • Newall Green High School head teacher Neil Wilson has used the National College for School Leadership's services.
  • head teacher of the school

I feel like I'm, I feel like I'm turning up to the head teacher's office knowing I'm about to get told off.

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Examples

  • An informal discussion with the head teacher of the school indicated that the majority of pupils at the school were white and of lower-middle socioeconomic status.

    Academic text (2001)

  • At the local school, the head teacher has no deputies and only one office assistant.

  • At the local school, the head teacher has no deputies and only one office assistant.

    Blog text (28)

  • The head teacher and the other two teachers sit to the side of the group and keep prompting the performers.

    Academic text (1993)

  • You don't get into being a a head teacher of a school without caring about outcomes for your pupils.

  • Her job was getting busier term by term; there was a new head teacher in post, and she had difficulty relaxing after a day at work.

    Academic text (2012)

  • When all the children are seated again, the head teacher tells Nikolaus that there is a boy in her group who always scratches and bites the other children.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Good leadership may seem like an elusive quality to try to instill in people, but training head teachers and NHS managers in leadership skills has been credited with helping to drive up standards.

    Academic text (2009)

  • By Patricia A. Gutierrez, Gratts Elementary School. Patricia A. Gutierrez is the head teacher at the Evelyn Thurman Gratts Elementary School in downtown Los Angeles.

    Academic text (1996)

  • Each class has a head teacher and an assistant.

Synonyms

head
vshead teacher
∞ 2.2

A person who is in charge of a group or organization

is specifically for the person leading a school with formal responsibility
principal
vshead teacher
481 3.6

A main person in an activity who has control or responsibility

is specific to a school's leadership role rather than many domains
headmaster
vshead teacher
  • UK
69 3.2

A person who runs a school, often a private school

is the common school leader term without British or private emphasis
school principal
vshead teacher
  • US
23 2.5

A person who runs a school and leads the teachers

is a school staff member who leads rather than an external manager
headmistress
vshead teacher
14 3.9

A woman who is the head teacher of a school, often a private or girls' school

is gender neutral and used for the school leader regardless of sex
schoolmaster
vshead teacher
  • UK
11 5.5

A male teacher who is often the head of a school

is the modern neutral term for the person leading a school

Antonyms

subordinate
21 4.8

Lower in rank or importance and under someone's control

How Senior

principal
481 3.6
head teacher
  • UK
1 3.2
teacher
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

head teacher singular
head teachers plural

Morphology

head + teacher

The meaning 'the teacher who is the leader and has overall responsibility for a school' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'head' (leader) with 'teacher' (school instructor). This compound follows a clear compositional pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Head teacher may come from head meaning the leader or top person and teacher meaning someone who teaches. So, head teacher now means the teacher who is 'in charge' of the whole school.