ADHD gives me many of the qualities that make me successful as a deputy head

October is ADHD Awareness Month. Hear from deputy head, Roz, who reflects the impact of a late ADHD diagnosis and why school communities benefit from better recognition and understanding of neurodiversity.

Articles / 8 mins read

Welcome to our blog series featuring voices of neurodiverse teachers, leaders and education staff. Here they will share their candid experiences of working in education, highlighting actions that support their mental wellbeing and foster real inclusion in the sector.

In this blog we hear Hear from deputy head, Roz, who reflects on her career, the impact of a late ADHD diagnosis and why school communities benefit from better recognition and understanding of neurodiversity.

"I’ve always been amazed at how many different things you can hold in your head at any one time.”
“I’ve never met anyone whose brain works like yours does.”
“You are like a butterfly - flitting from one thing to the next.”
“Can’t you just leave it and go back to it later? Do you really have to finish it now?”
“How have you got so much energy?”

These are just a few comments made about me over the years, comments which confirmed what I suspected about myself - that I am different. They were the parts of my ADHD that I let show, not the parts that I felt were my flaws and that I was ashamed of.

Finding the career I love

Teaching is often suggested as a good fit as a career for someone with ADHD; the need to be adaptable, to cope with constant change, to think quickly and deal with whatever unexpected situation arises and the fact that there is always a new piece of research, idea or policy to consider and implement all play to ADHD strengths. There is definitely always something happening to keep an ADHD brain stimulated! I loved the constant challenge, the relationships with children and the chance to make a difference. Lots of inclusive practices came naturally to me, as they were strategies which I used to cope myself - so I did them in the classroom.

From my first days as a teacher I couldn’t understand how anyone could think that children could focus without having the routine of the day shared with them (so I had a visual timetable before they were a thing), it was incomprehensible to me that you could ask children to sit and listen without having something to look at (so I spent time drawing/ making/ collecting things for children to look at during whole class sessions) and I instinctively knew the importance of children feeling calm and regulated in order to learn. So I loved teaching.

My journey as a school leader

Highly motivated by working with young people, with a huge amount of energy and commitment to my role, together with my ability to hyper-focus, I quickly progressed into leadership. I was well suited to the fast pace of the deputy head role, one which was constantly interesting, challenging and stimulating, with lots of complex problems to solve. I thrived supporting children and their families, working with staff and I relished the challenge of successful school improvement, as well as being highly motivated by the social justice aspects of education.

My natural next step was to progress to headship, but I couldn’t imagine how I’d strike the balance if I had a family and I thought that other people must be better than me. When I had my family I stayed as deputy head, working part time and managing the role and family life.

And then my eldest child was diagnosed with ADHD. Reading about ADHD in girls and women, everything described not just my child, but also me. After a number of months I summoned up the courage to talk to the GP and was finally diagnosed with combined type ADHD in December 2023.

Acceptance and self-compassion

Society often has questions about the rise and validity of ADHD diagnoses. As someone who does not look like I have ADHD and has been successful in a career, for me my diagnosis has been extremely powerful. It has helped me to accept myself and my idiosyncrasies, to recognise that I am not just rubbish at doing things other people find simple, such as timekeeping, transitions, getting started, focusing, prioritising (the list goes on). Although it’s important to know that not everyone with ADHD experiences the same struggles.

I feel less ashamed about how much effort it is to do things that other people find simple and am more able to recognise them as ADHD. It has also enabled me to enjoy the strengths of my ADHD; my energy, my constant drive to improve things, my hyper-focus and my continually creative, problem solving, solution focused brain! Overall it is helping me to accept and embrace my ADHD, flaws and all, and be kinder to myself.

As someone who does not look like I have ADHD and has been successful in a career, for me my diagnosis has been extremely powerful.

Reflecting on my career; the impact of a late diagnosis

ADHD has been a gift and a hindrance. A gift in that it gives me many of the qualities that make me successful as a deputy, but a hindrance in the effort it takes to manage the role. I believe that my decision not to apply for headship was directly related to my ADHD. I am proud that I knew myself well enough not to do something that I knew would not be good for me at that time. But I am sad that having untreated ADHD was the reason that I didn’t move to headship; had I been diagnosed, had I understood my ADHD and had adjustments in place maybe I would have made a different decision. In any event I would have been able to make a real choice, rather than feeling that I couldn’t cope with headship.

Better recognition and understanding

All of which brings me to the purpose of this blog and my hopes for the future. I hope it will bring more recognition and diagnosis of ADHD and better support, understanding and inclusivity in society and in workplaces. This would benefit everyone. Individuals with ADHD would be happier, more productive and more able to perform their jobs better. For employers it makes the workplace more effective; research shows that decisions made by diverse teams delivered 60% better results and inclusive teams make better decisions 87% of the time.

In schools, having positive role models of neurodiverse people, such as ADHD, will help young people; it will give them role models and honest discussions about the struggles and ways to manage ADHD will help our young people live more successful lives.

Which leads me back to why I am writing this. I want to be candid about my ADHD in order to help others not to feel flawed. My hope is that educators will increase their understanding of ADHD and staff with ADHD will increasingly not feel ashamed but will be able to recognise, embrace and advocate for their differences and so be in a position to achieve everything that they are capable of.

Support and information

There are also a range of organisations that help people with ADHD or suspected ADHD. Take a look at the links below covering diagnosis, treatment and information on how to support people with ADHD at work and home:

Reaching out if you need to talk

If you are a school leader who would like to provide ongoing confidential support and guidance for yourself and your staff all year round, make sure you take a look at their Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).

And don’t forget, all teachers and education staff can call Education Support’s free and confidential helpline 24/7. When you call you’ll talk to a qualified counsellor for immediate, confidential emotional support: 08000 562 561

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