Leading the Way – May 2026

Eliz Dadson, Principal at SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College, Ghana. Leading a 100% boarding school serving students from SOS Children’s Villages across Africa alongside Ghanaian students in a Pan-African educational community.

From ICT teacher to Principal who led students through COVID lockdown on campus: Eliz Dadson’s journey proves that context matters in values-led leadership

Eliz Dadson didn’t become a head through ambition for a title; it was driven primarily by opportunity, shaped by preparation and experience. That clarity shaped her trajectory: from IT in industry through ICT teaching, educational consultancy across multiple school types and working directly in schools in various roles to principal of SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College in Ghana where she leads students from across Africa to gain admission to the world’s top universities whilst instilling a belief and pride in who they are as Africans.

She says. “Academic integrity, maintaining clarity and consistency, and creating trust are key drivers in decision-making and leadership”.

Eliz’s tips:

• Become a head for the opportunity, not the title
• Plot your journey thoughtfully

From Industry to Educational Consultancy

Eliz’s career began as a Helpdesk Support Officer in Greater London, then as a Computer Support Officer for Town and Country Housing Group in Kent. By 2004, she had moved into education as an ICT teacher at Hillview Schools for Girls in Tonbridge, building peer networks early through the Computer Science cluster in Kent.

By 2008, she was Curriculum Leader for ICT at Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School. From 2010 to 2012, Eliz worked as Education Advisor on the Education Reform Project in Abu Dhabi for CfBT Education Services. Educational consultancy taught her something essential: supporting staff, students, and principals within different types of schools – age ranges, single sex, co-ed, primary and secondary settings. She set up MIS and VLE systems across varied contexts.

Eliz’s tips:

• Build peer networks early
• Experience different school types before headship
• Setting up systems teaches you how schools function

Building Leadership in Abu Dhabi

From 2012 to 2015 at Brighton College Abu Dhabi, Eliz served as Head of MIS & VLE and ICT Teacher, then Deputy Head of the Senior School (Academic). From 2015 to 2019, she was Head of Computing & VLE at Cranleigh School Abu Dhabi.

During her NPQH, she had placements in another school as part of the course. She was glad she had deliberately plotted this route.

Eliz’s tips:

• Use NPQH placements strategically
• Don’t rush the journey

First Headship: Nothing Falls in Straight Lines

In August 2019, Eliz became Vice Principal II at SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College in Ghana. By April 2020, she was Principal Designate/Acting Principal and the substantive Principal by August 2020.

Her first headship was 100% boarding. She hadn’t anticipated that nothing falls in straight lines when you first become head. Everyone is looking to you. She didn’t fully appreciate the nuance until she lived it.

In the UK and the UAE, systems are often explicit: inspection frameworks, accountability structures, and procedural clarity. In Ghana, particularly within a boarding school context, those same elements exist but are enacted through a more relational and context-responsive approach, where leadership decisions are closely shaped by culture, family expectations, faith, and community identity. Navigating this environment accelerated her growth as a leader. As Principal, she came to understand that enforcing rules without relationship can erode trust, while relationships without clarity can weaken standards. Holding that balance, especially with parents and other stakeholders, demands sound judgment, emotional intelligence, and consistency.

Eliz’s tips:

• Appreciate that everyone is looking to you
• Different contexts require different approaches
• Enforcement without trust erodes relationships

Then came COVID.

COVID Lockdown: Creating Community on Campus

Eliz started her first headship in August 2020, but she was leading the school as early as April 2020 as the Designate Principal and in an acting position. By early 2020, COVID hit. The country’s borders were closed. All her international boarding students were on lockdown on campus for a month, while the local students went home and all students studied online. Emotional stamina became essential.

“What didn’t break me made me stronger,” she says. She trusted her training and her mentor. She ensured all students were safe, educated, and school routine was maintained as far as possible. She had extra accommodation available for staff and negotiated moving them into school accommodation. They were all in lockdown together, creating community within the campus.

Eliz’s tips:

• Trust your training and your mentor
• Create community even in crisis
• Negotiate solutions that bring people together

Values-Led Leadership: SPIRE

SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College’s mission: to provide a school of academic excellence for students from SOS Children’s Villages across Africa together with students from Ghana, in a spirit of Pan-Africanism and awareness of social needs.

The school’s philosophy embraces internationalism, commitment to uplift Africa, and active service to community. Its educational mission is holistic: developing students into confident adults capable of facing a fast-changing world, inculcating critical and analytical abilities, creating compassionate thinkers aware of their common humanity, with belief and pride in themselves as Africans. The College’s ultimate mission: graduate life-long learners fully prepared for the best universities worldwide who are committed to putting their knowledge, skills and resources into developing Africa.

SPIRE: Service, Pan-Africanism, Integrity, Respect, Excellence.

Eliz’s tips:

• Instil in students’ a belief and pride in who they are
• What unites us is more than what divides us
• Pride in identity enables achievement

Making Difficult Decisions

Leadership requires making difficult decisions. Adapt, but don’t compromise on safeguarding. Risks for long-term integrity are worth taking. Have difficult conversations with sensitivity.

Avoid appeasement to your values and the institution you lead. The risks I avoid are those driven by appeasement: diluting standards to reduce noise, or delaying difficult decisions to avoid confrontation. My experience across systems has shown me that those risks always resurface later, usually as crises. Confront challenges early and work through them with sensitivity and courage, seeking wise counsel along the way and trusting your instincts.

Eliz’s tips:

• Make decisions that must be made
• Don’t compromise on safeguarding
• Risks for long-term integrity are worth taking
• Have difficult conversations with sensitivity

AI Implementation: Thoughtful and Data-Driven

Eliz is exploring the use of AI with staff to reduce workload. Students use ChatGPT as a study aid, and we are working on introducing an AI use policy in alignment with the IB’s guidance. AI has potential for data analysis of students, enabling leaders to make informed decisions. This is where the school is moving now. Schools that introduce and integrate AI thoughtfully, not fearfully, will get the most out of it and embed it into curriculum planning and assessment intelligently.

Eliz’s tips:

• Use AI to reduce workload
• Let students use ChatGPT as study aid within a clear framework with ethical guardrails established early on with reference to the IB guidelines
• AI has potential for data analysis to inform decisions and we should explore it

It Can Be Lonesome as a Head

Find a thought partner. Consultation with your peer heads will help when you make tough, unpopular decisions. Share best practices and grow together with your peers. Continue to read and participate in professional development.

Eliz’s tips:

• Find a thought partner
• Consult with peers when you make tough decisions
• Use your peer networks

Advice for Aspiring Heads

Learn from your life experiences. Don’t forget people, value human beings and relationships. Own your persona, be genuine, be who you are.

Eliz’s tips:

• Don’t rush the journey
• Value human beings and relationships
• Be genuine

Leading in Pan-African Context

Eliz’s journey from IT officer through educational consultancy to Principal demonstrates what leading in context requires: a strong set of values and principles, culture, family, having expectations but building relationships and that identity matters.

Leading a 100% boarding school in Ghana serving Pan-African students requires different leadership than leading in the UK or UAE. The context matters and nuances multiply.

How This Relates to Meta Pedagogy and AI

Eliz’s approach demonstrates what Meta Pedagogy advocates: thoughtful implementation focused on reducing workload and enabling data-driven decisions. Just as she uses AI to reduce workload, freeing teachers for relationship-building and teaching, we support schools to deploy AI in ways that enhance rather than replace human work. When you’re ready to implement AI with the same context-aware approach Eliz brings to leadership, we’re here to support that work.

Ready to implement AI with integrity and purpose?

Book a free 30-minute consultation to discuss what context-driven AI implementation could look like in your school. No fads, no box-ticking, just strategic support from people who understand real schools.

Get In Touch

Get in touch to discuss your school’s AI strategy admin@metapedagogy.co.uk