The main purpose of this study was to critically compare the roles of headteachers in the Saudi Arabian and British education systems particularly in relation to fostering effective schools and developing schools as learning organisations. These aims were achieved by using a positivism quantitative approach as it was deemed most suitable for this study. Survey questionnaires were primarily used as the method of data collection and questionnaires were administered to a total of forty participants (twenty teachers and twenty headteachers) from twenty different primary schools in Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. The findings established through this study showed that in relation to the similarities and differences in the roles that British and Saudi headteachers play towards the realisation of schools as learning organisations, a majority of headteachers in both the British and Saudi education systems proactively take up roles geared towards developing the school as a learning organisation. It was established that approximately 74% of headteachers in the Saudi education system and 90% of headteachers in the British education system proactively take up roles geared towards developing schools as learning organisations. Thus it was concluded that more headteachers in British primary schools take up roles geared towards developing schools as learning organisations than headteachers in Saudi primary schools. It is therefore recommended that headteachers especially those in the Saudi education system should be given more mandate, control and autonomy to take on roles that foster effective schools and develop schools as learning organisations.
Keywords: Collective Learning, Headteachers, Learning Organisations, Open Communication
