Does the reference need to be completed by the head teacher or college principal?
The reference should be coordinated by a member of staff who has specific responsibility for, and engagement with, the higher education admissions process. This may be a senior member of the school or college management team, but there is no requirement for the reference to be ‘signed off’ by the head of the institution. In many ways, the more remote the person completing the reference from the applicant, the less the perceived value by the university or college. Admissions decision makers are not likely to give more weight to a reference just because the head or principal has ostensibly completed it.
