At age 10, Tony McDaid's school report stated "Wants to be a PE teacher, definitely". with the last word underlined for emphasis. That remained a constant ambition over the years and qualifying as a PE teacher in 1990 was a moment he still treasures, seeing it then as the peak of ambitions which sport inspired in him from a very young age.

"I had a tremendous love of PE as a child," he says "Finding a sport I loved and taking part was a key motivator for me in other areas as well and I think that's something which still applies to many, many children."

His first post was in Lourdes Secondary School in Cardonald, followed four years later by the challenge of principal teacher of PE at John Bosco Secondary School in the Gorbals.

"The challenge didn't lie so much in the job as in the fact that this was the school I had gone to myself," he explains "Quite a lot of the teachers were still there, which is quite a strange situation to find yourself in, though the school itself was considerably smaller by then - down from a roll of 1000 to 400."

When John Bosco then fell victim to a school closure programme in 1996, McDaid moved to Cathkin High, also as a principal teacher, but he wasn't long there before an unexpected change in circumstances put him on the path to his current post as a head teacher.

"Our headteacher was off ill, one of the depute heads was covering his post and I was encouraged by the senior management team to aim for that post," he says. "I got the job and found I thoroughly enjoyed aspects of it which had never been part of my remit before."

While he knows many headteachers who have aimed for that level from the outset, he thinks he is also typical of a different cohort who gradually realise this is the ideal route for them.

"There are school leaders at all levels and it's interesting to see where the ambition arises," he says. "Perhaps, as I did, you take on an extra responsibility for a while and that presents you with an opportunity. You realise that you can do it, and also enjoy doing it. That changes your ambitions and you make a conscious decision to move forward.

"My post as depute became permanent in 2000 and in 2006 I became headteacher at Hunter High in East Kilbride, which was due to merge with Claremont High the following year and become Calderglen High School. I was designate head of the new school and had tremendous help from the head of Claremont, who was retiring."

He is very aware of the criticism sometimes levelled at headteachers who concentrate more on the managerial side of their role to the detriment of their relationship with the pupils. That was never likely in his case, he says: "There was a lot of hard work involved in bringing the two schools together, which was greatly helped by the parent council and community involvement," he explains.

"Lots of the children already knew each other through involvement in local clubs so that helped. Parents were quite rightly very anxious, especially for children sitting important exams in a new environment.

"Together, we organised many merger activities, including school trips together, football teams and drama clubs, and I think we pre-empted many problems."

His aim now is to retain that connection with his pupils, so he teaches two periods of PE every week, as well as blocking off an hour most days to spend time in different classes to ensure he knows what is happening in his school.

"I'm involved in pre-school, interval and lunchtime supervision, so that continues to build on those relationships", he says. "However, my duties also include chairing groups within the school, managerial meetings, looking at behaviour and the pressures surrounding that, the strengths and weaknesses within the school and how we're dealing with them and maintaining good community and parental relationships.

"The school should reflect both the local community and real life and I think the vast majority of pupils behave very well. Sadly, negative behaviour tends to make the headlines, but when I'm dealing with the discipline issues that can arise as a result of such behaviour I often have to deal with parents. Sometimes, in those meetings you can see the issues the child and their parent have to deal with."

There is a basic routine to McDaid's day, but issues such as child protection and health and safety will always take precedence over routine. Recently a burst water main outside the school resulted in officials requesting to have the school closed for the day. "I had to refuse" says McDaid "We had 340 pupils sitting Standard Grade English and the work on the water main had to wait for three hours."

While he is aware of the belief that a good headteacher is the most important factor in strengthening a school's reputation, he tends more towards the concept of a strong team bringing the best rewards.

"Ultimately, the responsibility lies with me but throughout the school at all levels there are leaders aiming for a common purpose - working with young people to help them realise their ambitions and achieve something as they move into the outside world. I can't think of a more satisfying job."