Leadership that lasts

John Dunford

General Secretary

Association of School and College Leaders

Leadership that lasts:Sustainable School Leadership in the 21st century

Robert Hill

Published by theAssociation of School and College LeadersMarch 2006

School leadership today

School leadership teams

• Headteachers are sharing leadership– The average size of a leadership team is between six

and seven;

• Support staff are playing an increasing role

– Nearly two-fifths of schools now have a non-teaching member of staff on their leadership team;

• Leadership teams are separating out dealing with strategic from day-to-day issues– 9 out of 10 school leadership teams have at least one

away-day strategy session per year and nearly half have at least one session each half term

School collaboration is growing

A third of schools surveyed are part of a formal federation or partnership - though collaboration is taking lots of forms

Issues on school leaders’ agenda (Nov 2005)

• Very high significance

– Self-evaluation (66%)

– Teaching and learning responsibility payments (60%)

• Quite or very high significance

– ICT (70%)

– Every Child Matters (66%)

– Improving maths and English in line with government targets (60%)

– Balancing the school budget (57%)

– Issues related to behaviour, attendance and disruptive pupils (55%)

Women are being appointed to more senior posts but still too few successful BME candidates

The average age of headteachers is increasing

2004

1999

The percentage of secondary head posts being re-advertised is rising

Tomorrow’s world

The context for future school leadership

Standards, structures and sustainability

Standards and structures have been the twin pillars of education strategy since 1997

Twin pillarsStandards Structures

The rhetorical emphasis started with standards and has moved to structures

But there are tensions

• Choice & competition• Independence• League tables

• Coherence• Collaboration• Inclusion

How will these tensions play out?

Admissions

Five drivers of school improvement

1. Parental and community engagement

• Multi-agency working

• Community governance

• Extended schools

• Staff profile and development

• Premises management

• Educational outcomes

2. 14-19 curriculum changes

● Partnership and governance with other schools, employers, local authority, LSC and further and higher education

● Moving to an entitlement environment

● Commissioning skills

● Development of school facilities

● School transport

● Staff training and development

● School day, week, year

3. Personalised learning

• Strong and shared vision

• Good communication

• Student governance

• Systems for evaluation

• Financial management

4. Quality of teaching within schools

● Focus on learning

● Time for observation

● Performance management

● Professional development

● Teacher leadership

● Leaders of leaders

● Student feedback

• Time to build relationships

• Open learning culture

• Management structure

• Co-ordinating timetables

• Clear accountabilities if teachers/services shared or joint appointments made

• Pooling of autonomy

• Outcome focus

5. Partnership working with other schools

Sustainable school leadership

1. Belief in the power and purpose of learning

• Moral purpose

• Valuing the achievements of all students

• Embedding a love of learning

• Staff learning, leaders learning

• The learning environment

• Expectations

• Focus on core purpose

• Creating and maintaining the ethos

2. Wanting the best for all young people in an area

• Outward looking• Caring as much about achievements of other schools• Working outside own school• Every Child Matters• Extended schools• 14-19 entitlement• Behaviour pacts• Local curriculum• Social cohesion• Constraints

3. Commanding authority but using that authority wisely

• Behaviour policy• Trends in society• Need for social, emotional and pastoral services• Heads of social inclusion

4. Sharing and fostering leadership

• Distributing leadership• More senior support staff• Beyond the leadership team• Empowering• Taking risks• Leadership across schools

5. Building and sustaining a learning community

• Developing leaders• Performance management• Self evaluation• Teacher standards• Teacher expectations

6. Practising intelligent accountability

• Demanding intelligent accountability from the govt • New relationship with schools• Practising intelligent accountability in school• Accountability to students, parents, community• Low bureaucracy• Using data• Setting targets • CVA Panda• Self evaluation culture• Linking up performance management

7. Balancing short and long term goals

 

 

A VERY WARM WELCOME TO SHENLEY COURT SCHOOL

& SIXTH-FORM CENTRE,A SPECIALIST ARTS COLLEGE

• Building in strategic planning time• Meeting short term targets• Performance tables• In-school variation• Focus on teaching and learning

8. Renewing school leadership

• The demographic time bomb• Nurturing the existing workforce• Work life balance• External facilitation• Leadership development• Growing the next generation of leaders• Succession planning• NPQH changes• Governors’ role

9. Communicate clearly and consistently

• Leadership is 10% action, 90% communication• Students• Staff• Parents• Community• Media

10.Working closely with governors