There is a growing recognition of the need for change within education, and an opportunity for change with a new government in place. The time is right to consider the conditions that will best support the system at this point of evolution. We are clear about the pivotal role leadership plays within this. However, it is not yet clear that there is a sufficient or appropriate consideration of the role of leadership within the wider sector.
This group aims to enrich thinking and inform practice in order to enhance the support for and development of leaders in the system so that they can better respond to complex and emerging challenges.
The development of school leaders is a complex and contentious business. It is also critical to the current and future success of our highly devolved school system.
We have come a long way in England, with the recent reform of the core training (NPQs) and development of national delivery infrastructure. However, a significant gap remains between current provision and what is needed to equip leaders with the knowledge and skills they need.
This report sets out what this gap looks like and what we might do about it.
The good work to establish a curriculum of core content that all school leaders should know, has been established and a golden thread of evidence-informed insights is being embedded in schools through the reformed NPQ programmes.
It is now widely agreed that whilst this approach provides a foundation for developing leaders, it is not the whole picture. The content is necessary, but not sufficient. Leaders need a more holistic leadership development journey which empowers them with the skills, knowledge and mindsets to respond to the challenging and changing contexts within which they are working.
As providers of professional development opportunities for school leaders consider how to design offers that go beyond this minimum entitlement, and as school leaders themselves explore their own beyond-NPQ development needs, now is a useful moment to provoke some broader thinking about the future of school leadership in England. We know that this work is not easy – otherwise we would have already figured it out. But we do think that an open mindset is required to engage in this important work.
This paper explores what’s up – the problem as it is, what else is needed, what might be next, and concludes with some future focused what ifs.
Rethinking Leadership is a group of committed individuals and organisations who came together around the idea that new ways of thinking about leadership are critical.
Why is this needed?
As Lencioni puts it in “The Advantage”, we need organisations that are smart and healthy, i.e. focused both on performance AND on the people, purpose and culture.
Why get involved?
What has been missing is ‘how’ we might address this. Rethinking Leadership is our starting point as we think and act on this, together.
We are creating a committed coalition of schools and system leaders interested in sharing and developing their practice in this area.
If you are interested in being actively involved in this work, and receiving regular updates, please click here.
Big Education Trust is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales.
Company registration number: 07648389.
VAT number: GB142676505
Registered Office: c/o School 21, Pitchford Street, London E15 4RZ
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