The development of school leaders is critical to the current and future success of our highly devolved school system. We have come a long way in England, but a significant gap remains between current provision and what is needed for leadership development. While NPQ reforms are a positive step forward, leaders need a more holistic journey which empowers them with the skills, knowledge and mindsets to respond to the challenging and changing contexts within which they are working.
In the report ‘Rethinking Leadership: What else? What next? What if?’, Joe Hallgarten CEO of CfEY, and Liz Robinson, CEO of the multi academy trust Big Education, explore the problem as it is, what else is needed, and what might come next.
The research identifies a range of areas where change is required, including the need to:
- Think more broadly about leadership learning beyond the NPQs
- Address the lack of diversity and inclusion within leadership
- Better understand and cater for the distinct role of the ‘leader’
- Ensure sufficient progression in leadership development and support
- Review the role of research evidence in leadership development design
- Review how market forces and government contracts are affecting innovation
- Value and nurture collective, ‘non-positional’ teacher leadership
