Providing Quality, Excellence and Improvement in the Education Service Senior Leadership Pathways

Providing Quality, Excellence and Improvement in the Education Service

Senior Leadership Pathways


Programme for the day09.45 – 10.00 Welcome

10.00 – 10.25 Activity 1

10.25 – 11.00 The Context

11.00 – 11.15 Break

11.15 – 11.30 Skills and attributes

11.30 – 12.15 Activity 2

12.15 – 12.45 Programme structure and methodology

12.45 – 13.00 Questions

13.00 – 13.45 Lunch

13.45 – 14.15 Leadership, management and administration

14.15 – 15.30 Leadership Activity 3 and 4

15.30 – 16.00 Concluding remarks


Paired Introductions• What do you enjoy doing when you

are not at work?

• What is your favourite place/country to visit?

• What has been your proudest moment so far?

• Share a goal you have set for yourself.


Activity 1 (25 minutes)

• What are your expectations of:– Yourself– The facilitators– The group– The programme

– Consider your self-appraisal and learning styles in the light of your expectations


Senior Leadership Pathways

• Underpinned by National Standards for School Leadership

• Designed to facilitate adult learning

• Promotes individual and organisational learning


National Standards for School Leadership

• Core purpose• Key outcomes• Professional knowledge and understanding• Skills and attributes


Core purpose for school leaders

To provide professional leadership and management to secure high quality teaching, effective use of resources and improved standards of learning and achievement for all pupils


Professional knowledge and understanding

• Aims, priorities, targets and action plans• The characteristics of high quality teaching and

learning• The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social,

cultural, mental and physical development• The role of school governance• Health and safety issues


Coffee Break


Skills • The ability to lead and manage people to work

towards common goals• The ability to solve problems and make decisions• The ability to work clearly and understand the

views of others• The ability to plan time effectively and to organise

oneself well


Attributes

• Personal impact and presence• Adaptability to changing

circumstances and new ideas• Energy, vigour and perseverance• Self-confidence• Enthusiasm• Intellectual ability• Reliability and integrity• Commitment


Key outcomes Activity 2 (45 minutes)

• Effective middle leaders result in:– pupils who– teachers who– parents who– principals and other senior leaders who– support staff who


Programme Structure - methodology

• Six twilight seminars (4.00pm – 7.30pm)• Reflective Journal• School Improvement Project• A day to review learning and share good practice• Online support dimension• Learning through the experiences undertaken


Six Seminars related to six key areas for school leadership

• Vision and values• Leading learning and teaching• Intrapersonal and interpersonal

relationships• Managing the organisation• Professional accountability• Working with the community


Reflective Journal

• To increase your knowledge, understanding and personal skills.

• To become aware of your preferred leadership style.

• To systematically analyse your practice.


School Improvement Project

• Identify a significant piece of ongoing work within your area of responsibility that contributes to school improvement

• Review your current practice and identify ways of improvement

• Capture the main learning points in your reflective journal

• Presentation at final event


Criteria for School Improvement Project

• It should improve pupil learning• It should be action planned with SMART targets• It should involve you in leadership of a team• It should require you working collaboratively with

others• It should be agreed in advance and verified by your

principal when complete


Working in threes

Explain briefly to the others your initial ideas for a SIP.

Ensure that your ideas satisfy the criteria outlined above.


Final Session

• Discuss the key learning points for you• Consider what you have learned about leading others

and the implications for you as a leader• Present your completed SIP to the group• Receive verification that you have completed the

programme• Consider the next steps in your professional

development journey


Online support

• Study support materials will be available online

• Relevant web links will be identified

• Web links to audio/visual/text resources


Questions, Questions, Questions



Leadership, Management and Administration

The important distinction between leaders, managers and administrators: leaders have

followers managers have

policies and a rule book

administrators do as they are told by managers

23


Management

• Management is the efficient, effective and economic use of resources to achieve results with and through the efforts of other people.


Characteristics of high leadership potential

• Seeks opportunities to learn• Acts with integrity• Adapts to cultural

differences• Is committed to making a

difference• Learns from successes and

mistakes

• Brings out the best in people• Is insightful• Has the courage to take

risks• Seeks and uses feedback• Is open to criticism


Leadership Activity 3Consider the following two questions in relation to your school:-• What do effective leaders do?• What should effective leaders do?


Leadership Activity 3• Examine the definition of

leadership provided to your group.

• What are the practical implications of this definition in a school setting?


Activity 4

• Identify your two main strengths as a leader.

• Which two areas of leadership do you wish to develop in the programme?


Activities before Seminar 2

• Complete the leadership styles inventory at home and return to facilitators before the second seminar

• Complete the School improvement form and return to facilitators before the second seminar


Dates for your diary

• See accompanying sheet

Documents

Providing Quality, Excellence and Improvement in the Education Service Senior Leadership Pathways