Leadership matters: A busy week for school leadership announcements

Last night I had the privilege of attending an event to celebrate the recruitment of the first cohort of exceptional heads and deputies to the Talented Leaders programme, which will place 100 headteachers in the areas and schools which most need them. It was an auspicious affair, hosted by the Deputy Prime Minister and Schools Minister in the elegant surroundings of Lancaster House.

The event was significant in itself, recognising the contribution great leadership can make to bettering the lives of children and communities who may otherwise miss out. Also significant was the fact that it wasn’t even the only school leadership event of the night, never mind the week.

Ian Bauckham, Immediate Past President of ASCL, and Deputy General Secretary, Malcolm Trobe, arrived at the Talented Leaders event fresh from the parliamentary reception where ASCL had launched their Blueprint for a Self-improving School System. It calls for school leaders to be given the autonomy to use their professional skill to lead a school system which is constantly improving and freer from government interference.

Back at Lancaster House, David Laws took the opportunity to thank the Headteachers’ Review Group for their work on the National Standards of Excellence for Headteachers, launched last month. He also announced more money for the school-to-school support fund and a new scheme to second 100 middle leaders to underperforming schools.  This followed an announcement by David Cameron last week of 30 middle leaders being seconded to challenging schools in the East of England.

Labour meanwhile set out their plans on Monday to create a School Leadership Institute, which would accredit headteacher qualifications and training, and drive up the proportion of female heads (an issue I’ve frequently highlighted) and heads from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.  They also want to see education leaders benefiting from the expertise of business (something I've also written about) and have garnered support from the CBI.

While there is plenty to debate in the detail of the announcements, their collective emphasis on the importance of school leadership is welcome. The Future Leaders Trust, where I work, is founded on the principle that great leaders make great schools and great schools change lives. The strapline is underpinned by extensive evidence which shows that effective leadership can transform pupil outcomes. As the Wallace Foundation noted in a 2013 report:

A solid body of evidence has established that leadership is second only to teaching among school-related influences on learning. As researchers from the University of Minnesota and University of Toronto – authors of the largest study of the impact of school leadership on student achievement – put it: “To date, we have not found a single case of a school improving its student achievement record in the absence of talented leadership.”

That is why since 2006 The Future Leaders Trust has selected and trained nearly 400 exceptional leaders, who are working in more than 250 challenging primary and secondary schools across England. Almost 100 participants on our programme have so far reached headship. They share a belief that by working together to transform the schools they lead they can eradicate the disadvantage which blights the lives of too many children.

It is good to see the potential of great leadership as the engine of better pupil outcomes being given the recognition it deserves.