Teaching Leaders

FAQs

Do I have to have a middle leadership post already to apply?

Yes, you need to be in a middle leadership post already, or have one confirmed for next school year. This is to ensure you are able to learn in a practical setting throughout the programme. 

How long do I have to have been a middle leader to apply?

There is no requirement to have been a middle leader previously, you just need to have a role as a middle leader confirmed for the start of the programme. 

Is there an age limit?

No, there is no age limit. 

Do I have to be in a particular school to apply?

You need to be in a challenging school to be eligible, and your school needs to lie within London, the South East or the North West. There are several factors which can determine whether a school is a challenging school, for example the percentage of Free School Meals. As a guideline, we would usually expect a challenging school to have around 20% FSM or more, although some schools with lower FSM % exhibit the same challenges due to other factors, so this is not a rigid figure. Equally, we are happy to consider working with schools outside the stated areas on a case-by-case basis. If you’re not sure if your school is relevant, please do just drop us an email with the name of your school and we can easily get back to you. 

What happens if I want to move schools after a year on the programme?

By agreeing to participate in the programme, you are committing to remaining at your school for the two years of the programme. Your school is investing £4,000 in your development so we feel this is a fair commitment. At the end of the programme you are free to move schools if you wish.  

Who pays for the programme?

There are three core funders for the programme - ARK (Absolute Return for Kids), the National College, and your schools. Teaching Leaders also receives funding and in-kind donations from a wide range of corporate and other supporters – see our supporters page for more information 

2011 will be our 4^th year of the core programme and we are expecting to take 150 middle leaders in the 2011 cohort, in the London, South East and North West regions. We also hope to train 450 middle leaders through our TLOD modular programmes in the next academic year. 

How much time does the core programme require me to commit?

Teaching Leaders is an in-school programme running alongside your daily/termly responsibilities. We will require you to commit to approximately eight days of training per year (split into evening and one-day sessions at weekends/half-terms), as well as several days of coaching (in-school) each year, and the residential week in August.Once you have completed your two years on the programme, Teaching Leaders asks you to give back to the programme by helping at recruitment events, becoming a qualified Teaching Leaders Assessor, representing the programme at events and supporting participants through training. Although the commitment required is not significant, this is a way of allowing our alumni stay connected to the programme, and enabling them to contribute in a wider sense to the Teaching Leaders mission.

 Is it only London-based?

Not any more – while our pilot was launched in London, we now offer the core programme in two hubs: London/SE, and North West. If you are in an eligible school and are able to travel to one of these centres for delivery of twilight and Saturday sessions, then you may participate in the core programme 

Is it just for Secondary middle leaders?

The programme is mainly for Secondary middle leaders, but we will be piloting a Primary option for the first time this year - contact us for more information

Who is deemed a ‘middle leader'?

A middle leader is someone who has responsibility for a department, a Key Stage, a year group or a student group (e.g., SEN, G&T). However, in order to enable you to practice many of the skills, strategies and toolkits you will develop throughout the programme in your schools, we ask that if you will be a Head of Department (or equivalent) or Head of a Key Stage whilst on the programme, that you have at least two teachers within your department. If you are a Head of Year (or equivalent) or a Head of a whole school area (e.g., SEN, G&T), we understand that you will not be directly responsible for any colleagues, but would expect that you regularly lead discussions with them in a group and individually. 

How will I be assessed on the programme?

We believe that in order to make the programme a success, to hold ourselves to account and to enable participants to really learn from the programme, we need to keep track of how participants develop over time.

We will therefore produce individual development maps for each participant, who will be continually assessed over time by their coaches according to our Leadership Competency Framework.

In addition, we will ask participants to self-evaluate their own progress.Secondly, as the purpose of the programme is to have a direct impact on student achievement and development, we will be measuring the improvement in student achievement for the participants' departments or student groups, as well as tracking pastoral measures such as behaviour and attendance.

Participants will undertake an Improvement Initiative project during the programme, for which we will set pre-agreed targets, and progress towards these targets will be monitored regularly throughout the programme to ensure any problems are picked up early and we can provide any additional support that the participant might need. Finally, as well as evaluating participants' progress directly, we'll also ask participants' teams to provide feedback on the participants' development over the two years.

What happens if I don't achieve the targets set for me on my improvement initiative?

The targets set for the improvement initiative will be monitored continually to ensure that any slippages are picked up as soon as possible and any additional support required is provided as early as possible. If participants are struggling to meet their targets because they are not developing as would be hoped, we will investigate options for providing more intensive support. If participants are failing to meet targets due to a lack of commitment, then we will discuss with the participant, the coach and the school what steps are appropriate. 

My Headteacher isn't able to support me financially to do the programme. What are my options?

If your Headteacher cannot support you financially on the programme but you are very keen to participate, we are willing to speak to the school directly and see what the options are. Please contact Emily Burfoot on 0203 116 0830 if this is the case. 

How is this programme different to other middle leadership programmes? 

Teaching Leaders differentiates itself through its focus on challenging schools,, and also on having a measurable impact at the student level. However, there are other middle leadership programmes out there, so we've put a few questions below which may help you to decide which one is right for you.

• Are you a middle leader in a challenging school  in  London, the South East or the North West? If so, Teaching Leaders may be a good option for you. If not, you should investigate the range of National College programmes available to you
• Are you a middle leader with less than 3 years’ middle leadership experience? If so, Teaching Leaders may be a great option for you. However, if you have between 3 and 6 years of middle leadership experience, the NCSL's Leading from the Middle programme is also relevant to you.
• Are you planning to progress into senior leadership in the next 2 years? If so, and you believe in the Teaching Leaders' mission and are committed to working in challenging schools, then Future Leaders may be the best option for you. If you are interested in more general senior leadership routes, Leadership Pathways may be a good option for you, as it is designed to fit between Leading from the Middle and NPQH.