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 complex urban school to be eligible, and your school needs to lie within Greater London. There are several factors which can determine whether a school is a complex urban school, for example the percentage of Free School Meals. As a guideline, we would usually expect a complex urban school to have around 25% FSM or more, although some schools with lower FSM % exhibit the same challenges due to other factors, so this is not a rigid figure. 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. If you do decide to move schools during the programme, you will need to pay your original school back for the investment it made, and negotiate funding from your new school.

Who pays for the programme?

There are three core funders for the programme - ARK (Absolute Return for Kids), NCSL (National College for School Leadership) and your schools.

How many participants are you looking for on the programme?

This is our second year of the programme and we are expecting to take 60 middle leaders in the 2009 cohort of the programme, expanding to over 100 if the programme pilot is a success, and we hope to other regions.

How much time does the 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 weeks in August.

Once you have completed your two years of training, 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?

Yes, the programme will initially be restricted to middle leaders in London Schools.

Is it just for Secondary middle leaders?

Yes, the programme is secondary-only.

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 pupil 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 across various leadership dimensions. In addition, we will ask participants to self-evaluate their own progress.

Secondly, as the core purpose of the programme is to have a direct impact on pupil achievement and development, we will be measuring the improvement in pupil achievement for the participants' departments or pupil groups, as well as tracking pastoral measures such as behaviour and attendance. Participants will undertake a 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 school project?

The targets set for the project 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. However, as time progresses, if the targets originally set are clearly overly ambitious or unambitious, they can be revised in agreement with the school and the participant. 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 Jess Lawson in the team on 0207 3956725 if this is the case.

How is this programme different to other middle leadership programmes?

Teaching Leaders differentiates itself through its urban nature, and also its strong focus on having a measurable impact at the pupil level. However, there are several 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 an urban school in Greater London? If so, Teaching Leaders may be a good option for you. If not, you should investigate the NCSL's Leading from the Middle and Leadership Pathways programmes, which are open to middle leaders in all schools.

• Are you a middle leader with less than 2 years middle leadership experience? If so, Teaching Leaders may be a great option for you. However, if you have between 2 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 urban 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.