• APPLICATIONS FOR 2012 ARE NOW OPEN:  |  Next deadline: 20 May. Please call us if you have any application queries.
  • Teaching Leaders Impact  |  GCSE passes up by 15% in our first cohort’s departments, 1.5 times as fast as their schools.
  • Teaching Leaders Impact  |  70% of the first cohort have been promoted or given extra responsibility since beginning the programme

Participant stories

Katie Ash

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I have been Head of Performing Arts for a year and a half now, when I got the job I was already in a minor middle management role and the sudden thought of having responsibility for not only my own subject area but also 3 others was very daunting.  During my first year I was confident in the decisions I was making in the music department but I found it very difficult to lead and manage the dance and drama departments and really felt like there was a lot more I could do. 

I decided that I really wanted to enrol on a middle management course but I was looking for something that was in depth, practical and would really have an impact on my development; not just something that would look good on my CV for the sake of it.  After much searching my line manager recommended I look at Teaching Leaders.  I was impressed by the depth and breadth of the course and the practical nature also the fact it was across two years.  On the other hand I was nervous and unsure about whether I was really prepared for it.  Even after filling in the application form I began to feel more confident in myself and after the very rigorous interview I was really beginning to believe that I deserved my role.

I was thrilled when I was accepted and after coming to terms with the fact I was going to have to spend a week of my holidays studying I was really eager to get started. 

The Residential proved to be a fantastic start to the journey, I learnt more in that week than I have in a long time.  The speakers were amazing and really engaging; I felt more motivated every day I was there.  As a bonus not only did I learn a lot but I got to meet amazing other middle leaders.  It is really helpful to have a support network of people who are in similar professional positions of responsibility, yet not in your own establishment, to talk to and discuss issues with.  Even better than that is having a new group of friends who understand the problems you may be having and are just there to talk to when you need it.  The Residential is a vital part of building these relationships.

I never believed I would say it but I really look forward to the evening seminars, Day seminars and PSDG’s.  I leave each and every one with new ideas and a clearer understanding of my own practice and how to improve it. 

Having a coach is yet another fantastic element of the course; my coaching sessions have enabled me to evaluate my strengths and weaknesses.  I know that I need to work on my confidence in managing the department and not apologising every time I need to delegate make my staff accountable but I know that through the coaching sessions I will work on this and be a really positive leader for my department by the end of the course.

I would also highly recommend the opportunities that have been made available to me through the course, all of which I have taken up.  I am about to embark on a Masters with Warwick University and a very reduced price, something I always felt I should do but could not afford.  I am also very excited to be off to Columbia in February Half Term. 

In my teaching career so far taking part in Teaching Leaders is the most challenging and rewarding experience I have had and I am really pleased that I made the decision to apply.  The Teaching Leaders course lives up to everything it claims and more and I am looking forward to the journey I have just embarked on.