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Fast facts about the National College

1. The National College for Leadership of Schools and Children’s Services exists to improve the lives of children and young people.
2. Formerly known as the National College for School Leadership (NCSL), the College’s remit was extended in 2009 to include the training and development of Directors of Children’s Services.
3. We continue to support school leaders with a range of strategic initiatives, leadership development programmes and policy and research activities to enable them to develop into outstanding leaders.
4. Over 120,000 places have been taken up on our leadership development provision since the College opened in 2000.
5. Ninety-eight per cent of secondary schools and 81 per cent of primary schools have taken part in one or more of our core programmes.
6. Research has shown that properly deployed school business managers can free up to 30 per cent of a headteacher’s time, as well as releasing additional funds for schools, enabling heads to focus on leading teaching and learning.
7. There are now over 400 National Leaders of Education (NLEs) working in over 400 schools across England and around 500,000 children have benefited from their expertise. We continue to see a strong trend of above average improvement in both the supported and supporting schools.
8. Secondary schools supported by NLEs improved their GCSE results by more than double the national rate during 2008-9, and primary schools receiving this support also improved while national results declined.
9. The National College was identified in a Cabinet Office report as an example of excellence in leadership development and support: “Services must build on the success of organisations like the National College… which is widely regarded as world-leading, to ensure the highest quality leadership and support.”
10. Eighty-nine per cent of school leaders who have engaged with National College activities say that their involvement has developed their leadership skills and knowledge.
11. Schools led by NPQH (National Professional Qualification for Headship) graduates are more likely to improve their exam results and their Ofsted ratings, and come out of special measures more quickly.
12. Schools involved in National College leadership development programmes achieve faster rates of improvement in exam results – and the more involved a school is the greater the improvement.
13. Almost three quarters of the schools inspected by Ofsted during 2008-9 had good or outstanding leadership, with 20 per cent of them benefiting from outstanding leadership and management – a four per cent increase on 2007-8.
14. Between 2005-6 and 2008-9, the proportion of schools judged by Ofsted as having good or outstanding leadership has increased by 10 per cent.