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A new UK Government took office on 11 May 2010. As a result the content on this site may not reflect current Government policy.

All statutory guidance and legislation published on this site continues to reflect the current legal position unless indicated otherwise.

Primary leadership

The quality of primary school leadership is critical to the progress children make. The foundations laid in primary schools powerfully influence the future lives and life chances of children and young people.

Primary school leadership takes place in a wide range of contexts and sizes of school, and the National College seeks to support and develop leaders across these different contexts. The landscape of primary school leadership is changing rapidly and we aim to help primary school leaders to take advantage of the opportunities and address the challenges of key national policy developments. At the heart of our approach lies the concept of a self-improving school system.

The National College is committed to working with and learning from the best primary school leaders in the country in order to:

  • influence the development of national policy
  • explore the leadership implications of system changes
  • provide specific support on key areas for leadership development.

To this end we have undertaken particular activities relating to:

  • leading curriculum change
  • the leadership capacity within small rural primary schools
  • the leadership of special educational needs and disabilities
  • accessing school business management support in primary schools.

We are also committed to ensuring that key College developments are appropriate to the needs and contexts of primary schools, for example teaching schools, academies and academy chains, and executive headship.

Projects and areas of activity