International news archive
College hosts Brunei delegation
January 2012
The international business unit has hosted a delegation from the University of Brunei Daressalam. The five-day programme was designed to provide delegates with an opportunity to learn about the College’s programme offer and to discuss how these programmes could be adapted for school leaders in Brunei and form part of a full scale licensing programme. The visit included practical workshops and online courses, with visits to local secondary and primary schools to learn more about school based leadership development, and the role of peer-to-peer support systems in England.
The visit concluded with National College Chief Executive Steve Munby and International Managing Director Jonathan Dale meeting with the Brunei minister of education, the Honourable Pehin abu Bakar Apong, and the vice chancellor of the University of Brunei, Dr Zulkarnain Hanafi, to discuss the key features of the College’s approach, the impact of College programmes on the quality of school leadership and the link between leadership quality and school performance.
Chief executive officer of Edwards Educational Services meets with key College staff
January 2012
The chief executive officer of Edwards Educational Services in the USA, who is developing a school leadership development programme and college for the United States, visited the National College in the new year to learn more about our programme offer and how the College has developed its leadership provision. Discussions were also held on how we quality assure our programmes and evaluate effectiveness.
December 2011
Kenya
A group of seven directors from the Kenyan Teachers’ Service Commission visited the National College in December. The purpose of the visit was for them to gain a greater understanding of the College’s work and particularly to learn more about support for professional development, the work in our regions and school-to-school support. The group had a series of discussions with Jane Doughty, Director Design and Development and Di Barnes, Director System Leadership, as well as the international business unit.
November 2011
Scotland
National College Chief Executive Steve Munby was recently invited to address the Association of Directors of Education annual conference in Scotland. The conference provides an opportunity for its members to come together with colleagues to share new ideas and to debate key issues. Steve’s speech focused on the characteristics of effective leadership development and how schools and school leaders can achieve system-wide improvement through effective collaboration and school-to-school support. He also spoke about the importance of demonstrating resilient and optimistic leadership during periods of significant change.
China
We recently welcomed 13 school leaders from China to the National College to discuss school leadership development in England and the international work of the College. The programme included a visit to the George Spencer Academy to meet with the principal, staff and students, which enabled the group to gain an increased understanding of the English schools’ sector.
Australia
Four school leaders from Australia are undertaking our facilitator training course to enable them to deliver our Middle Leadership Development Programme back in Queensland. The group, from the Queensland Education Leadership Institute (QELI), have been following a one-week residential at our Learning and Conference Centre in Nottingham to develop the specialist skills needed to lead and facilitate this highly successful development programme.
South East Asia
A group of school leaders from British International Schools in South East Asia are participating in one of our online short courses in leading high performing teams. The participants, from countries including Vietnam, China, Brunei and Singapore, are following this one-week course with expert online support from a College facilitator. As part of the course, each participant will have the opportunity to investigate a real life leadership challenge in their own context and to share their learning and experiences with others. If you are interested in finding out more about our online short courses, please email international@nationalcollege.org.uk.
India
In November, we hosted a study visit by a delegation of Ministry of Education officials from India. The purpose of the visit was to find out more about our approach to leadership development and to look at some of the international research that underpins our work, including a recent study by McKinsey, Capturing the Leadership Premium.
Serbia
National College Director of International School Leadership Development Ray Tarleton was invited to speak at an education conference in Serbia with a focus on new models of school leadership. Find out more about our work in this area.
October 2011
China
As part of the recent bilateral agreement between the UK government’s Department for Education and Ministry of Education in China, we have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Shanghai Normal University. The MoU was signed in the presence of UK Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove. Pictured here are Professor Zhang Minxuan from Shanghai Normal University and National College Executive Director Toby Salt.
Nigeria
We recently hosted a two-day study visit by a group of Nigerian headteachers at our Learning and Conference Centre in Nottingham. The visit, organised by Pearson plc, provided an opportunity to find out more about the role of headteachers in England and to explore the English approach to school improvement. The group also spent time discussing different models of leadership and successful strategies for collaborative learning and peer-to-peer support.
During their stay, the group visited two schools in London led by College associates – practising and successful headteachers who work with and alongside leaders in other schools to promote the sharing of best practice.
Brunei
National College Director of International Business Development John Turner was invited to deliver the keynote address at the first national conference of the Universiti Brunei Darussalam Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Advancement (ILIA). The conference, attended by more than 500 school principals and teachers from schools nationwide, gave delegates the opportunity to network and benchmark best practice.
Canada
National College Chief Executive Steve Munby provided a keynote address at the Alberta Teachers’ Association Leadership.11 Conference and Symposium. This special event provided a unique opportunity for leaders from across Alberta to engage in discussion and professional learning sessions dedicated to deepening understanding of what makes a high performing education system.
Spain
National College Director of International School Leadership Development Ray Tarleton was invited to lead a seminar at the Council of British International Schools (COBIS) Teachers’ Conference in Madrid. The conference explored the theme of 'embracing change' and attracted record numbers of delegates from countries including France, Italy, Portugal, Luxembourg, Turkey, Bulgaria, the UK and Spain.
September 2011
Afghanistan
We hosted a visit by His Excellency Mohammad Sediq Patman, Deputy Minister of Academic Affairs, Ministry of Education, Afghanistan. His Excellency and his party were visiting the College to develop a greater understanding of our role in developing leadership in schools here in England, and to learn more about our work internationally.
July 2011
Norway
An article from the latest issue of ldr magazine on the "seven vital ingredients for closing the achievement gap" was reprinted by Norwegian magazine Skolelederen. Skolelederen is published by the Norwegian Association of School Leaders (NSLF) – a union for principals as well as assistant and deputy heads and administrators from all areas of education.
ldr magazine has also published an article on the Finnish education system.
June 2011
USA
Representatives of the Foundation, Aided Schools and Academies National Association (FASNA) in the USA were welcomed. As well as finding out more about our leadership development programmes, the delegation also explored a wide range of topical issues, including peer group support for converting to academy status, training for governors, bullying, and ICT for learning.
Australia
Catholic Education Office Melbourne invited National College Executive Director Maggie Farrar to deliver a keynote address and workshops at their Look Out 2011 Conference. The conference was attended by over 400 delegates from a wide range of educational-, health- and community-based settings. Its focus was on encouraging and supporting whole school communities to work together to ensure the best possible outcomes for all young people. View the presentation slides from Maggie's speech.
Oman
National College International Managing Director Jonathan Dale and Director of International School Leadership Development Ray Tarleton delivered a workshop in Muscat, Oman, at the request of the Omani Ministry of Education. The workshop explored opportunities for jointly developing leadership programmes for school principals in Oman.
May 2011
Rwanda
The international unit hosted a visit of ministerial officials and programme managers from Rwanda. During the visit, the delegation discussed the role of school management and leadership in enhancing the quality of education in general teaching, and technical and vocational teaching.
May 2011
India
International Managing Director Jonathan Dale and Director of International School Leadership Development Ray Tarleton delivered a workshop at the International Conference on Improving the Quality of Secondary Education in India.
May 2011
Norway
We hosted a three-day school leadership development residential for a delegation from the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training. Eighteen delegates came to our Learning and Conference Centre in Nottingham to attend workshops focusing on our approach to leadership development and to find out more about the current policies and strategies shaping the English education system. The visit also included visits to several local schools in the East Midlands area.
February 2011
India
In response to increasing economic globalisation, rapid technological innovation and massive mobility, school leaders in India are being challenged to step up from being good managers to become leaders of schools as learning organisations. Effective school leadership is viewed as key to improved educational outcomes.
We were asked to work with the UK India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) and the government of India to develop and facilitate residential workshops for Indian school principals. Hosted in New Delhi, the workshops were attended by over 100 principals from across the country, keen to develop approaches to effective school leadership.
The comprehensive programme covered all major aspects of leading a school, such as the use of technology, learning environments, people management, mentoring and enhancing communication and networking skills. All participants were awarded a certificate by the College on completion of the workshop. Read more on the UKIERI website.
“This workshop was a truly enriching experience and helped me to gain an insight into areas of school administration, classroom management and the entire gamut of the teaching-learning process”. Mr K Chanda, Principal, South Point School, Assam
November 2010
Thailand
Working with the education ministry in Thailand, we ran a leadership development programme for school principals. Taking place over five days, the training covered:
- leadership and management skills and behaviours
- school improvement planning
- leading teams and managing staff performance
- working with the community and key stakeholders
- leadership of change
- business management
- the role of information and communications technology (ICT) in leading and managing schools
Throughout the programme, participants had the opportunity to learn from presentations, group work, individual reflection and paired activity. They were also encouraged to evaluate their experience at the end of the programme.
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