Members' library

• ldr magazine
  • Back issues
    • ldr June 2010
      • Up to the challenge
      • CPD: Protect and thrive
      • Rural strides
      • Independent state of mind
      • Letting children be children
      • The trouble with gangs
      • Need to know: System leadership
      • Viewpoint: Time to puncture the zero risk myth
      • On leadership: Keep the focus on the classroom
      • Practical steps: How to... become a sustainable school

System ready

Today’s school leaders are more likely to work beyond their own schools in leadership development and support roles than ever before, new research has revealed.

System leadership – a term used to describe the various ways in which leaders support other leaders to improve outcomes for children and young people beyond their own schools – is an increasingly common feature of modern school leadership.

According to research carried out with over 1100 headteachers by research agency Illuminas for the National College earlier this year, over 60 per cent of headteachers are now carrying out a system leadership role of some kind.

The most popular system leadership role is mentoring another head, with a third of leaders currently performing this role. Of those who are not performing this role, four out of five are interested in the College’s Professional Partner mentoring scheme for new heads.

A fifth of headteachers are currently performing a ‘key’ system leadership role, such as running two or more schools as an executive head, supporting under-performing schools to improve rapidly as a National Leader of Education (NLE) or Local Leader of Education (LLE) or performing a School Improvement Partner (SIP) role.

System leaders are motivated by a desire to improve their own schools, boost their personal development and a strong sense of responsibility to improve attainment for children beyond their own schools: 78 per cent of current system leaders say they have had an impact on pupil outcomes in the other schools they have supported, while 88 per cent say their own school has improved as a result.

"This research is encouraging because it shows that headteachers are increasingly working beyond their own school to support each other and improve children’s learning"

Although there’s a real appetite for system leadership among headteachers, there is evidence of a lack of familiarity with some of the system leadership roles available to leaders. While 75 per cent of heads are very familiar with the SIP role, other system leadership roles such as LLE are much less familiar, only 21 per cent stating that they were familiar with this role.

Toby Greany, the National College’s Operational Director for Research and Policy, says: “This research is encouraging because it shows that headteachers are increasingly working beyond their own school to support each other and improve children’s learning. Heads see this as a ‘win win’, since it improves their own school and grows their skills at the same time as helping other schools, though the additional time commitment can also be a challenge. The research shows that these roles require new skills and that the College could do more to support them. Overall, using the skills and experience of our best school leaders to enable the whole system to improve has to be the most effective way forwards”.