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New headteachers in cities

What are the experiences of school leaders who lead urban schools, and how do they prepare for headship and the challenges ahead? Read our new piece of research to find out.

Local Leaders of Education Programme

Local Leaders of Education

The aim of the Local Leaders of Education Programme is to improve pupil outcomes through partnership working between schools and academies. Local leaders of education (LLEs) are successful headteachers who work alongside other heads to drive forward improvements and build capacity to ensure that improvements can be sustained.

We work closely with local authorities, dioceses and other agencies to identify, recruit, train and deploy successful headteachers to work with other schools. The model has already proved successful in raising attainment, not only in schools supported by LLEs, but also in the LLEs’ own schools.

The recent Schools White Paper announced the further expansion of the LLE Programme. We have met the current target of 2,000 LLEs while maintaining the stringent criteria and quality assurance processes that have made the scheme so successful to date. We are now only recruiting to maintain this number and to ensure access to LLE support across England.

Who can apply?

Serving headteachers and academy principals with a minimum of three years' experience, good outcomes in attainment and Ofsted measures and a successful track record of school improvement. Please refer to Who can be a local leader of education? for the full selection criteria.

What's involved?

The role of the LLE is to work outside their own school, providing support and coaching to another headteacher and their school with the aim of school improvement. LLEs also act as professional partners, providing mentor support to new heads in their first two years of headship as part of the Head Start programme. Headteachers designated as LLEs are prepared for the role by attending a training programme which involves:

  • a half-day induction held locally to provide information on practical steps for becoming an LLE. Local authority representatives or equivalent will be invited to attend these sessions to provide information on the local context
  • two consecutive training days held locally to provide core coaching and mentoring training which is central to the role of LLE

Duration

Following assessment, successful applicants will complete the training programme within six to eight weeks. LLEs will be deployed into schools, in discussion with the local authority or deploying agency for approximately one day or half a day per week. Deployments may last from six months to three years. You will also be added to the database of professional partners, searchable by new heads. If matched with a new head, you'll be required to provide approximately 20-30 hours of coaching and mentoring support during their first two years of headship.

Costs

The costs of recruitment and training for the programme are fully subsidised by the College. LLEs’ schools are reimbursed for their time at an agreed rate.

Find out more

Apply

The application round is now closed. A further application round is planned for autumn 2012. If you are interested in becoming an LLE please email localeaders@nationalcollege.org.uk for further information.