Design Framework Tomorrow’s Heads: Leadership School

1
Design Framework Tomorrows Heads Leadership
School

• March 2010

2
Contents

• Executive summary
  3
• Project brief
  4
• Learning objectives, outcomes and design
  principles 5
• Rationale for the design of the Leadership
  School 9
• Leadership School assumptions
  10
• What is accelerated development?
  11
• Headline learnings from the consultation and
  research 12
• Theoretical underpinning 13
• Content for the Leadership School
  14
• Themes for the Leadership School 15
• Content areas mapped to key themes 16
• Delivery Methods and structure for the Leadership
  School
  22
• Delivery methods
  24
• Group structures
  25

• Delivery Methods and structure for the Leadership
  School (continued)
• Participant Journey (including example day)
  26
• Expert class example
  34
• Simulations
  35
• Challenge tasks
  36
• Evening activities
  37
• Criteria for selecting speakers and facilitators
  38
• Evaluation process
  40
• Considerations for the drafting of the Leadership
  

3
Executive Summary

• The Leadership School will be an inspirational
  and transformational experience which will add
  value to participants leadership development
  journey to 21st century headship
• The purpose of the Leadership School is to
  inspire and challenge participants to think
  innovatively in order to develop a deep
  understanding of what it means to be an effective
  school leader.
• By the end of the Leadership School, participants
  will have a good understanding of their own
  strengths and areas for development. This will be
  supported by a personalised plan to address gaps.
  Expert facilitators and peer networks will
  provide both support and challenge to
  participants. Above all, participants will leave
  the Leadership School with an appetite for
  furthering their learning and development in
  their drive to become a school leader.
• Throughout the Leadership School, there will be a
  continuing emphasis on accelerating leadership
  learning through a range of methods. Central to
  this is the need to accelerate leadership
  maturity.
• The Leadership School will continue to build
  commitment to and engagement in the Tomorrows
  Heads programme.
• Participants will also be able to share best
  practice and continue to build sustainable
  support networks.
• All of the sessions within the Leadership School
  will draw on real-life experiences and examples.
  Participants will be expected to draw on their
  experiences to date and also plan for impact in
  their school.
• The choice of content, speakers and delivery
  methods will reflect the diversity of the
  audience and be underpinned by the moral purpose.
  
• Delivery methods will include inspirational
  keynote speeches, interactive expert classes,
  experiential simulations, elective sessions,
  challenge tasks and sessions for reflection. The
  range of methods will aim to meet the varying
  needs of learners and model best practice.
• Content will cover the six key themes Setting
  the strategic direction Pursuing excellence
  through learning and teaching Understanding and
  developing self and others Delivering high
  quality services Evaluating and improving school
  performance Improving service through
  collaboration. The six themes are underpinned by
  the established AtH competency framework.

4
Project brief

• Deloitte and Navigate were commissioned by the
  National College to deliver a design framework
  for the two week Leadership School for Tomorrows
  Heads
• The purpose of this residential is to enable
  Tomorrows Heads to
•  
• Be inspired and challenged by leading
  practitioners and renowned, world-class
  leadership thinkers
• Develop a deep understanding of how to develop
  the skills and attributes required to be an
  inspirational leader
• Sharpen thinking about educational vision and
  turning their vision into practice

5

• Learning objectives, outcomes and design
  principles

6
Learning objectives

• The overall aim of the leadership school is to
  develop and motivate
• Learning objectives for the Leadership School

• The Leadership School aims to
• Inspire participants through high quality
  input
• Challenge participants through practical,
  experiential activities
  which place them outside their comfort zone
• Sharpen thinking about educational vision
• Help participants identify what great school
  leadership looks like and understand how this
  impacts on outcomes for children and young
  people, building on the National Conference
• Challenge and support participants to strive
  for and acquire excellent leadership skills,
  knowledge and behaviours based on their own
  learning and development needs
• Provide opportunities for participants to
  experiment using leadership skills and behaviours
• Provide high-quality coaching
• Draw upon the direct experiences of
  headteachers and children

• Participants will
• Establish additional, sustainable support
  networks
• Develop a deep understanding of how to
  accelerate development of the skills and
  attributes required to be an inspirational and
  effective school leader
• Develop their own vision and practise using
  tools to implement the vision
• Assess their strengths and development needs
  (building on work done on the Tomorrows Heads
  programme to date)
• Reflect on their own future leadership
  development needs

7
Learning outcomes

• The overall aim of the leadership school is to
  develop and motivate
• Outcomes for the Leadership School
• What?
• Knowledge, awareness and understanding of the
  complexities and challenges of the headship role
  and the behaviours of highly effective heads
• Appetite for, and excitement about,
  progressing to headship
• How?
• The skills, tools and confidence to undertake
  the demands of the role
• The skills of how to adapt leadership styles
  and behaviours to meet the needs of different
  contexts
• Identifying strengths and development needs
  and recognising how these can be addressed, with
  specific reference to preparation for NPQH
• Motivated by expert training and evidence of
  excellent headship in practice
• Build upon work to date on the Tomorrows
  Heads programme

8
Design Principles
The design principles for the Tomorrows Heads
Leadership School have been developed building on
the wider Tomorrows Heads programme design
developed by the National College The Leadership
School will

• Be underpinned by the Tomorrows Heads competency
  framework
• Use a blended style of delivery
• Be practical and experiential, working with the
  specific real challenges and experiences of the
  participants
• Be based on good practice learning theory using
  a blended, accelerated learning approach
  including a combination of classroom lectures,
  peer to peer action learning, simulations,
  coaching and mentoring etc.
• Require networking, peer-learning opportunities
  and sharing of best practice at national and
  regional level, supporting the creation of
  sustainable networks
• Ensure effective integration with the Tomorrows
  Heads programme and ensure effective transition
  to NPQH
• Be designed to be effective for both the short
  term and long term
• Drive participants to work with the moral purpose
  of education
• Be underpinned by the National Colleges Quality
  Assurance Framework

• Motivate and inspire participants in their
  leadership journey to headship
• Help participants develop the required skills,
  knowledge and experience to step up to headship
• Enable participants to develop the skills and
  confidence to operate in a complex environment
  and deal with ambiguity
• Be focused on raising participants awareness,
  understanding and capability of values-led,
  system and authentic leadership
• Be tailored to meet stakeholder needs
• Be personalised to individuals on the basis of
  their school phase, experience, and technical
  and non-technical need
• Recognise and celebrate the diversity of the
  audience
• Be aligned to the needs of the participants
  organisation and its stakeholders
• Build upon the 360 self assessment

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• Rationale for the design of the Leadership School

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Leadership School assumptions

• How many? There will be 170 Tomorrows Heads
  participants split into 2 groups and there will
  be 2 separate 1 week blocks of activity (all 170
  will be together for the opening and the close of
  the residential programme)
• Who? It will include participants from across
  the phases (primary, secondary and special) and
  across regions
• Where? It will be held at the National
  Colleges Learning and Conference Centre in
  Nottingham and the East Midlands Conference
  Centre (to be confirmed)
• Half of the participants will be staying off site
  at any one time
• How long? 2 weeks in duration 1 week of the
  Leadership School will be the February half term
  2011
• Who will attend? Expert facilitators will
  attend for the whole 2 weeks (51 ratio)
• What is out of scope? This is not about the
  identification of leadership potential it is
  about leadership development
• External programmes are important, but they are
  one component of a portfolio of activities. -
  Hay Group

This is where the Leadership School sits in the
overall AtH programme
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What is accelerated development?
Working definition
Accelerated development is about the strategies
and tactics to speed the process from the start
point to the end goal. AM Azure
Consulting Accelerate to headship is about the
strategies and tactics to speed the process from
the start point to the end goal- AM Azure
consulting This can be achieved by
Accelerated development is about the strategies
and tactics to speed the process from the start
point to the end goal AM Azure consulting

• Practising and rehearsing skills which would
  otherwise be learnt on-the-job and over a
  number of years
• Providing opportunities for individuals to
  undertake learning at an earlier stage and in a
  different way than would otherwise normally be
  the case
• Plugging the gaps in an individuals skillset in
  a way which is not dependent on length of service
• Challenging the mindset about progression
  particularly the idea that you must have served
  your time before taking on headship
• Building on and playing to already identified
  strengths

This is the area which the Leadership School can
address
The Hay Groups research suggests that leadership
maturity is what most aspiring leaders lack and
that this is the key to accelerating leadership
development. Leadership maturity is
characterised by vision political awareness
indirect influencing and alliance building and
long term thinking and planning.
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Headline learnings from the consultation and
research

• It's about quality and depth, not breadth
• We want them to be really good at doing 3 or 4
  things.
• Clear structure which develops as the week
  unfolds
• It is important to structure opportunities to
  reflect on the process.
• A range of methods for all learning styles
• Its good to mix it up presentations,
  practical application, action planning, group
  working.
• Being able to make the link between theory and
  application
• People like to see a balance between theory and
  practice.
• Short term application alongside longer term
  planning for headship
• Make participants think about their current role
  and the role of the head and the similarities and
  differences between the two.  In this way
  participants should be able to see what they can
  do as soon as they get back to school and what
  they need to do longer term.
• Focus on the skills which will equip them for the
  future, not the technical skills which will
  change with time.
• Do not go with policy trends.
• Its about developing leadership maturity

13
Theoretical underpinning

• A range of research on both accelerated
  leadership development and learning theory
  recommends that a simple cyclic approach can help
  lead to effective and embedded learning. This
  principle has been utilised in designing sessions
  for the Leadership School.

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• Content for the Leadership School

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Themes for the Leadership School

• The NPQH Standards, Tomorrows Heads Competency
  Framework, our desk research and stakeholder
  interviews have been considered and 6 key
  learning themes identified

16
Content areas mapped to key themes

• The following slides show the proposed topics for
  the Leadership School grouped by key areas, based
  on stakeholder consultation and feedback from the
  workshop with the National College
• The proposed delivery methods for each topic are
  also indicated (i.e. Keynote, simulation, expert
  class, elective or challenge task)
• The proposed topic areas and how they will be
  delivered will be further validated during the
  detailed design phase
• The current policy context will underpin delivery
  for the whole week
• Sessions will build on participants current work
  based learning and experiences and provide
  opportunities for reflection on how they will
  apply learning in their current and future roles
• Suggested delivery methods for each topic are
  indicated on the following matrix

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Content areas mapped to key themes
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Content areas mapped to key themes
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Content areas mapped to key themes
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Content areas mapped to key themes
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Content areas mapped to key themes
22

• Delivery Methods and structure for the Leadership
  School

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Delivery methods and structure

• The following section focuses on the delivery
  methods used over the two weeks and illustrates
  the participant journey

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Delivery methods
Below is the range of generic delivery methods
which will be employed within the different
session types and this will inform the detailed
design phase
25
Group structures

• For the purposes of the Leadership School, the
  following groups have been defined
• Learning Set A team of 5 participants and 1
  expert facilitator participants will be
  numbered 1 to 5 to allow easy grouping (Options
  to group by phase/region, e.g. for the Challenge
  sessions)
• Learning Network A grouping of 4 Learning Sets
  led by a Learning Network Lead
• Learning Community The whole community of
  Tomorrows Heads participants, expert
  facilitators and other trainers

A Learning Network
Learning Set
Learning Set
Larger groups of 6-7 may be used for some
activities and group members may be switched
around between weeks 1 and 2
Expert facilitators may not be present for all
sessions
Learning Set
Learning Set
Tomorrows Heads Participant
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Participant Journey - Introduction

• The Leadership School will cover the six key
  themes identified previously over the course of
  the 2 weeks
• Content will be delivered through a range of
  delivery methods keynote speakers, expert
  classes, simulations and elective sessions
• The framework which follows explains the
  participant journey over the two weeks and
  demonstrates the delivery methods used
• This is not a timetable, but an illustrative,
  high-level overview of what participants can
  expect

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Participant Journey - Introduction
Below are the symbols used and a brief
description of the delivery methods employed
KN
Simulation
EC
Elective
PP
28
Participant Journey - Overview
Themes
Setting the strategic direction
Understanding and developing self and others
Pursuing excellence through learning and
teaching
Delivering high quality services
Evaluating and improving school performance
Improving services through community
collaboration
Week 1
Week 2
Delivery methods
De-brief and reflect with Expert facilitators
De-brief and reflect with Expert facilitators
KN
KN
PP
KN
KN
KN
EC
Elective
Visits
EC
EC
EC
EC
EC
EC
EC
Day
Simulation Presentation Celebrating Success
Celebration event
Simulation
Simulation
Simulation
Simulation
Simulation
Simulation
Simulation
Simulation
Simulation
Simulation
Evening
Elective
Elective
Event Keynote
Elective
After-dinner speakers
After-dinner speakers
Networking
Reflection against capabilities and competencies
Peer coaching and feedback
Personal development plan
Expert facilitator
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Participant Journey - Detail
The participant experience
I spent time working with other Tomorrows Heads
participants and my LDA as part of an Action
Learning set. We discussed a number of issues
and found many shared concerns. We were able to
peer coach. We jointly agreed to have a follow up
session tomorrow to discuss further.
The opportunity for networking with my peers
has been fantastic. It was great to have a mix of
social networking opportunities, targeted school
leader case studies and leadership speakers, fun
and challenging team building activities,
theatre and singing.
The expert classes have been a good way of
gaining theory, information and insights from
experts and real life examples on applying skills
and knowledge . They have also provided the
opportunity to put in to practice and apply new
skills and knowledge through realistic scenarios
and case study exercises.
Ive been able to reflect on my learning
objectives and outcomes throughout my time at the
Leadership School. Ive been able to build on the
360 feedback and feedback from peers and my LDA
and have a clear view of my strengths and
development areas. Now at the end of this school
Ive built a personal learning plan for my
continual development.
I found the key note speaker truly engaging and
inspiring. I could really see the relevance of
many of the key themes the school will cover and
it was good to get a sense of the Tomorrows
Heads community. It certainly looks an
action-packed residential school.
The expert classes have been a good way of
gaining theory, information and insights from
experts and real life examples on applying skills
and knowledge . They have also provided the
opportunity to put in to practice and apply new
skills and knowledge through realistic scenarios
and case study exercises.
I found the key note speaker truly engaging and
inspiring. I could really see the relevance of
many of the key themes the school will cover and
it was good to get a sense of the Tomorrows
Heads community. It certainly looks an
action-packed residential school.
Activities in more detail
Simulations Simulation will be a key learning
strategy at the Leadership School. There will be
two main types of simulation Mini simulation
in the context of expert classes, i.e. allowing
participants to apply their new learning to real
contexts. Ongoing simulation one in each week
and they will unfold throughout the week,
building to a final output.
Expert classes The rationale for the expert
classes is to develop key leadership skills. In
the main, these will be developed through using
context specific content to drive skill and
capability development. The expert classes
will, on the whole, follow a set format
Tutorial ? Example ? Practice ? Reflect ?
Action plan.
Key note Key note input will be provided for all
participants. Key notes will be high level and
thought-provoking input followed by learning set
time to discuss.
Action learning set The rationale for the action
learning sets is to allow dedicated and quality
time to deal with learning issues from the group.
This will be highly personalised and solution
focused. Sets will be facilitated by Expert
facilitators/coaches. These sessions will allow
participants to raise issues linked to their
context and own development needs.
Reflection Reflection will be incorporated into
every stage of the Leadership School.
Participants will be expected to reflect against
core AtH competencies and capabilities. Outcomes
to be recorded in learning log, shared in
learning sets and inform ongoing development
planning.
Electives Elective sessions will allow
participants to select from a range of options
linked to skills and content development. These
will allow participants to meet their individual
learning needs. In addition, there will be some
early evening elective sessions. Participants
will be required to attend one of the options.
These will exemplify school leadership in action.
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Delivery method overview for example day
Making vision a reality (45 mins)
Using whole-school data (1 hr 15 mins)
Stocks and shares team-building game (1 hr 30
mins)
EC
Elective sessions
KN
Simulation
PP
Defining my vision (1 hr 30 mins)
Tackling under- achievement - including
challenges (2 hrs 15 mins)
Pre-reading on curriculum design for next day
and networking opportunity (1hr)
This example day demonstrates use of all of the
main delivery methods. It is not suggested,
however, that every day employs the full range of
methods, but that their use instead be alternated.
Where possible, sessions should actively draw on
participants real life learning and context, so
that they can build upon their learning to date
and apply learning from the Leadership School
back in school.
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Example day

• Elective
• 11.15 12.30pm
• Using whole school data
• Pre-session
• Participants will have undertaken pre-reading
  tasks and have made themselves familiar with the
  content of the data reports before this session.
  Participants will be required to bring a copy of
  their schools RAISE online report.
• Key messages
• Effective use of data is critical to address
  under-achievement. Data analysis must be used by
  all staff groups to ensure that it influences the
  curriculum and learning.
• Outcomes
• Can use data from RAISE online to quickly tune
  into school context and pull out headline
  messages
• Know some of the key questions to ask in order
  to drill down through data to identify areas of
  concern with a specific focus on vulnerable
  groups
• Understand what is meant by narrowing the gap
• Identify a closing the gap target group for
  impact in own school
• Linkages
• Learning on analysing and using whole school data
  will be tested and reinforced through challenge
  activity and simulation exercise during the
  Leadership School.

• Keynote
• 8.30 9.15am
• Making vision a reality
• Grouping
• Learning community
• Key messages
• The formulation and articulation of your vision
  as a leader makes a difference to organisational
  performance and outcomes.
• Outcomes
• Inspired by input
• Recognition that formulation of vision takes time
• Understanding that vision must impact on outcomes
  for children and young people
• Stimulated to reflect on defining own vision for
  leadership
• Recognition of potential de-railers which could
  take you off track
• Linkages
• This will be followed up in the expert class

• Expert class
• 9.30 11.00am
• Defining my vision
• Grouping
• Learning network and set
• Key messages
• My vision must be distinctive, based on personal
  values and lead to improved outcomes whilst
  matching the needs of my school context. My
  vision should be robust and well reasoned.
• Outcomes
• Personal vision for leadership articulated
• Challenged by peers on effectiveness of vision
• Structure
• It will follow the format Tutorial ? Example
  ?Practice ? Reflect.
• Tutorial input will pull together and reinforce
  key messages and present succinct view of
  components of vision.
• Individual exercise What sort of place will the
  school I am head of be? How will I be known as a
  leader? What are my non-negotiables? How can I
  easily sum up my vision? What is my philosophy
  and how is this informed by my personal values?
  What is my bottom line?
• Challenge session Presenting vision to peer
  group with expert facilitator. Peers to offer
  both positive feedback and challenge in relation
  to robustness of vision.

Elective sessions
KN
This key note was a great start to the day as it
really made me think. It was good to hear from a
headteacher who has actually made this work in
school. I also found it useful to hear how her
vision was informed by her background as I wasnt
sure that was valid. I now feel really fired up
to think about what it is that will make me
distinctive as a leader in school.
This morning has really helped me to think
through my vision. I thought I had a very clear
idea what I stand for but now realise that I
would struggle to have articulated this to
others. The opportunity to reflect on the input
and also receive challenge from others has made
my vision stronger and represents more about me
as a leader. I want to spend time thinking about
this some more to make sure it is really robust
if challenged.
This session has left me realising that there
is a lot I do not know! Whilst I understood the
content I now need to make sure that I get far
more experience of using data in school without
this I risk not developing expertise. I hadnt
fully appreciated the real value of good analysis
in order to be proactive. To date I had only seen
data as a way to report after the event.
32
Example day

• Simulation (1 of 4 sessions over the week)
• 1.15 3.30pm
• Tackling under-achievement (Including challenges)
• Grouping
• Learning set
• Key messages
• Leadership is a collaborative process
• Strategies must be followed up with clear action
  plans
• Outcomes
• Have developed understanding of significance of
  school context
• Have experienced collaborative process of an SLT
• Have experienced the importance of time
  management for effective leaders
• Example task
• Devising a teaching and learning strategy to
  tackle historic and endemic under-achievement.
  The group will have been provided with school
  context information, data and staffing
  information. At the end of the week, they will
  be expected to present a well researched and well
  reasoned plan to both staff and governors and
  plans outlining key interventions to bring about
  rapid improvement.

• Preparation time
• 5.00 6.00pm
• Grouping
• Individual work with opportunity to network
• Key messages
• Planning and preparation are key to leadership
• Effective leaders are curious, self-directed
  learners
• Outcomes
• Have read about and understood the premises of
  the next day
• Have begun to reflect upon and discuss the
  implications of this for their own practice with
  peers
• Description
• Time to undertake pre-reading for next day.
• Participants will also have the opportunity to
  identify networks among their peers to support
  their reflections on this reading.
• These networks will form part of their
  sustainable support network for the future.

• Reflection
• 3.45 5.00pm
• Grouping
• Learning set
• Key messages
• Effective leaders are able to reflect on and
  learn from experiences
• Outcome
• Have reflected on learning from the day and
  referenced to competencies
• Had the opportunity for one-to-one feedback with
  expert facilitator as well as peer feedback
  within learning sets
• Have received and given feedback from the
  activities undertaken during the day and
  identified and discussed implications for the
  following day
• N.B. Specific content will be determined by
  expert facilitator and peer feedback as this is a
  participant-led session.
• Linkages
• Participants will re-visit feedback from these
  sessions with their expert facilitators
  throughout the Leadership School.

Simulation
PP
We are now feeling under pressure to complete
our task. Today, we were given some more data
which has taken a long time to analyse I am not
sure whether it has added anything to our
thinking. Our LDA has also told us that we have
to present our report to the governing body and
local authority as well as staff I am not sure
how we will do this. Part way through the
session we were given a scenario to deal with
within the hour. This was really challenging. We
realise that we need some input on how to deal
with the media as we think we made some mistakes.

My reflections on today have made me realise
that I have some significant gaps. I am really
glad that these have been highlighted as I know
what to do to improve my knowledge and skills
I need more support in analysing data. The
challenge this afternoon demonstrated to me that
I can be too quick to make judgements and can be
impatient with people who cant make a quick
decision.
The thought-piece on curriculum development
really challenged my thinking and posed a number
of questions which I am looking forward to
discussing with my learning set tomorrow. I also
had the opportunity to have a discussion with my
peer on how you promote innovation in the
classroom while continuing to raise standards. I
am now really excited about how I can apply this
learning back in school.
33
Example evening

• Stocks and shares game
• 7.00 9.30pm
• Grouping
• Mixed learning sets
• Key messages
• This activity has been selected to reinforce the
  power of collective team effort as a school
  leader
• Outcomes
• Have widened networks beyond learning sets and
  learning networks
• Had opportunity to apply interpersonal skills
  critical for school leaders such as
  communication, personal development and task
  achievement
• The format
• Participants are welcomed to the trading floor
  equipped with the fast paced equipment associated
  with the Stock Exchange. Groups are divided into
  trading teams. Each team is asked to pick a
  business name which sets them apart from their
  competitors. Teams are provided with a set
  budget. This loan must be paid back at the end of
  the game with interest. The activity now begins
  as trading takes shape. On offer are shares at
  various prices from 20 different companies across
  different industry sectors. The session now
  changes gear as the trading floor opens. This
  means that share prices will be constantly
  varying. All share prices are displayed and
  altered live on a giant visual trading board.
• Throughout the session, the goal posts will move
  through a series of world and economic changes,
  disasters and scandals. These are gradually
  teased in by newsflashes (presented on a large
  screen), newspaper releases (strategically
  delivered at different times) and by emails and
  phone calls presented from the trading desk.
• The game becomes more and more intense as
  companies start to go bust. The excitement comes
  to a conclusion as trading ceases with only one
  successfully buoyant company - but do you hold
  their shares?

This evenings activity was great fun and
allowed me to network with people I wouldnt
otherwise have met. I was able to meet a wide
range of peers from a number of different types
of schools. In this more relaxed atmosphere I
was able to really start to appreciate the
different talents we all brought to the group. I
am exhausted now, but really excited about and
looking forward to tomorrows sessions.
34
Expert class example
35
Simulations

• Simulation will be a key learning strategy at the
  leadership school. There will be two main types
  of simulation
• Mini simulation these simulations will be in the
  context of expert classes, i.e. allowing
  participants to apply their new learning to real
  contexts
• Ongoing simulation
• Participants will work in a team over the course
  of the week on an ongoing simulation
• In week one, the simulation will be task
  focused the team will be required to deliver an
  outcome at the end of the week
• During the week, participants will be provided
  with additional input and goalposts will be moved
• At the end of the week, teams will be required to
  present their outcome to a peer audience with
  evaluation and feedback (this will also provide
  peer learning as the groups will be working on
  different tasks)
• In week two, participants will work on a week in
  the life of the leadership team
• Actors may be used in the week two simulation to
  provide participants the opportunity to
  experience working with a wide range of
  personalities
• This exercise will require participants to
  deliver on a range of issues, which will not be
  made clear at the outset (information will be
  added as the week progresses)

36
Challenge task examples
Challenge tasks will be introduced at various
points throughout the Leadership School.
Participants will not be able to plan for these
as they will be unexpected and no guidance will
be given as to how they should respond to them.
Tasks will be based on real experiences of school
leaders, model best practice and will require
participants to draw on learnings from across the
six themes and core competencies. All sessions
will include debrief and reflection time.
Participants will also be able to learn from the
feedback given to the other learning sets who
have had different challenges. Any challenges
introduced to simulations must add value, there
must be a clear rationale for introducing the
challenge and it must enhance the learning. As a
general rule, no more than 2 out of 4 simulation
sessions in one week should have additional
challenge tasks. In addition to challenges
introduced through simulations, some expert
classes will include challenge sessions aimed at
applying learning based on the input. The example
below outlines a challenge task which could be
introduced during a simulation. The local
newspaper has contacted the school office and
asked for a statement within the next hour. They
are running a story which outlines your school as
the school of choice for all travellers in the
local authority this story has been raised by a
parent (they have said). They have informed the
office that one of your governors has spoken to
them and said that governors are not happy about
the number of traveller children being admitted
to the school. The newspaper report is going to
include an interview with the local MP. Your
local councillor, who is also a governor, has
called the office and asked you to return the
call.

• Other challenge tasks could include
• Dealing with the media
• Dealing with HR issues
• Dealing with a challenging member of staff
• Dealing with a challenging parent

• Handling a crisis, such as a childs death
• Dealing with a serious incident on the school
  site
• Dealing with an incident in the community which
  involves pupils
• A current challenge posed by a visiting head

37
Evening activities

• A range of facilitated social events will be
  offered in the evenings. The learning outcomes
  will focus on team-building to enhance team and
  leadership skills, including communication,
  trust, personal development and task achievement.
  Example suggestions include
• Crystal Maze
• Chocolate making
• Its a knockout
• Drumming

• Bridge building
• Stocks and shares
• Quiz evening
• Choral singing

• After-dinner speakers
• Olivier Mythodrama
• Treasure hunt
• Speed networking

• There will also be a range of elective sessions,
  in addition to those delivered during the day,
  where participants will learn more about school
  leadership. These will align closely to the key
  themes and topics covered elsewhere in the
  programme. These may include
• Headteacher led case studies
• Knowledge sessions on technical content
• Workshops on leadership theory

38

• Criteria for selecting speakers and facilitators

39
Criteria for selecting speakers and facilitators

• After-dinner speaker
• The type of speaker will depend on the tone and
  message required, but speakers will be expected
  to be motivational and engaging, clearly convey a
  message relevant to educational leadership and
  employ humour (when appropriate)
• Visiting headteacher
• Has proven credibility through use of real-life
  best practice examples
• Is able to articulate how they have developed as
  leaders and underpin this, where appropriate,
  with theory
• Is able to provide examples of overcoming
  challenges in their leadership careers
• Should represent a range of phases, regions and
  school contexts
• In some instances, should have experience of
  accelerated leadership development

• Keynote speaker
• Is recognised as a leading-edge expert in the
  topic area
• Is a leading practitioner and renowned
  world-class leadership thinker, representing
  national and international thinking from within
  and outside education
• (If not an education practitioner) Is able to
  link their messages to an education context
• Has a track record of providing inspirational and
  high-level input to large audiences
• Expert class/elective tutor
• Has widely recognised expertise in the topic on
  which they are providing input
• Has a willingness and ability to use blended
  learning methods based on the model Tutorial ?
  Example ? Practice ? Reflect
• Is able to provide thought-provoking and
  innovative approaches to the delivery of their
  messages
• Uses high-quality learning materials
• Models good practice in recognising and meeting
  the differing needs of learners

• All external speakers will be expected to be
  supportive of the National Colleges mission and
  core values
• It will be expected that all speakers will follow
  a brief and a process will be developed to
  monitor this
• The speakers should be a diverse group
  representing a range of backgrounds, contexts,
  genders and ethnicities
• In the detailed design phase, criteria for
  speakers and facilitators will be matched against
  each session

40

• Evaluation process

41
Evaluation process

• The Kirkpatrick model (see appendices) is
  recommended for evaluating the quality and impact
  of the Leadership School and could also
  contribute to the National Colleges longitudinal
  study
• It is proposed to use an adapted form of the
  National Colleges events evaluation template
  included in Appendix 8 of the National Colleges
  guide to planning events
• Feedback will come from a range of sources
  (Expert facilitators, learning sets, learning
  networks and individual participants)
• It will be used to inform the development of
  future Leadership Schools
• Real-time feedback will also be used formatively
  to inform the development of the 2011 Leadership
  School as it progresses
• Participant feedback via LDAs will be sought on
  an ongoing basis after the Leadership School, in
  order to assess its impact

Evaluation process
Leadership School Programme Management
Planning for future Leadership Schools (2012
onward)
LDAs
Learning Sets/Networks
Individual participants
Formative use for ongoing development of 2011
Leadership School
42

• Considerations for drafting the Leadership School
  budget

43
Considerations for drafting the Leadership
School budget

• It is too early to give a detailed breakdown of
  the budget for the Leadership School at this
  stage
• We have outlined below headline areas for
  expenditure for delivery of the two-week
  Leadership School
• Headline areas for expenditure
• World-class keynote speakers
• Expert class/elective tutors
• Expert facilitators (ratio 15)
• Lead facilitators (ratio 120)
• Accommodation, travel and venue costs (including
  hospitality)
• Evening speakers
• Evening team events
• Events management team
• Programme management team
• Technology (Crystal Interactive, films, recording
  of sessions and production of DVDs and supply of
  laptops)
• Supply costs
• Programme materials/printing

The National Colleges budget assumptions are
included in the appendices
44

• High-level
• implementation plan

45
High-level implementation plan
Detailed Design Phase 1
Detailed Design Phase 2
Delivery
46

• Appendices

47
Stakeholder consultation

• The following stakeholders were engaged to build
  an understanding of the wider context of the
  Tomorrows Heads programme and inform design of
  the Leadership School
• Future Leaders Charitable Trust
• Tomorrows Heads provider
• Headteachers
• Future Leaders participants
• Teach First representative
• NPQH representative
• Others from National College

48
Research sources

• The following documents were consulted as part of
  the research for the Leadership School
• Churches, Richard, Hutchinson, Geraldine and
  Jones, Jeff (2009) 'Fast Track teaching
  beginning the experiment in accelerated
  leadership development', School Leadership
  Management, 29 3, 277 293
• Hay Group (2008) Rush to the top
• Neveras, Neil Deloitte Development (2010)
  Accelerated Development
• The National College for Leadership of Schools
  and Childrens services (2009) Attracting
  Talented Candidates for Headship
• DfES (2004) National Standards for Headteachers
• AM Azure Consulting (2008) Acceleration - seven
  principles to speed up leadership development in
  a tough world
• Boshyk, Yuri (ed.) (2002) Action Learning
  Worldwide Experiences of Leadership and
  Organizational Development
• Future Leaders website
• Harvard Business School website High Potentials
  Leadership Programme
• Canada School of Public Service website
  Accelerated Executive Development Program
• The Cabinet Office website Top Management
  Programme
• The National School of Government website Modern
  Leaders Programme
• London Business School website Accelerated
  Development Programme

49
Stakeholder views on the Leadership School 1
Below is a selection of views expressed by
stakeholders during our consultation interviews
You need to have more on dealing with difficult
people. Future Leaders participant
Its about making an impact from day 1.
Current Headteacher
Its about building their confidence and dealing
with the non-negotiable elements youll have to
deal with. Current Headteacher
It would be good to get headteachers who are
going to be recruiting to come into the school
and do mock interviews, followed by a chance to
network. Future Leaders participant
Improving performance of teachers is key to what
heads do. Future Leaders
You need a good blend of workshop topics .These
need to be ones that people can reflect on and
use in any phase and at any point of their
career. National College NPQH Representative
You get a lot of benefit from mixing phases
engaging with the community. National College
NPQH Representative
People found connecting with peers and building
networks of support the most valuable thing they
took away from the residential. Teach First
You need to provide a lot of tasks. Current
Headteacher
You cant support people through improvement if
you dont know what it looks like. It would be
good to video classroom practice and have
discussions based on that. Current Headteacher
Its always about the future, always about the
vision, always about the strategic bigger
picture, but if you havent got the nuts and
bolts youre going to stumble. Current
Headteacher
50
Stakeholder views on the Leadership School 2
Below is a selection of topics and themes
suggested by stakeholders during our consultation
interviews

• Technical skills
• Leading teaching and learning
• Leading personalised learning
• Project Management
• Using data
• School finances
• Dealing with governors
• Strong cultures around behaviour
• Observation and feedback
• Staffing structures
• Achievement for All agenda
• Multi-agency working
• Engaging the disengaged
• Leadership in education for non-QTS
• Succession planning
• Strategic partnerships
• Maximising the diverse funding streams to support
  the community
• Premises

• Generic Leadership Skills
• Leading effective teams
• Strategic leadership of change
• Developing resilience
• Career management
• Being really good line managers
• Day-to-day issues with parents
• Difficult members of staff
• Delegative leadership
• Strengthening Community (thinking beyond your
  school)
• System leadership
• Effective communities
• Emotional intelligence
• Setting strategic direction
• Shaping the Future
• Managing Performance
• Engaging with all the different stakeholders

51
Evaluation Approach Recommended Model
The Kirkpatrick model provides a framework for
understanding the levels of evaluation. This
model describes the impact of the training on the
participants in three areas reaction to the
learning, knowledge attained by the learning, and
impact on onthejob behaviours. Additionally,
the impact and results on the organisation is
measured in the fourth level.
Level 4 Results Do they use it?Does training
impact performance? 3 of organisations evaluate
at this level.
Level 3 Behaviour Can they do it?Did
successful training impact behaviour on the
job? 13 of organisations evaluate at this level.

Level 2 Learning Do they get it? Did the
participants learn what was trained? 37 of
organisations evaluate at this level.
Level 1 Reaction Do they like it?How do users
react to training? 96 of organisations evaluate
at this level.
52
Assumptions for drafting the budget

• The following assumptions have been provided by
  the National College to inform the next stage
• 108 Tomorrows Heads attending Leadership School
  in 2011
• Delivery based on 17 groups of 10 participants,
  2 facilitators for each group plus 1 lead
  facilitator
• 1 keynote speaker for one day
• 3 speakers for one day
• Accommodation for participants
• Speakers residential for one night each
• Travel costs for participants and speakers
• Supply cover for participants for 3 days (and
  any whose ½ term does not fall 21-25 Feb 2011)

53
Speaker suggestions

• As indicated in the National Colleges tender
  documentation, it is too early to identify
  specific speaker requirements.
• At the detailed design stage, speaker criteria
  will be identified alongside each session.