Avanços Recentes na Liderança das Escolas na Inglaterra [Prévia

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Sumário

Teor do Relatório Prefácio Parte Um: O pano de fundo Capítulo 1.

Os anos de consenso?

Capítulo 2.

De sussurros em 1976 a gritos em 1997

Capítulo 3.

2010: novo governo, novo ímpeto

Parte Dois: Autonomia, accountability e ansiedade Capítulo 4.

Escolas: o novo lócus do poder da liderança

Capítulo 5.

A erosão do nível intermediário

Capítulo 6.

Autonomia? Sim! Mas para fazer o quê?

Capítulo 7.

Aprimoramento estratégico do sistema por inteiro

Capítulo 8.

A ascensão e a ascensão dos dados

Capítulo 9.

Comparações internacionais

Capítulo 10. A governança ganha seriedade

Parte Três: Expectativas de liderança Capítulo 11. Da gestão à liderança: realidades contrastantes Capítulo 12. O National College for School Leadership Capítulo 13. Qualidades necessárias em líderes escolares

Capítulo 14. Que imperativos morais e valores inspiram os líderes de escolas inglesas? Capítulo 15. Liderança compartilhada ou distribuída Capítulo 16. Desenvolvimento de liderança e sucessão de liderança Capítulo 17. Escolas: as novas líderes do aperfeiçoamento do sistema por inteiro Capítulo 18. Teaching schools e formação baseada em escolas Capítulo 19. O foco da liderança sobre o ensino e a aprendizagem Capítulo 20. Servindo à comunidade, respeitando o contexto

Parte Quatro: Novas soluções por meio de novas estruturas Capítulo 21. O impacto do National Leaders of Education Capítulo 22. Lições do London Challenge Capítulo 23. Status de academia, free schools e um mercado em expansão Capítulo 24. Redes, federações e colaboração Capítulo 25. A realidade das escolas pequenas Capítulo 26. Status, termos e condições de líderes escolares Capítulo 27. Conhecimento profissional, pesquisas e um sistema de autoaprimoramento Capítulo 28. Um florescimento da inovação?

Comentários finais Apêndice 1.

Estudos de caso extensos

Apêndice 2.

Entusiasmo pelo Teach First

Apêndice 3.

O processo de uma inspeção do Ofsted

Apêndice 4.

O Pacto de Somerset

Apêndice 5.

Entrevistados

Apêndice 6.

Bibliografia

Apêndice 7.

Glossário

Apêndice 8.

Amostra de contrato de um diretor de escola

Apêndice 9.

Avanços nos exames e provas nacionais

Prefácio Adrian Ingham

Nos últimos 15 anos assistimos a inúmeras mudanças na liderança das escolas na Inglaterra, independentemente do partido político que esteve no poder. O contexto geral foi marcado pela entrega da responsabilidade pela gestão dos assuntos do dia a dia às escolas individuais e por uma redução importante do aparato do Estado, que, no passado, exerceu papel significativo. A década de 1980 foi um período de conflito em âmbito nacional, na medida em que o governo do Partido Conservador buscou desmontar o poder dos sindicatos e outras instituições importantes no país – ou seja, “desmontar o pacto social pós-Segunda Guerra Mundial”.1 Entre 1984 e 1986, as escolas foram afetadas por greves prolongadas, e em seguida a isso a influência dos sindicatos se reduziu consideravelmente – processo auxiliado pela adoção de novas leis que impuseram restrições grandes à ação dos sindicatos. Desde então, continuaram a ocorrer greves ocasionais de professores, mas elas têm sido ligadas principalmente a reivindicações salariais e de aposentadoria e duraram apenas um ou dois dias a

1 2

cada vez. O apoio a essas greves tem sido ambíguo, e a rivalidade entre os diversos sindicatos de professores contribuiu para o enfraquecimento das forças de oposição.2 Implementando mudanças A ascensão da educação na pauta política levou todos os partidos políticos sérios a gerar propostas para mudanças de política antes de uma eleição, e essas mudanças são incluídas no manifesto de cada partido. O partido vitorioso numa eleição considera que a vitória lhe dá um mandato para implementar a política. Enquanto as propostas de políticas estão em processo de desenvolvimento, os partidos se engajam num trabalho constante de lobby por parte de associações profissionais, sindicatos e grupos de pressão de muitos tipos. A troca de ideias em base contínua, dessa maneira, serve para anular a surpresa quando as políticas são anunciadas ao público geral e permite que os políticos reflitam, longe dos olhos do público, sobre as objeções ou reservas que podem ter sido expressas a respeito de suas intenções.stante de

Dr. Martin Young, entrevista ao autor, março de 2014. Richard Graydon, entrevista ao autor, junho de 2014.

lobby por parte de associações profissionais, sindicatos e grupos de pressão de muitos tipos. A troca de ideias em base contínua, dessa maneira, serve para anular a surpresa quando as políticas são anunciadas ao público geral e permite que os políticos reflitam, longe dos olhos do público, sobre as objeções ou reservas que podem ter sido expressas a respeito de suas intenções. Uma abordagem adotada há bastante tempo tem sido a de implementar “pilotos” de propostas em vários locais pelo país afora, antes de adotar as propostas em nível nacional. A “Local Management of Schools” (Gestão Local de Escolas) foi um exemplo disso, dos anos 1980. Os projetos piloto são monitorados com cuidado, e lições são aprendidas antes de uma política nacional ser acordada – ou, em alguns casos, imposta. (Um exemplo de uso de pilotos foi durante a adoção da delegação plena da responsabilidade financeira aos diretores de escolas – a chamada “gestão local de escolas”. O esquema foi testado em pilotos em todo o país antes de ser adotado em todas as escolas. O mesmo processo é usado quando exames são modificados. Amostras dos novos exames são dadas às escolas para serem aplicadas, e os resultados são comparados aos dos exames existentes, antes de as modificações serem adotadas mais amplamente.) A ausência de disputas declaradas e ferrenhas sobre questões de políticas não deve ocultar o fato de que as discussões sobre políticas de liderança escolar e a adoção da autonomia na gestão do sistema já foram marcadas por

3 4

Simon Marchant, entrevista ao autor, julho de 2014. Kathryn James, entrevista ao autor, julho de 2014.

discordâncias graves. O que acontece é simplesmente que foram desenvolvidos mecanismos para canalizar a oposição de maneira não antagônica.3 Não houve nenhum desejo de voltar às disputas agressivas que caracterizaram uma era anterior – e que agora estão fora do alcance dos sindicatos, seriamente enfraquecidos. O processo: mais indefinição que enfrentamentos É claro que não existe um processo único seguido pelo desenvolvimento e a implementação de políticas. Um ministro recente tinha o hábito original de tomar decisões sobre políticas da noite para o dia, para o espanto e a indignação geral. Era uma abordagem que mantinha as pessoas atentas e em alerta mas que, ao final, levou o ministro a perder o apoio não apenas da categoria dos professores, mas de seus colegas políticos. O ministro em questão foi transferido recentemente para um papel menos destacado no governo. Durante o governo Blair foi aprovada uma legislação que dava aos professores o direito de tirar tempo da sala de aula para planejar e rever suas aulas, e muitas tarefas de natureza administrativa foram tiradas deles. Houve iniciativas no sentido O governo Blair criou uma “parceria social” com associações profissionais e sindicatos do mundo da educação. Essa parceria durou de 2003 a 2010. Havia reuniões semanais entre funcionários do Departamento de Educação (DfE) e representantes dos diversos grupos de pressão, e as intenções de mudanças de políticas eram compartilhadas, debatidas, discutidas e modificadas. Havia todas

as oportunidades possíveis para que objeções fossem expressas e alternativas fossem sugeridas, em discussões que, segundo foi relatado, eram bastante harmoniosas. O resultado dessas consultas regulares foi que, até certo ponto, a rejeição a qualquer modificação especialmente controversa era suavizada, e, uma vez a nova política divulgada, os colaboradores da parceria social podiam apresentar os argumentos em favor da mudança conjuntamente, em lugar de estarem em lados opostos de uma discussão. O governo de coalizão que chegou ao poder em 2010 substituiu a parceria social por um “fórum da educação”. O governo e os lobistas eram mais ideologicamente divididos que no tempo de Blair, e a harmonia do arranjo anterior se reduziu muito. As reuniões do fórum têm sido realizadas a cada seis semanas, em vez de semanalmente, mas pelo menos têm sido realizadas. A partir do momento em que o governo no poder decide adotar um artigo fundamental de política educacional, é redigida uma legislação e tem início o processo parlamentar. Os partidos oposicionistas formulam respostas, e há um trabalho considerável de lobby por parte dos atores interessados em todo o país. O comitê seleto da Câmara dos Comuns que é responsável pela educação passa tempo discutindo as políticas de modo detalhado e, com frequência, expressa discordâncias sérias com a posição do governo. Mas, a partir do momento em que uma lei é aprovada, gerando uma mudança fundamental no livro dos estatutos, tende a ser geralmente aceito que a democracia prevaleceu e, não obstante possíveis res-

ervas, a nova política é implementada nas escolas. O pragmatismo britânico reina. A era moderna se caracteriza pela presença de um quadro poderoso de accountability que tende a suavizar algumas das objeções às novas medidas adotadas. O fato de que as escolas serão sujeitas a inspeções para verificar aspectos da política e prática pedagógica contra os quais podem fazer objeções filosóficas as coloca em posição difícil. Desse modo, o dever de fazer o melhor pelos alunos leva a escola a ficar dividida entre ater-se a seus princípios, o que pode resultar em conflito com inspetores e uma pontuação fraca nas inspeções, ou passar por cima de seus princípios para obter a melhor pontuação pública possível, pelo bem da reputação da escola. A necessidade de uma boa avaliação tende a sair ganhando. Nós nos tornamos um misto de “amedrontados e obedientes”. A política educacional é absolutamente controversa e divide opiniões mais que qualquer outro tema. Existe apoio profissional enorme ao desenvolvimento de um consenso nacional que ponha fim à perpétua oscilação de políticas e permita que seja travada uma campanha nacional para a melhoria do sistema de ensino como um todo, abrangendo todo o espectro ideológico. Mas há poucos indícios de que será alcançado um consenso nacional do tipo que vigorou no pós-1945 ou que os políticos da Inglaterra demonstrem qualquer determinação de olhar para o mais longo prazo, mais além da eleição próxima ou da subsequente. Parece haver pouco desejo de tentar emular esse aspecto específico das estratégias nacionais que foi seguido com tanto sucesso na Finlândia e Coreia do Sul.

Angela Doherty, entrevista ao autor, março de 2014.

Part Three

Expectations of Leaders

Capítulo 11. Da gestão à liderança: realidades contrastantes Capítulo 12. O National College for School Leadership Capítulo 13. Qualidades necessárias em líderes escolares Capítulo 14. Que imperativos morais e valores inspiram os líderes de escolas inglesas? Capítulo 15. Liderança compartilhada ou distribuída Capítulo 16. Desenvolvimento de liderança e sucessão de liderança Capítulo 17. Escolas: as novas líderes do aperfeiçoamento do sistema por inteiro Capítulo 18. Teaching schools e formação baseada em escolas Capítulo 19. O foco da liderança sobre o ensino e a aprendizagem Capítulo 20. Servindo à comunidade, respeitando o contexto

Charpter 11 From Management to Leadership: Contrasting Realities

Case Study: Paternalism It was my first week as a headteacher in 1985, and after four days, the headteacher’s chair in the office collapsed under my (not very great) weight. I wrote to the director of education – who was responsible for 100 schools at the time and therefore very busy – asking for a replacement chair and he replied to say he would send someone to examine it. The man came, wrote a report, and we awaited the decision. After several days we heard that the decision was that the chair would be sent away to the local authority’s workshop for repair. I spent the following six weeks using a child’s chair until the antique original was returned.6

Thirty years ago, headteachers were compelled to beg to have even the most minor work done in ‘their’ schools. In reality, of course, the schools were not ‘theirs’ in any sense at all, as the example above shows. They were operating in a very paternalistic system in which they were operatives of a larger organisation and were made to feel grateful for any small gesture of goodwill they received. The feeling was that only by currying favour with the upper echelons of bureaucracy would any significant improvements be made. The authority had its own favourite projects, but how one gained access to the inner sanctum of decision-making remained shrouded in mystery. The transformation wrought by the 1988 Reform Act possibly had its most powerful effect on headteachers themselves: from functionaries to entrepreneurs almost in a flick of the legislative pen. 5 6

Angela Doherty, entrevista ao autor, março de 2014. Personal experience of the author.

Case Study: The Two Ages of Headship My time as a headteacher was divided in two by the introduction of ‘local management of schools’. I am absolutely sure which half was more enjoyable! The point was not the financial autonomy but the management autonomy I had because I had the finances! I used to be told (by the local authority) that next year I could employ 54.7 teachers, with two at deputy level…and so on. My first budget was £30,000 (for a large secondary school) to spend on books and equipment. Then, overnight, that £30,000 became £3million and I could decide how many teachers I was going to have and all the rest. Suddenly I was in charge of the school’s fate. Dr. John Dunford7

The culture experienced a fundamental shift. Prior to 1988, the title of the school leader, ‘headteacher’, certainly did indicate that the person in charge was a teacher first and foremost. There was chalk-dust on the clothing and the priorities were children, teachers and parents. In the 1990s, the situation began to change and not to everyone’s taste, as Dr. Neil Suggett recalls from his time as a school adviser: ‘I did my first talk in the mid 1980s about the headteacher as manager and one of the headteachers took out his dictionary and said ‘We are not managers, we are educationalists’. I doubt whether today many school leaders would say that we are not leaders and not managers’.8 As Dr. Suggett indicates, not only did the emphasis move from teacher to manager, but very quickly even ‘manager’ was supplanted by the word ‘leader’. For the past two and half decades, the lessons from leadership research have reverberated in the school corridors as elsewhere, but perhaps not quite with the fulsome acceptance some would like to see:

We know that leadership is critical to the performance of organisations in almost every sector of the economy. While the importance of leadership  is sometimes still a subject of debate in education, its significance is now taken for granted in business, politics, the military, and almost every other area of public life.9

Michael Barber’s team who spent time ‘capturing the leadership premium’ emphatically state that ‘all regard the improvement of leadership capacity as a top priority and an Dr. John Dunford, author interview, May 2014. Dr. John Dunford, author interview, May 2014. 9 Dr. Neil Suggett, author interview, March 2014. 7 8

area where more has to be done’, and the reasoning is supported by specific evidence:

Analysis of Ofsted inspection results in England suggests that the overall performance of  a school almost never exceeds the quality of its leadership and management. For every 100 schools that have good leadership and management, 93 will have good standards of student achievement. For every 100 schools that do not have good leadership and management, only one will have good standards of achievement…school leadership influences performance more than any other variable except socio-economic background and the quality of teaching. A recent study found that nearly 60 per cent of a school’s impact on student achievement is attributable to principal and teacher effectiveness. These are the most important in-school factors driving school success, with principals accounting for 25 percent and teachers 33 percent of a school’s total impact on achievement.10

Surely, then, if leadership was a decisive element in the success of schools, the elements that constitute successful leadership would be easy to identify and replicate. In theory. In practice, the nature of effective leadership has exercised many brilliant minds ever since it emerged from the wings to take centre stage, and continues to do so. Christopher Day and colleagues, in their ‘strong claims about successful school leadership’ observe that:

Barber, M., et al, 2010, op cit.

Research demonstrates conclusively that there is no single, best-fit leadership approach: successful leadership is context sensitive. It also shows that improving the cognitive, emotional and practical capacities of heads to achieve effectiveness and broader success requires training and development programmes that pay attention to: 1) the challenges of the particular personal, organisational and policy contexts in which heads work or are likely  to work and 2) the development of clear sets of values, interpersonal qualities, diagnostic skills and judgemental capacities. 11

While accepting their own premise that ‘there is no single, best-fit leadership approach’ Christopher Day’s team and others have gone some way to identifying features of leadership which, through careful training and development programmes can nurture leadership qualities in potential future school leaders. They say, for example that:

Leaders of successful schools define success not only in terms of test and examination results, but also in terms of personal and social outcomes, pupil and staff motivation, engagement and wellbeing, the quality of teaching and learning and the school’s contribution to the community. Also, successful heads improve pupil outcomes through who they are –

Day, C., et al, Ten Strong Claims about Successful School Leadership, 2010.

their values, virtues, dispositions, attributes and competences – as well as what they do in terms of the strategies they select.12

The ‘ten strong claims about successful school leadership’ form a useful summary of how, the reality of school leadership in the 1980s has been utterly transformed in the 2000s:

1. Headteachers are the main source of leadership in their schools. 2. There are eight key dimensions of successful leadership.* 3. Headteachers’ values are key components in their success. 4. Successful heads use the same basic leadership practices, but there is no single model for achieving success. 5. Differences in context affect the nature, direction and pace of leadership actions. 6. Heads contribute to student learning and achievement through a combination and accumulation of strategies and actions. 7. There are three broad phases of leadership success. 8. Heads grow and secure success by layering leadership strategies and actions. 9. Successful heads distribute leadership progressively. 10. The successful distribution of leadership depends on the establishment of trust.

Day, C., et al, 2010. * the eight key dimensions are: define their values and vision to raise expectations; set direction and build trust; reshape the conditions for teaching and learning; restructure parts of the organisation and redesign leadership  roles and responsibilities; enrich the curriculum; enhance teacher quality; enhance the quality of teaching and learning; build collaboration internally; build strong relationships outside the school community. 13 Russell Hobby, author interview, April 2014. 12

Charpter 12 The National College for School Leadership

It is arguable that no greater affirmation of the central importance of leadership in the life of schools could have been made than the creation in 2000 of a dedicated national college. Its physical location was symbolically in the centre of the country, Nottingham, and it provided accommodation and meeting/conference facilities of very high quality. Leaders suddenly believed that they and their role were being taken very seriously indeed. The College, as its enthusiasts refer to it, has undergone a number of name changes over the years, and is now known as the National College for Teaching and Leadership. (It has also taken on responsibilities from other major organisations which have been closed down since 2010.) The College was thought to be the first of its kind in the world when created and it instilled a widespread pride and loyalty. The union perspective is very positive:

Viewpoint The sheer idea that there was a place for heads to come together and that leadership was valued and important, that there was a programme of training that heads went throughâ&#x20AC;Śwas all hugely significant. There was now an institution where heads came together not in their professional self-interest but in their role as a profession â&#x20AC;&#x201C; valuing their professional integrity and shaping the system, and the National College was a vehicle for doing this. Russell Hobby13

Russell Hobby, author interview, April 2014.

The eulogies for the College’s impact in its formative years are numerous. Dr. John Dunford says ‘the great thing about it was the way in which it built up such loyalty among headteachers and leaders generally, especially the best ones, and how it used the outstanding school leaders to then lead the system. It really took us forward a great deal during the second half of the Labour years’.14 The College’s former CEO, Steve Munby, says that ‘it gave people the feeling of being part of something which the government valued. Well over 90% of headteachers have always said they valued the work of the National College, even though they may have never been there’.15 Munby’s contribution is legendary and David Hargreave’s review of the College’s success is a tribute in itself:

Viewpoint The calibre of school leadership has improved, in many places to a dramatic degree, reflecting the National College’s central task of ensuring the provision of leaders with relevant capabilities. The College’s work on the provision of school leaders has thus evolved from centralised provision to the point where the goal is making leadership development a largely self-generating enterprise, grounded in networks of schools.16 David Hargreaves

The National College ran residential courses and conferences of international quality. Its publications were of a superb standard and drew to the community of school leaders’ attention the most creative thinking and breakthrough ideas in the world of leadership research. Its web-site, now soon to be closed down, was a treasure chest of practical and provoking resources. The most eminent researchers in the world of school leadership undertook fundamental research into the impact of recent policies on work in schools. No better example of evidence-based development and improvement has, in recent memory, existed. One significant role the College has had to fulfil in recent times has been to vet bids from schools to become ‘teaching schools’ and ‘establish a network of around 500 teaching school alliances by 2014/2015’.17 (See Chapter 18.) As well as being the source of the highly-rated qualification for headship, the College has pioneered a range of qualifications for senior and middle leaders:

Leadership development has taken a new direction with the decision by the National College to award licences for the delivery of its new leaderDr. John Dunford, author interview, May 2014. Steve Munby, author interview, April 2014. 16 Hargreaves, D., 2012, op cit. 17 Brighouse, T., and Woods, D., The A-Z of School Improvement, 2013. 14 15

ship programmes, adding national professional qualifications in senior and middle leadership to the flagship National Professional Qualification for Headteachers (NPQH). Teaching schools and strategic partners play a major role in this work: 18 of the first bids received had teaching schools as the lead licensee, and the majority of other bids name teaching schools as key partners. Research has shown that the parts of NPQH that participants find most useful are those elements delivered in schools by headteachers. The approach to licensing reflects this, with a requirement for strong school involvement. Teaching schools are at the heart of this approach, which also provides new qualifications through senior (NPQSL) and middle (NPQML) leadership programmes. One licensed partnership brings together Edge Hill University, three lead teaching schools and clusters of schools across four local authorities.18

The personal impact on school leaders has been a patently powerful force in their careers: ‘A very symbolic development. A special place for leadership which became a ‘hot bed’ of thinking… when you are appointed now you are expected to provide leadership, part of which is about vision…the idea behind the National College was a very exciting one full of idealism…it was a free thinking, intellectually stimulating place… it listened to headteachers and tried to work independently of any central government’.19 The past tense in some comments hints at the changes that have befallen the College over recent times. It became victim to government financial cuts – these perhaps being a cloak for ministerial concerns about the vibrant independence of the College – and is now part of the DfE, rather than an arm’s-length organisation. Toby Greany’s figures speak for themselves: the College’s investment in leadership development reduced from almost £69million in 2009-10 (excluding £10million funds for succession planning and £35million for City Challenge) to £28.6million in 2012-13.20

(2009-2010)

(2012-2013)

Matthews, P., and Berwick, G., Teaching Schools: First Among Equals? 2013. Author interviews with Angela Doherty, Dr. Neil Suggett, and Dominic Cragoe, 2014. 20 Greany, T., 2014, op cit. 18 19

Dame Sue John says that ‘since it became an executive agency of the department (DfE) there are now more civil servants in director positions. It is a completely different sort of beast, it seems to me. The (government) feeling seems to be that we didn’t need it as a separate organisation’.21 Dominic Cragoe believes that as a consequence, it ‘is losing its credibility as an independent voice’. Others use much stronger language, with one very prominent contributor describing how ‘it has basically been vandalised in recent years… It is a lost cause really’. The sense of regret and loss is palpable:

Viewpoint One of the high points for me in terms of leadership innovations was the National College. I learnt more about leadership development there than anywhere. It was a real high and I went to everything I could. The great low point has been seeing it virtually die.22 John Ayres

Alongside his praise for the National College, Russell Hobby comments that ‘not everything it did in its heyday worked as well as it should have done, but there was a lot of respect for Steve Munby and what he did there. Sometimes they undertook research which wasn’t their forte, or glamorous national things which could have been delegated’.23 A widespread view is that the College perhaps outgrew itself. It became a large organisation which ‘did become quite bureaucratic and that may have stifled some innovation’. 24 Dominic Cragoe describes the decline and its relationship to policy-making in this way:

The National College when it was under Steve Munby was a great success - until the last three years. It listened to headteachers and tried to work independently of any central government but it is now an arm of the Department for Education. Hopefully, the National Teaching Schools Council and the Royal College of Teaching will be independent. Sadly, centralisation is a symptom of paranoid politics. Politicians are micromanaging the system and listening only to those they want to listen to. If only our politicians would get together and agree priorities for education for the next 20 years and stop trying to score points.25

Dame Sue John, author interview, May 2014. John Ayres, author interview, June 2014. 23 Russell Hobby, author interview, April 2014. 24 Dame Sue John, author interview, May 2014. 25 Dominc Cragoe, author interview, June 2014. 21

Fiona Allen pulls no punches:

Viewpoint I think that the dissolution of the National College is one of the worst things this government has done. It was an independent body, it was based on research, it had some of the best minds in the country working alongside the College and was working at all levels, from governors to middle leaders and headteachers. All those people who were thinkers and listeners have moved out to other roles and the College has lost its identity and its ability to be independent and advise. This is when the system becomes shattered because we are going to be very dependent on a few headteachers who will grab the nettle, such as teaching schools, and try and make something of it. 26 Fiona Allen

The fact is that the Collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s demise is not complete. As Andy Reid says, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Its creation was a major statement and its continuing existence perpetuates the sense of importance of leadershipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.27 Its role has changed and will no doubt change still further. In

26 27

Fiona Allen, author interview, June 2014. Andy Reid, author interview, May 2014.

the College’s own words, its aims are:

Improving the quality of the education workforce; and helping schools to help each other to improve. We will work with schools to develop a 0-18 education system that means teacher and leadership training, continuing professional development and school-to-school support are delivered locally by partnerships led by the best headteachers.28

Dame Sue John comments that ‘the job of the College is to support a school-led system and things like the Teaching Schools Council, and teaching schools will carry the agenda forward. But it is a very ambitious aim’.29 Whether the aim will, in Dr. John Dunford’s words, ‘keep England at the cutting edge of school leadership, helping head teachers to use their autonomy effectively and with a moral purpose’ remains to be seen ‘If we are to have a National College, it has to be independent of government’.30 (The National College is now part of the department for education and therefore much more susceptible to direct government influence. Its former high profile members of staff have left to join trusts or third sector organisations. Many educators believe that the role of the National College is now merely administrative and no longer strategic.)

DfE, The National College for Teaching and Leadership: Aims 1-2, 2013. Dame Sue John, author interview, May 2014. 30 Dunford, J., 2013, op cit. 28 29

Charpter 13 Qualities Needed by School Leaders

The National College had a major role in developing and implementing the qualification for school headship which was compulsory for new headteachers until 2012. The National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) is now optional, but still regarded as first-class preparation for the practical job of running a school in England. The move to alter its compulsory status was much criticised in professional circles. The explanation for the change was that too many people were using it simply as professional development and then not proceeding to a role as headteacher because of the range and complexity of the role. It takes between six and eighteen months to complete the qualification and candidates have to: spend time in a school in a different context from their own for a minimum of nine days; complete three essential study modules and two further study modules of their choice; and undertake a final assessment. The three essential modules cover: leading and improving teaching; leading an effective school; and succeeding in headship: Leading and improving teaching Learn how to develop, improve and sustain high-quality teaching across your school. As part of this module, you’ll learn about:

• effective teaching and the head’s role and responsibilities in leading and improving teaching • the Ofsted inspection framework • holding all staff to account for performance • high standards of behaviour • classroom management in relation to high-quality teaching and positive behaviour 20

• monitoring, evaluating and improving teaching • teacher appraisal, including how to improve teacher performance and address underperformance • how to work with pupils and parents to improve pupil attainment Leading an effective school Learn about the key management systems required in an effective school, particularly teacher performance, pupil behaviour and financial management. As part of this module, you’ll learn about:

• the main management processes (including behaviour, personnel and financial management) • governing body and headship accountabilities • managing performance, professional development and sustained school improvement • managing misconduct and grievance • behaviour management • strategic financial planning and operational budget management • HR law, including pay and conditions, and employee rights • health and safety in schools • child protection

Succeeding in headship Learn about the essential legal and accountability components of headship and governance with a focus on how successful heads operate in practice. As part of this module, you’ll learn about:

• the non-teaching aspects of the Ofsted framework • how to establish yourself as a headteacher, including building trust and credibility with governors, staff and parents • how to manage your time and maintain resilience • effective leadership in high-performing international systems • main management tools, including operational and strategic planning implementing change effectively.

The two optional modules are chosen from:

• Closing the gap in attainment • Curriculum development • Freedoms and constraints • Leading change for improvement • Leading inclusion: achievement for all • Leading staff and effective teams 21

• Relationships and reputation • School improvement through effective partnerships • Using data and evidence to improve performance

The final assessment comprises three tasks: one in the candidate’s own school, one in the placement school and a presentation/interview assessment. Through this process, the candidate needs to show: how he/she has led the school improvement work in the two school settings, and ability to present and perform at interview.31 Steve Munby rates the development of the NPQH as one of the great successes of the National College, but his praise is not unqualified. He feels it was initially too easy to gain access to the course, ‘it was not a rigorous enough process. The key thing about a national standard is that the bar must be kept high and reviewed’. He is enthusiastic about the qualification having become more practical with time, ‘about having to learn on-the-job with support from a mentor as well as getting access to research materials and ideas. So it changed from being a predominantly course-led programme to be a learning on-the-job programme’. 32

Dr. Neil Suggett has worked on reviews of the NPQH and is concerned that the emphasis in training has moved towards the demands made by inspectors visiting

31 32

Department for Education, National Professional Qualification for Headship, 2014. Steve Munby, author interview, April 2014.

school rather than a purer analysis of trainee needs. ‘The key bit of the New Visions training for leaders (provided by the National College) was the reflective thinking – What has been happening? What can you learn from what has been happening? This has only been modestly retained in the NPQH where there is a greater emphasis on getting from one category to another in Ofsted terms’.33 The current CEO of the National College sees the great achievement of the NPQH having been that it ‘got leaders to think more about leadership as opposed to management. The qualities of a good leader were thought to be what makes the difference. Good management can be done by lots of people, but good leadership is much rarer, more precious, and needs to be harnessed better’.34 Professor Julie Fisher shares the concern to protect the essence of school leadership but her emphasis is different:

Viewpoint I absolutely agree that leadership/management training is needed, but if you forget, or don’t know enough about, the core job, which is to promote learning, then you are susceptible to all the external pressures and initiatives and expectations and are not in a position to counter them or take the best bits and jettison the rest. Leadership has become the ‘thing that you do’ as a headteacher. Now, there was a reason for calling people the head teacher! I don’t think heads think for themselves in the same way we had to in the past. We had to because nobody else was doing the thinking for us. After school, we would sit around and talk about children. They don’t do it now. They talk about data and ‘cohorts’ and objectives, but often not about children. It is an immense loss. 35 Professor Julie Fisher

Happy to be a Deputy ‘Doing leadership’, like it or not, is the essence of the headteacher’s job, and there is a widespread view that increasing numbers of deputy headteachers are declining the invitation to go for the top job. In Russell Hobby’s words, ‘many deputies are happy to stay where they are – lots of status, leadership responsibility, but none of the rubbish that goes with the head’s job’.36 For Angela Doherty, ‘they have seen the effect of major incidents in the school on the headteacher and this and the accountability measures are putting people off - with leadership seen as the key thing if a school fails an inspection… 37 Reluctance to ‘move up’ from the post of deputy could result in a ‘blockage’ in the Dr. Neil Suggett, author interview, March 2014. Charlie Taylor, author interview, March 2014. 35 Professor Julie Fisher, author interview, May 2014. 36 Russell Hobby, author interview, April 2014. 37 Angela Doherty, author interview, March 2014. 33 34

succession path to headship. A possible solution has been the creation in some federations and chains of schools of the post of ‘head of school’. This has several features of deputy headship, with a strong emphasis on responsibility for teaching and learning. Many of the administrative and accountability functions in this model become the job of an executive principal who is responsible for the whole group of schools. The Essence of Success Unlike perfume, the essence of leadership success cannot, as far as we know, be bottled. The work of organisations such as university research departments and the National College, however, has made great strides in helping us understand some essential characteristics of leadership behaviour - and translating these into changed ways of working in schools has become the big challenge. Dr. Neil Suggett is a pioneer in the use of ‘coaching’ by leaders and he has refreshingly down-to-earth views on the subject. Dr. Suggett emphasises the role of ‘feelings’ as a central factor in managing an organisation. In so doing, he shifts attention from the cerebral dimension to the heart of things:

Viewpoint I’m fascinated by the idea that you lead from the inside out, rather than from the outside in. You lead from your basic values. The work of Daniel Goleman on emotional intelligence has had an enormous impact in helping people to understand who they are themselves and how they impact on others, the inter-personal aspect. Really successful headteachers are both intra-personally and inter-personally intelligent and know how to get other people to do things. When you boil it down, it is that simple question: how do you get people to do things? It’s my belief that the whole question of feelings is much more powerful than we give it credit for. Today you can become an expert in manipulating data but it doesn’t help you feel how it is to be the headteacher and to be accountable for that data. So sometimes we get the cart before the horse… One big change is that you need now to be much more resilient than before. In the past, you could be slightly naïve and idealistic. You could take time to win hearts and minds because you weren’t to be measured and you weren’t to have people coming in inspecting you. Neither was there the same level of oversight from parents and governors. Now you need to be emotionally and physical resilient and very driven.38 Dr. Neil Suggett

For Dr. Suggett, values are crucial, and for Professor Fisher, the word ‘principles’ recurs. Does the new breed of school leaders have them or know what they are? She is doubtful:

Dr. Neil Suggett, author interview, March 2014.

I think now when people are interviewed for headteacher posts, and I am involved in a lot of interview processes, the kind of person the governors want is someone who first of all can talk about data, about driving up standards, about control of behaviour and expectations and will deliver what the governing body thinks it wants - which is results and outcomes. The outcomes they are talking about are limited and narrow and so they are appointing limited and narrow people. If you talk to some of these people about their principles they will look at you blankly because they haven’t ever been asked about them at interview.39

From Principles to Practice Mick Waters sees an absence of that vital quality, laughter, in today’s schools! We fail, he thinks, to linger any more to share with children ‘some of the amusing things that happen’. We fail, also, to engage sufficiently in debate and to express opinions. What school leaders are good at, he sceptically offers, is ‘listening to central government for guidance about what and how to teach rather than believing or trusting the professionalism of teachers’. 40 Peter Earley tends to agree, arguing that ‘many school leaders have become the ‘doers’ of the bidding of others rather than playing a lead role in shaping school leadership and education more broadly for the 21st century’.41 Is it really that bad? Headteacher Julie Fellows, by optimistic contrast, extols the virtues of trust and risktaking:

Viewpoint What is key is giving people the freedom to take risks. You need to know, as the leader, what is going on, but if you need to have control of everything, they are not doing things themselves, they are not learning. If they make mistakes, so what! It is what we say to the children every day, but somehow we don’t allow adults to do that because of fear…because Ofsted will not accept that. There has to be an environment where risk-taking is applauded, but ensuring that you talk and learn from those experiences and improve for the future.42 Julie Fellows

Fiona Allen has no doubt that the ‘suspect’ leadership she observes in schools when inspecting them, often derives from the difficulty leaders have in ‘embedding’ the constant flow of new initiatives to which they are subject. She is additionally adamant that it is the task of dealing with under-performing teachers that represents the greatest Professor Julie Fisher, author interview, May 2014. Waters, M., 2013, op cit. 41 Earley, P. op cit, 2013. 42 Julie Fellows, author interview, May 2014. 39 40

leadership challenge. When taking over an under-performing school and addressing the reality of poor teaching, ‘we offered teachers support, but made it clear that as far as the children’s learning was concerned, if they could not live up to our expectations, they would need to look elsewhere for work’. For Fiona Allen, and despite the pain she admits to experiencing when dealing with such situations, this is the acid test of effective leadership. ‘If I were to set up a school system I would invest heavily in school leaders and say ‘ We are going to be the best leaders in the world’ because they are the ones that are going to be brave and deal with staffing issues’.43 Ben Levin actually has set up whole-state systems in Canada, and for him, there are:

Viewpoint Seven practicalities all leaders need to manage if they are to lead improvement in student outcomes: • establish a vision and goals; • build a strong team; • create and support the right culture; • communicate vision, direction and accomplishment; • recruit, develop and retain leaders; • build internal and external support; • maintain focus on teaching and learning.44 Ben Levin

43 44

Fiona Allen, author interview, June 2014. Levin, B., 2012, op cit.

Urban Exceptionalism? Interviewees quoted in these pages span the geography and the variety of the country. An interesting question is whether the reality of one context requires different leadership qualities compared with another. Perhaps the rural headteachers of Somerset or Norfolk would accept that their environment demands different approaches and solutions compared with the urban challenges of the big cities (see Chapter 25). The reality is that much more has been made, up to now, of the exceptional nature of the urban than of the rural leadership challenge. Sir Tim Brighouse has led much of our thinking about the city and its unique nature:

Viewpoint Although challenges in urban schools are the same kind as in other schools, their intensity, volatility, frequency and variety create a distinct leadership challenge. It requires reserves of tolerance, compassion, authority, patience and resilience. It is the pace and consistency of change which probably makes (cities) unique…unifying elements include: motivation to make a difference, a deep and profound commitment to own learning and that of others; energy and creativity; a sense of ‘wholeness’ which enables leaders to acknowledge the challenges and the joys of leadership.45 Sir Tim Brighouse

Sir Tim Brighouse has identified six main tasks of leadership: ‘creating energy; building capacity; meeting and minimising crises; extending the vision; securing the environment; and charting improvement’.46 (see also Chapter 22.) Leadership Typologies There is a danger in attempting to describe leadership ‘types’, but this has by no means inhibited researchers from doing so. The encouraging thing about the descriptions we have available is that they are, in the main, based on evidence. Researchers and others, have observed at close hand the nature of leadership in schools, often over many years, and their conclusions are therefore entirely worthy of attention. Headteacher union leader, Russell Hobby, draws an interesting distinction:

45 46

Brighouse, T., 2007, op cit. Brighouse, T., 2007, op cit.

Viewpoint One of the key trends in terms of who thrives and who doesn’t is between the analytical and intuitive approaches to leadership. There is still a strong call for the emotional intelligence approach to headship, which remains a people management role - being able to inspire and calm people. But where in the past the ‘gut feel’ could get you a very long way – which teachers were good and not, how to deal with difficult children – articulating it in an evidence-based fashion would be harder. Under the new regime, with Ofsted and accountability, it is not just about knowing, you have to be able to show as well: to say, ‘this is what the data show me’, which is a much more analytical, managerial style of leadership. It can be learnt and can be grafted on to a more emotionally-intelligent style – which is what we have to hope is happening.47 Russell Hobby

Cambridge University researcher, Professor John MacBeath, has a pithy range of leadership types. There are those who show: ‘dutiful compliance; cautious pragmatism; quiet self-confidence; bullish self-assertion; and others who show defiant risk-taking’.48

47 48

Russell Hobby, author interview, April 2014. MacBeath, J., 2014, op cit.

Robert Hill, adviser to leaders in government, is author of countless papers on recent developments in leadership of schools and he has elaborated a typology of the six C’s of successful leaders:49

Cleverness • Strategic thinking • Reading situations and spotting problems • Reading people • Listening to advice • Seeing and acting on opportunities • Ducking and diving • Reflecting and changing course

Communication • Telling a story • Empathising • Capturing the mood • Simplifying complex issues • Persuading

Competence

Charisma

• Mastering the brief • Doing homework • Knowing how things work • Asking the right questions • Managing people • Managing crises

• Inspiring • Bringing people with you • Valuing people • Encouraging others to achieve • Using the team

Courage

Character

• Acting on the vision – even against the flow • Being innovative • Standing up to vested interests • Taking on your supporters • Marshalling the troops for the cause • Knowing the limits

• Demonstrating integrity • Commanding respect because of who you are • Being authentic • Avoiding hubris • Resilience

The final typology is one deriving from ‘an unprecedented, firsthand research study of organisations that perform above expectations in business, sport and education’. Andy

Hill, R., Park Federation Annual Leadership Lecture, 2014.

Hargreaves and Alma Harris strove to discover in their extensive project what leaders actually do in exceptional circumstances:

The study explores how organisations in the private and public sector can achieve exceptionally high performance, given their history, size, client base and previous performance. It probes what it means to exceed expectations, the different definitions of performing beyond expectations that exist and prevail, and the leadership practices within organisations that enable these organisations to excel and outperform others.50

Leaders whose performance exceeds expectations • develop and articulate an inspiring dream for and with their people. • call for great and inspiring storytelling by themselves and those around them. • pause before succumbing to the temptation to sweep aside everyone and everything with a new broom • do not go for fearless leadership but stay calm and focused. • put down firm foundations within the organisation and create a strong platform for others to excel • invest in the long term • surprise people. Sometimes, do the exact opposite of what others expect if it will achieve the right results: ‘embrace the oncoming wind that gives you more swing; go the other way’ • decide what they value, then determine together how they will measure it; they care about numbers, metrics, targets and indicators as ways to monitor and motivate performance. • get the best out of their teams • use failure as an opportunity to galvanise themselves and their community to turn around, get back, sort it out and manage problems • see neither collaboration nor competition as ends in themselves, but means that are creatively combined to serve the greater good of their own school and other schools within and beyond the immediate community. • exhibit a fusion of qualities and characteristics within themselves, across the community and over time. • are hybrid leaders – a mixture of styles and combination of opposites. They are personally integrated – often outwardly dynamic and enthusiastic, but inwardly at ease with themselves. They are charismatic, humble, utterly extraordinary, yet also nothing special. • have inspiring dreams, but are not idle dreamers. • ‘People of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things’ – Leonardo da Vinci

Case Study: The Contemporary Headteacher The characteristics of headteachers have changed over the past 15 years. There are certainly entrepreneurial elements in headteachers which perhaps weren’t there before. There are certainly more people highly focused on what they need to do in terms of succeeding in their schools. In the past, a new head wanted: to get the children to behave; the staff to work together; and parents to be supportive. Today it is all driven by standards and the need to focus on the standards agenda. There are many leaders who are very good at a systems approach. Twenty years ago the good headteacher was a people-person. It is what we looked for in new headteachers. They are much more business-like in what they are doing now, far more attuned to the performance indicators they need to meet, the budgets they have to meet. Heads coming through now are very well prepared for the job they have to do. The job of the headteacher is now much less attractive to ‘people-people’ than it was fifteen years ago. Now it is about driving standards and there are people today who would have become headteachers twenty years ago but today won’t. They will probably do other things, and I am increasingly of the view that it is not a job for life any more. There is likely to be the development of fixedterm contracts for example, which almost exist already in terms of losing your job if things go wrong. The other major difference is the clarity of purpose of headteachers. They know what they are there to do, and they share their vision very openly in the school. That was certainly not the case fifteen years ago. I don’t think the job is about being a manager, it is emphatically being a leader, which is why I believe that school leaders should have a teaching background. There is a problem with people today giving themselves grand titles, chief executive, for example. I believe if you are leading a school, whatever you call yourself, you are a headteacher.51 Derek Morris

50 51

Hargreaves, A. and Harris, A, Performance Beyond Expectations, 2012. Derek Morris, author interview, March 2014.

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