ONE of the current educational buzz-words is leadership, especially with the formal opening by the Prime Minister of the National College for School Leadership last month. So a research project into leadership in middle management should prove timely. Val Poultney, a former teacher, is keen to get subject teachers, heads of department and senior teachers involved in her research to find out what makes a good leader. Ms Poultney is completing the final year of a four-year doctorate in education (EdD) course at Nottingham University and wants the results of her findings to feed back into schools. “Small-scale studies that gather empirical data which schools can use and act on are far more useful than long-winded essays gathering dust on university library shelves,” she says.

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