Back in the early 2000s England was one of the first countries in the world to offer publicly funded development programmes for school leaders at different stages of their career, from middle leaders through to experienced headteachers.
By the early 2010s this had evolved into the suite of National Professional Qualifications, which were further revised and relaunched by the Department for Education in 2021.
At the heart of these developments has been the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH). This pre-headship programme and qualification was first launched in the 1990s, and for a short while it was mandatory for all newly appointed headteachers (between (2009 and 2012) .
The 2021 version of the NPQH is designed to reflect the DfE’s Headteachers’ Standards. It is offered by a group of nationally approved providers, working with 87 Teaching School Hubs.
A DfE evaluation report, published earlier this year, reveals that:
- Over 80 per cent of NPQH participants are not yet headteachers.
- Over 90 per cent of NPQH participants are on their school’s senior leadership team.
- The NPQH is still widely perceived as a prerequisite for promotion to headship, despite this not being mandatory.
- Participants generally choose the NPQH over other possible leadership programmes because it is publicly funded and has national recognition.
Many of the evaluation findings were positive, but participants were clear that the NPQH curriculum is overly rigid and said that this “straitjacket” is stopping them “from developing their leadership skills fully, as it stifled reflexivity, higher-level thinking and intellectual curiosity”.
Improving preparation for the headteacher role
These findings chime with the Leading in Lockdown research we conducted into school leaders’ work, wellbeing and career intentions during the pandemic.
Among the aspiring headteachers whom we interviewed, views on the NPQH ranged from those who regarded it positively through to more critical views.
It was seen by many as less useful as preparation for headship than more targeted training or than other forms of leadership development, such as sitting in on headteacher meetings
So what might be done to enhance preparation for headship?
Earlier this year we ran 10 roundtable discussions with serving headteachers; black, Asian and/or minority ethnic (BAME) school leaders; senior leaders from multi-academy trusts; human resources specialists; leadership development providers; and policymakers, asking what might be done to enhance recruitment, training and retention for headteachers.
Participants agreed that removing the cost from leadership training (NPQs) meant they were more available to smaller and resource-constrained schools, and to more people. Improving access was seen as an important first step towards systemic equity.
Ways to enhance school leadership training
However, the roundtables noted areas for improvement in current leadership training. We were told that preparing future senior leaders for the role could be enhanced by:
- The NPQH requiring future headteachers to undertake a placement in a different context. This was a feature of previous versions of the NPQH, when participants were expected to spend up to 20 days based in a high-performing school, undertaking a strategic development project.
Roundtable participants who had experienced this version argued that the placement had been one of the most significant elements of the programme.
- Adding to the existing online provision more in-person opportunities that expand the scope for future leaders to form and extend their networks.
The Leading in Lockdown research identified the importance of strong, high-trust networks for heads, many of which had been forged through previous participation in cohort-based leadership development programmes.
However, many local networks have become fragmented as schools have joined different MATs, leaving some standalone schools isolated - in particular where a new head has been appointed during or since lockdown.
- Adding to the modules - in particular at senior levels - a stronger focus on strategic organisational leadership.
Several modules do include this focus to some extent, but it was seen as insufficient for aspiring heads who might not have led a large, complex organisation before.
Moreover, training was not perceived to be enough on its own - and induction and support for new heads was described as patchy and highly dependent on individual local authority and MAT interest and capacity.
The roundtables told us that, at the local level, trusts and LAs need to review pre-headship opportunities and induction processes and ensure equitable access to local and national leader training.
Value for money
At national level, the roundtables called for a value-for-money review of leadership training, with equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) as a key consideration. Rates of application, satisfaction and impact measures - including from diverse groups - should be tracked and published.
In addition, the role of Teaching School Hubs should be reviewed, considering how their practices might be extended to ensure that EDI issues, headteacher induction/support and succession planning for standalone schools are addressed.
Encouragingly, the roundtables revealed numerous examples of individuals, schools, trusts and other organisations, such as WomenEd and Headsup4HTs, that are working outside of the NPQ framework to provide support and build networks for heads.
We include several examples of these in the Promising Practices booklet published alongside our recommendations.
The full recommendations from the School Leaders’ Work and Well Being project, and a booklet showing existing promising practices in these areas, together with previous Leading in Lockdown research reports, can be found on the project website.
Toby Greany is professor of education in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Nottingham and was previously director of research and policy at the National College for School Leadership.
Pat Thomson is professor of education in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Nottingham and was formerly a headteacher and senior civil servant in South Australia.
Eleanor Bernardes is a former school and trust leader who has undertaken research for a range of organisations, including LKMCo (now The Centre for Education and Youth). She is currently undertaking a PhD in educational leadership at the University of Nottingham.
