The National Institute of Teaching (NIoT) has been handed a government contract to deliver the new multi-academy trust (MAT) CEO development programme.
The £121 million government institute, described by the Department for Education as “England’s flagship teacher training and development provider”, will run the year-long programme, supported by funding from the government.
The institute has said the programme will “equip new or aspiring trust CEOs with the skills, knowledge and behaviours to build and shape the schools of the future”.
The programme’s content framework was designed by an expert advisory group, which features trust CEOs, sector leaders and trustee chairs.
The group was formed after the DfE announced last year its ambition in the now-scrapped Schools White Paper that all schools will be in “strong” MATs, or have plans to join or form one, by 2030.
The DfE first published an early market engagement notice in November 2022, setting out a timeline that the first cohort should begin their teaching in September 2023, with a full programme schedule already in place.
However, in a contract notice today, the department said it had decided to appoint a single provider to deliver the programme (NIoT) and the decision recognised “the tight timelines required to develop the offer in conjunction with expert partners across the sector for programme rollout in early 2024”.
Tes understands the NIoT contract with the DfE allows it to appoint the provider to deliver new training frameworks within its overall remit without needing to go out to wider tender.
The first cohort of 25 participants will start the programme in February 2024, with a second cohort of 50 participants following later, and recruitment will begin in autumn 2023.
Melanie Renowden, chief executive of NIoT, said today that the leadership of MATs is “starting to change” and “new trust leaders must step up”.
She said: “We need to develop the next generation of courageous, pioneering people who will respond to the new wave of challenges and opportunities that are coming the way of all our schools.
“Their roles will be more important than ever, supporting the education system to deal with teacher recruitment and retention, financial sustainability and closing the attainment gap.”
Tes understands that the DfE held a series of “market warming” events around the new framework with potential providers late last year after it was initially published.
The programme is set to be delivered through the NIoT’s Associate Colleges and the NIoT’s four founding MATs - Harris Federation, Oasis Community Learning, Outwood Grange Academies Trust and Star Academies - as well as “other new partnerships with leading trusts”.
The programme will include one-to-one coaching with a successful CEO, alongside “immersive learning”.
The NIoT has said that this will take the form of “shadowing, deliberate practice and live activities”, alongside “online self-study modules and in-person conferences”.
Baroness Barran, schools system minister, said: “We firmly believe that the quality of leadership in schools and trusts is a critical driver for their ability to improve the outcomes of their pupils.
“We, therefore, made a commitment to launch a new MAT CEO development programme to boost the pipeline of outstanding leaders.”
