National College for School Leadership
 
 

One of the most exciting proposals in the Teachers Green Paper is the Government’s plans to establish a new National College for School Leadership. The Government’s vision for the College is set out in the prospectus published in June 1999.
 

The College, which will start work in September 2000, will be established on the new Jubilee Campus of the University of Nottingham, initially in interim accommodation on the campus. A new purpose-built headquarters building adjacent to the campus is due to be open in the academic year 2001-02.The Secretary of State announced on 7 March the appointment of Heather Du Quesnay, as the first Director of the National College. Heather Du Quesnay said:"I welcome this exciting opportunity. In three years time I want the College to be influencing the way society sees school leaders both in giving  they need to meet new challenges and ensuring that they enjoy a higher value and status in the wider community"Heather Du Quesnay is currently Executive Director of Education in Lambeth and interim Chief Executive of the Borough. She was previously Director of Education for Hertfordshire County Council, Deputy County Education Officer for Essex. She was deputy Head of Bartley Green Girls School in Birmingham for nine years and taught at St Joseph’s Convent School, Kenilworth. ‘Talking Heads’ which is part of the On-line Community of School Leaders project, is presently underway and we are off to a good start. It is a pilot of new ways of working, creating opportunity for discussion and debate on-line and will form development of the virtual arm of the National College for School Leadership. The aim is to generate a virtual community of school leaders where ‘members’ are happy to both contribute and engage as active learners. Early indications show that there are informative discussions and brainstorms developing as people are getting to know each other, and hard won experiences are being exchanged. Many headteachers have expressed appreciation for this opportunity to join in this dialogue.
 

The leadership training frame

The quality of leadership makes the difference between success and failure for a school. The evidence proves that good leadership is crucial to school improvement. In highly effective schools it is the headteacher who sets the pace and provides the vision, who leads and motivates the pupils and staff to perform to their highest potential. And the same applies to schools which have revived after a history of poor performance. Even the best headteachers can benefit from further training and development.

For this reason, we have developed three national headship training programmes.

· aspiring headteachers (National Professional Qualification for Headship - NPQH) - the initial training

phase;

· newly appointed headteachers (Headteachers’ Leadership and Management Programme - HEADLAMP) - the

induction phase; and

· serving headteachers (Leadership Programme for Serving Headteachers - LPSH) - the in-service phase.