The profile, status and funding of leadership development has risen dramatically both in the UK and internationally over the last decade. This article draws on a decade of study of leadership development programmes in order argue that school leadership training in England has received unprecedented levels of funding but that until very recently…

The National College for School Leadership (NCSL) was launched in 2000 with a remit to supervise and further enhance educational leadership development initiatives in England and Wales. Its corporate plan for 2003-07 set out a series of key objectives, which include a commitment to demonstrate the impact of the NCSL on school leadership. Some…

The development of educational leadership programmes and qualifications has become an international phenomenon in recent years. This article is one of a series that springs out of a British Council sponsored conference held in the Czech Republic in 2003, organized jointly by the Educational Management Centre of the Faculty of Education at Charles…

This article explores head teacher and middle leader perceptions of leadership talent identification, development, succession and retention in 12 contextually different urban primary schools. The schools are located within a single local education authority in the English West Midlands. The study is constructed to inform the research agenda in the…

Styles of leadership which encourage leaders to share responsibilities and authority have been the subject of much recent interest. Initiatives, such as that for encouraging distributed models of leadership, are attracting much attention. Within this movement the head teacher is encouraged to work with staff, utilizing their expertise and…

The multi-tasking of classroom or learning support assistants (LSAs) is a well-established phenomenon in English primary schools. As their roles have become better defined and specifically funded an element of role specialism has become essential. However, the management and direction of LSAs does not always appear to be clearly or effectively…

During summer 1998, the British government's Department for Education and Employment recognized 74 schools as model "beacons of excellence." A recent survey reveals that effective communication, coupled with a clear sense of purpose and vision, has enabled Beacon schools to maintain educational excellence while facilitating other schools'…

Traces origins of competence-based approaches to management training in England, as a followup to implementing the Teacher Training Agency's National Standards for Headteachers, which inspired the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) and the Headteachers' Leadership and Management Programme (HEADLAMP). (Contains 81 references.)…

Introduction of the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) has caused tensions between the NPQH and British formal higher degree programs in educational administration. A faculty survey confirmed the existence of two parallel systems. The government-controlled NPQH is influencing university course design. (Contains 36 references.)…