The recruitment and retention of senior school leaders is high on the UK Government's agenda with much attention currently being given to succession planning. Future Leaders and other fast track leadership development programmes are, in part, a response to this "crisis" brought about by demographic change--many headteachers are due to retire in…

How leaders learn to become leaders has been an area of much research. When asked what were the key experiences in learning leadership, leaders often speak of the importance of "on-the-job" experiences, yet these experiences are rarely fully detailed in the research literature. The importance of "apprenticeships" and being attached to institutions…

As part of a CfBT Education Trust funded study, we investigated the practical steps school leaders can take to ensure that self-evaluation of school performance led, through the effective staff development, to genuine school improvement. On the journey from self-evaluation to school improvement our research identified what schools did that worked,…

Most school heads in England, especially secondary heads, once appointed remain in their schools until retirement. However, recent years have seen a considerable increase in opportunities for head teachers to undertake other forms of education-related work. The range of these new opportunities is examined with particular attention given to…

The performance management scheme that has been operating in English schools since 2000 gives considerable responsibilities to the school's governing body. These include responsibility for appraisal of the headteacher's overall performance as a school leader and manager. Governing bodies are assisted in this task by government appointed external…

Draws upon empirical data from a random sample of 150 secondary and 350 elementary schools in England to consider how teacher governors perceive their role and explore areas viewed as problematic. Effective supervisors generally incorporate positive elements of three other supervisory styles: minimalist, watchdog, and communication-link. (MLH)

School inspections under England's Office for Standards in Education (OfSTED) involve observation and grading of individual staff's teaching performance. Results are reported to headteachers. Research in secondary schools has discovered substantial, widespread discrepancies between inspectors' gradings of "very poor" teachers and schools' own…

Considers school governing bodies' role, drawing on data from ongoing research into the privatized inspection process recently introduced in all English and Welsh schools. Discusses governors' role in school improvement, particularly in "failing" or "special-measure" schools. Governors should support headteachers' change efforts, develop school…