Course Catalogue

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The focus of Course 2 is on leading a process of building a vision for school improvement through engaging others from across the school community. Models of emergent and responsive planning are explored as a means of determining and achieving short-term objectives, towards a longer term process of sustainable strategic change to address the educational issues identified in Course 1.

Programme delivered as full day and half day teaching sessions off campus and online

Entry requirements for the PG Certificate Into Headship:

- a first degree or equivalent

- are fully registered with the GTCS

- have demonstrated experience of significant leadership and management practice as appropriate in their sector context

- are endorsed by their employer as an aspirant headteacher

- have a supportive reference from their Head Teacher/employer

- have access to a suitable workplace environment in order to be able to overtake the practice-based components of the programme

- demonstrate readiness/potential for headship within the next 2/3 years

The only courses to be taken in the PG Certificate Into Headship are Devloping as a strategic leader in school (Course 1) and this one Leading strategic change in school (course 2)

Developing as strategic leader in school (Course 1) in the PG Certificate Into Headship

Part 1: Critical evaluation of interim progress against the short-term targets drawing on evidence to support their analysis. Present a reasoned argument to underpin a proposal designed to bring about sustained and embedded long term strategic change (4000 words).

Part 2: Critical reflection on the participant's leadership of strategic change processes by evaluating their practice against the Standard for Headship and identifying next steps for professional learning. (4000 words)

A Field assessment (by SCEL trained field assessor) to verify leadership and management practice against the Standard for Headship.

The aim of this course is to enable participants to secure commitment and initiate a the strategic change process with members of the wider school community and to map sustainable of long term strategies to address the educational issue identified in Course 1.

By the end of this course students will be able to: ·

■ Report to a variety of audiences a critical understanding of the political, ethical and management dimensions of strategic leadership in their role in school

■ critique and apply the key principles of leading strategic change for school improvement

■ critically apply the skills of leading, working and communicating with the whole school community including learners and in building commitment to a shared vision

■ employ processes of emergent planning and enquiry, drawing on relevant sources of intelligence / information and data, with an appreciation of the context specific nature of school improvement

■ build and apply strategies for rigorous and collaborative evaluation in school improvement with demonstrable evidence of impact for learners

■ present and justify proposed strategies to build capacity and capability for continued school improvement to a range of lay and professional audiences

■ examine critically and evidence their values based contribution to strategic leadership, and identify areas for their ongoing professional learning

■ appraise and apply ideas and concepts from research and academic literature to inform their planning and analyses.

The participants must successfully complete the summative assignment