The first RIG for Leadership Preparation & Development (LPD) took place on February 24th 2021 in the BELMAS 50th Anniversary year, with presentations on LPD in Sweden and Russia. Our sincere thanks to Susanne Sahlin and Natalia Isaewa, you can watch their presentations HERE. These were followed by lively discussions in breakout rooms on the content, and how they compared with other systems, globally. Participation and attendance was good, and people seem to be enjoying the additional opportunities that there are to attend sessions on zoom.
The LPD RIG had a series of interviews for the 50th Anniversary, which were pre-recorded and available to watch here. As usual, please do contact the co-convenors if you would like to discuss anything with us.
Deb Outhwaite: deborah.outhwaite@dtsa.org.uk
Ann Kendrick: ann.kendrick@cumbria.ac.uk
Pauline Younts: yountspm@yahoo.com
The Leadership Preparation and Development (LPD) Research Interest Group (RIG) is open to all those who have an interest in researching Leadership Preparation and Development in its broadest sense, including educational leaders, practitioners, researchers and research students (who are often teachers in full-time practice, studying for Education Masters and Doctorates). Since we were convened back in May 2015, we have successfully built a network capable of generating and facilitating exchange and partnership on a continuing basis across professional contexts and contemporary issues relating to Leadership Development internationally, as recognised by our comparative UK/US book launched on Thursday 27th June, 2019 at Sheffield Hallam University (SHU).
This RIG might appeal to colleagues new to the group, involved in researching the changes in Leadership Preparation and Development (LPD). This could include colleagues researching systems leadership and the self-improving school led system (SISS), at primary and secondary levels, and also postgraduate education, largely those involved in CPDL, particularly the National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) but also Masters in Education, and the Chartered College of Teaching’s (CCoT) Professional Development programmes, plus those previously involved with the previous NCSL/ NCTL developments, and so on.
Networking and further information on this RIG’s activities will take place in the members’ area of the BELMAS website, click HERE to join. We are keen to hear from members of BELMAS who are interested in leadership preparation and development, particularly practitioners involved in systems leadership; S2SS; and the self-improving school-led system, perhaps through work in TSAs and/or MATs and/or the delivery of NPQs. This is a very active RIG, that meets twice yearly and since 2015 has published both a Special Edition of Management in Education (Easter, 2018), and a UK/US textbook (Spring 2019).
In 2020, we held a meeting on Tuesday 16th June which looked at four distinctly different areas of LPD: a) how it is affected by the Middle Tier; b) internationally, with a look at Sweden; c) an evaluation of NPQs in the North-East of England, and d) in the independent international sector. This was our first online Zoom RIG meeting, and is available to watch in entirety HERE, and Paul Close’s notes from the event can be found HERE. Notes from the first presentation, by Jonathan Crossley-Holland and Dr Susan Cousin can be found HERE. Slides from Dr Susanne Sahlin’s presentation can be found HERE. Slides from Professor Rene Koglbauer and Dr Stephanie Bingham are HERE, and slides from Dr Pauline Younts and colleagues are HERE. If you are interested in any of this, or would like to present at the next RIG meeting in November, then please do get in touch.
A meeting was held on Thursday November 29th 2019, near UCL’s IoE, at Friend’s Meeting House. This was a joint RIG meeting between the Structural Reform Group and the Leadership Preparation and Development RIG, to hear presentations from Dr Sara Bubb, Jonathan Crossley-Holland, and Dr Susan Cousin, from their research project with Professor Peter Earley, into ‘The Middle Tier’. These presentations were very well-received, and you can access the Power Point HERE. There followed a very animated afternoon of discussion around changes to the system with contributions from head teachers; system leaders; academics; and research students. After which, most of the participants went round to BERA to hear Professor Tony Bush’s lecture with CCEA, on leadership preparation, that the meeting had been timed to coincide with.
The previous meeting was our comparative UK/US book launch on Thursday 27th June, 2019 at Sheffield Hallam University (SHU). This day was enjoyed tremendously and had an overview of the need for the book presented by its editor Dr Valerie Storey, for slides HERE. Followed by presentations of their book chapters from Marie Booth (a deputy head teacher in Merseyside), you can watch her presentation on leadership preparation in the independent school system here, and her slides are HERE. You can watch Deepika Soni’s (a Teaching School Director in the Midlands, doing her Masters) presentation on the role that Specialist Leaders of Education (SLEs) play in the current system here, and the slides HERE. The power point from Dr Pauline Stonehouse (ne Emeritus at the University of North Dakota, UND) from the day are available here.
On Thursday November 8th 2018, the RIG met to hear presentations from practitioners (current system leaders) around developments in their areas. This included presentations from a current Headteacher; a TSA Manager; a Deputy CEO of a large MAT. The research presentation was made by Dr Rob Higham, Senior Lecturer at UCL and co- author, with Professor Toby Greany, of Hierarchy, Markets and Networks: analysing the self- improving school-led system agenda in England and the implication for schools (UCL Press, 2018). The discussions were interesting, and it was great to hear from more practitioners at events, about the way in which policy enactment is playing out in the field. The notes are available to view here HERE.
On Wednesday May 16th 2018, at the University of Strathclyde, the RIG held an excellent session specifically on the recent LPD Developments in Scotland, that had been recorded in the Special Edition of MiE (April, 2018). The session conveners, hosted by Joanna Holmes and colleagues, kindly recorded the event for the RIG members, so you can view the presentations. Take a look at the videos here: Gillian Hamilton, Lesley Whelan, Margery McMahon, Lynda McDonald and Sarah Jane Reilly. This was a very interesting meeting with practising Headteachers; Deputes; and systems leaders in Scotland who have led the way in LPD, in particular in ensuring it has HE recognition, which is something that has largely fallen away in the English system. Sessions were given by Gillian Hamilton, the Strategic Director at Education Scotland and Lesley Whelan, Director of SCEL programmes, among others.
On Thursday November 9th 2017, we held a Panel Discussion session on the Future of LPD in English Schools, at Warwick, with an invited group of LPD specialists, including a practising headteacher; the Chair of the Teaching School Council (TSC); and a couple of MAT SLT members responsible for CPDL, the notes of which can be found here HERE. The RIG also met to discuss the 2018 forthcoming Special Edition of LPD in Management in Education, which was submitted that Christmas.
Prior to that, on Thursday March 16th 2017, we held a session at Warwick, returning to our Micro theme relating to LPD cultures inside individual institutions with a talk by Paul Irvine, on middle leadership preparation, from his EdD at JMU, Liverpool. The slides of which can be found HERE.
Our session previous to that took place on Monday 9th November 2016, at the University of Nottingham, where we heard informative presentations from a range of academics and practitioners including Joanna Holmes and Gillian Hamilton, on national LPD developments in Scotland, on the establishment of the Scottish College of Educational Leadership (SCEL), and Tony Bush on developments in South America. This enabled us to discuss as a group how we choose to collectively go forward with our Research Interest Group, and whether or not we wanted to consider some publications from our research.
This LPD RIG was originally launched at the University of Derby on Tuesday 19th May, with a keynote talk by Professor Tony Bush. Tony’s talk provided food for thought on the areas for development that this RIG has continued to focus on, namely, around micro; meso; macro; and international developments that we have used to structure our sessions and research in Leadership Preparation and Development.
If you have any questions about the RIG, please do contact me. Many thanks,
Deb Outhwaite, Ann Kendrick and Pauline Younts,
LPD, Co-Convenors contact: Deborah.Outhwaite@dtsa.org.uk
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