Contact: John Clarke, Deputy Director of Children's Services, Tel 01962 846464
email [email protected] or
Carolyn Hughan, Tel 01962 874815, email [email protected]

1 Summary

1.1 Effective leadership is the key component in school improvement and effectiveness - all research and Ofsted data demonstrate this - and maintaining high quality leadership is critical to achieving the best outcomes for children and young people in Hampshire. The demographics of the workforce are changing and, in response, a coherent strategy for the growth and retention of high quality leaders in schools and educational settings has been developed. The urgent and significant challenge is to secure the number of quality leaders in Hampshire to sustain the success of Hampshire's schools.

2 Recommendation

2.1 That the Executive Lead Member for Children's Services approves the proposed strategy to develop leaders and leadership for the continuing success of Hampshire's schools and the education system.

3 Introduction

3.1 Advertisements and appointments - the current position

The number of advertisements nationally for heads during 2006 was above the average for the past ten years at 2,682. For the primary sector the number of advertisements was a new record. Too many schools across the country failed to appoint a new head after their first advertisement: 36% in the primary sector; 29% in secondary; 48% in special. The re-advertisement rate in Hampshire for all sectors is 46%. Church schools and small schools are most likely to re-advertise senior staff posts. Since 2004, the turnover of new heads in Hampshire has been 198 in primary (46%), 18 in secondary (25%) and 18 in special (62%).

3.2 Demographics - the future position

The demographics of the public sector workforce are changing but are particularly difficult for the future of school leadership. Over the next 10 years the profession will lose more experienced headteachers and deputies than in previous years. The problems are most likely to affect primary and special school sectors. However, any type of school that has a limited recruitment base could face a problem. In Hampshire 50% of headteachers are over fifty; 20% will be sixty in the next three years. In special schools 54% of headteachers are over the age of 50. The average age of retirement for a Hampshire head is 58. The peak in retirement rate in Hampshire is in 2009, and action is required urgently.

3.3 The pool of replacement headteachers

This is affected by a number of factors, and the perception of what the job is like is one of the most important. Research carried out on behalf of the National College for School Leadership (NCSL) found that only 1 in 10 teachers aspired to be heads. Seventy percent of middle leaders do not aspire to do the job and 43% of deputies - who ought to know almost as much about the job as heads themselves - do not wish to do it. The role has changed over the years with sharpened accountabilities, increased workload and radical changes in the way in which heads interact with other services. Nearly half of heads who resigned their posts from Hampshire schools in 2005 gave workload or family commitments as their reasons.

3.4 Nevertheless, 91% of heads in the NCSL sample said that they enjoyed the job and cited their impact on children's progress as what rewards them most - and this would probably be no different in Hampshire. Heads do not seem to be the best advocates for their roles.

4 Current developments in Hampshire

4.1 We have been proactive in this area through our development work at the Hampshire Teaching and Leadership College and with the work of the Education Personnel Service. The need to look at leadership for the future and at different models of leadership resulted in the publication of a framework document Creating a culture for leadership growth and development. This identifies six `beliefs' about leaders in Hampshire and it contains ideas for leadership succession suggested by 14 effective headteachers.

4.2 We are one of ten authorities selected to be part of the current national pilot for leadership succession called Local Solutions. NCSL will use the pilot projects to advise the Secretary of State about ways forward for leadership succession.

4.3 Two NCSL fieldworkers have been working with the county's Leadership

Adviser on four pilot projects:

· Future Change Makers

· Leadership Development Centre

· events to raise aspirations and provide schools with a `toolkit'

· the production of a DVD for recruitment and training purposes: this has been made in Hampshire and will be used nationally.

All projects are successfully up and running, and process and impact will be evaluated.

4.4 Sustainability in the first three of these projects is a key issue. All headteachers in

Hampshire were invited to participate in the projects and 60 experienced headteachers, cross phase, responded positively. The involvement of experienced headteachers in the Local Solutions work has been an important feature and heads are helping to build capacity in the system, at the same time as developing their own practice and extending their professional learning.

4.5 Two key groups have been set up:

· Leadership Succession Planning Group- membership includes headteachers and local authority personnel. The role of the group is developmental i.e. to contribute ideas to the roll-out of the projects.

· Local Advisory Group - membership includes headteachers, representatives from unions, diocese, personnel, Governor Services and HIAS, and is chaired by the Deputy Director for Children's Services (Education and Inclusion). The role of the group is to agree and monitor the progress of the leadership strategy; to receive evaluative reports; and to ensure accountability.

4.5 The proposals in this report are expected to set out a strategy to secure the number of quality leaders in Hampshire to sustain the success of Hampshire's schools in support of the County Council's corporate priorities.

4.6 Effective leaders and effective schools are driven by the moral purpose to make a positive difference to children's lives and their achievements. Growing and sustaining effective leadership at all levels, and in particular at senior level, is essential to ensure that every child does matter. By using an integrated leadership strategy the contribution of individual and system leaders will support the five outcomes of Every Child Matters:

· be healthy

· stay safe

· enjoy and achieve

· make a positive contribution

· achieve economic well-being

4.7 `Sustainable leadership matters. It preserves, protects and promotes deep and broad learning for all in relationships of care for others.'

Andy Hargreaves and Dean Fink Sustainable Leadership

5 Leadership Succession Developments - the future

5.1 Leadership succession planning requires a range of different methods and

approaches. Schools and the local authority must nurture leadership talent at all

levels and raise the aspirations of emerging leaders. School governing bodies need to play their part. Each school has a responsibility to offer opportunities to grow leadership potential, and to create a culture for shared leadership within an overall county-wide strategy. This strategy, agreed by the Steering Group, sets out to:

· use the expertise of experienced headteachers to build capacity and

disseminate good practice

· establish models of leadership development which:

_ involve real experiences such as acting roles, secondments and placements

_ are process-rich, ie involve coaching and on the job assignments

_ are collaborative, giving opportunities to teams, networks, partnerships and federations

_ offer experienced headteachers `pathways' for growth.

· offer high quality leadership events, eg `Aiming high: raising aspirations', to stimulate the interest of different stakeholder groups, including women and ethnic minority groups, and attract high calibre leaders into Hampshire

· provide the `Future Change Makers' programme on an annual basis and maintain a high level of headteacher involvement as facilitators and coaches

· establish the Leadership Development Centre, with its assessment expertise, as a core feature of the leadership map. Personalised learning pathways will be created using Hampshire's unique criteria for leadership development

· develop the talent management systems, supported by the use of ICT, to identify, support and deploy future leaders

· increase the efficiency and effectiveness of procedures for selecting future leaders, and for deploying existing leaders into challenging circumstances and different organisational settings

· support school networks and partnerships to innovate and disseminate approaches to leadership growth

· liaise with partners to bring national and international dimensions to leadership pathways

· build the capacity of governing bodies with regard to recruitment, retention, leadership succession planning and governors' leadership skills

· use the models for growth and development outlined in the Hampshire framework document.

6 Consultation

6.1 If this strategy is agreed it will be taken to the appropriate groups for consultation, and to the Schools Forum in November 2007.

7 Legal implications

7.1 Data protection will be a consideration when constructing the data management system.

8 Financial implications

8.1 Currently £50,000 from NCSL has funded the establishment phase of the projects. £20,000 from the Training and Development Agency (TDA) remodelling grant will be used to establish the data management system, and this includes consultancy and ICT support. This will give a more systematic approach to identifying, tracking, supporting and deploying current and future leaders. The whole strategy is dependent on government grant which will, in all likelihood, not continue.

8.2 The involvement of current heads is essential to build capacity, strengthen the system and make sure it is future-proof. They need, also, the support of their governing bodies. Currently, heads' involvement is provided through their own goodwill and this is not only unfair to the people concerned, but probably unsustainable. Future budgeting ought to account properly for their involvement in training and development programmes.

8.3 More secure funding - and slightly more to take account of headteacher costs - is needed if we are to be successful in protecting the strength of the Hampshire school system. We need to impress upon existing heads and governing bodies the collective responsibility we share for the future.

8.4 We estimate that £135,000 per annum will be needed to build on the successful establishment phase and recognise the future involvement of head teachers. It is impossible to meet this from the current departmental base, given the pressures that are on it, and there is a strong argument that, since schools will benefit, they should be funding this strategy. If they are not prepared to pay, the work cannot be done and it will be they, and the children they educate, who suffer in the medium to long term.

8.5 The choices are:

_ to increase the amount delegated by £135,000 and ask schools to buy into the arrangements by means of a service level agreement

_ to offer a service level agreement with no increase in amount delegated, leaving schools to find participation from their own budget

_ to offer the service on a pay as you go basis with schools funding it from existing budgets.

8.6 These choices will be consulted upon in accordance with 6.1.

8.7 ICT implications - £20,000 TDA remodelling grant as in 7.1.

8 Personnel implications

9.1 As 21^st century schools develop as learning organisations and community

centres of lifelong learning, the traditional structures and models of head teacher leadership will need to evolve. This has implications for the training of governing bodies and local authority personnel involved in leadership appointments.

9.2 A fieldworker will be seconded to work with schools and networks, to embed good practice and to disseminate succession planning strategies. This secondment will be supported by remodelling funding.

9 Impact assessment

10.1 Race and equality impact assessment has been considered in the development of this report and no adverse impact has been identified.

10.2 The strategy is inclusive of all agendas; it will promote equality and model

non-discriminatory values and actions. It will be monitored against the legislation.

10 Crime prevention issues

10.1 The National Standards for Headteachers emphasise the importance of community leadership, and the future learning agenda focuses on personalising learning. The work of effective leaders will impact on community partnerships and curriculum development and will motivate and influence children and young people to be responsible citizens.

11 Views of the Local County Councillor

11.1 To be consulted.

12 Conclusion

13.1 The strategy requires funding. Many of these developments are currently being

funded by the grant from NCSL, but that grant is expected to cease with the end

of the current project in July 2007 and it is important, for the future of education

in Hampshire, to secure a resource so that this crucial work can continue.

Muddling through with the replacement of heads, difficult though it already is,

will not be sufficient for the future.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background documents

The following documents discuss facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and have been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB: the list excludes

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

None