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NCSL trials new initiative to help find new leaders

The National College for School Leadership (NCSL) is working with schools, local authorities and dioceses in ten pilot areas to help them develop their strategies to replace headteachers who will retire from the profession in the next three years.

Leadership consultants from NCSL will be assigned to each pilot area to support schools and employers in the development of initiatives that will bring teachers through to leadership positions. These might include talent-spotting potential headteachers, setting up opportunities for teachers to learn leadership skills by working with other schools, and providing career advice.

Steve Munby, NCSL's chief executive said: "Growing leaders for tomorrow is important work at any stage, but even more so in today's environment.

"We have a significant proportion of headteachers who will be retiring in the next three years. The big challenge is bringing on a new generation of school leaders.

"Trialling new ways of working in pilot areas will uncover activities that can make a difference. We will be able to share what works with schools, professional associations, diocesan bodies and all those in education. We need everyone to focus on this challenge, bringing on a larger than average number of school leaders to be headteachers."

The pilot areas run alongside other NCSL initiatives to help teachers move to headship, including Future Leaders and Fast Track.

Future leaders is a joint pilot with Ark Education and SSAT in London which aims to bring twenty young leaders - all of whom have Qualified Teacher Status but some of whom have left the school workforce - through to senior school leadership positions within 12 months.

Fast Track is an accelerated leadership development programme for serving teachers in the early stages of their careers. Two thousand teachers are currently on the programme.

NCSL will be launching guidance to support governors recruit headteachers and senior leaders on 30 October.

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The National College for School Leadership

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