Ensuring Middle Leaders
Make a Positive Difference
Tim Nelson
Sarah Quinn
Focus Education
The bigger picture
“Middle leaders have more day-to-day impact on standards than headteachers.
Middle leaders are, simply, closer to the action. Teachers’ and pupils’ experience of
leadership comes most frequently from their middle leaders. And the essential work
of curriculum planning, monitoring and developing teaching belongs with middle
leaders.”
Russell Hobby, General Secretary National Association of Head Teachers
“The role of middle managers is crucial to the steady and sustained improvement of
schools. The Headteachers and senior managers provide the vision but middle
managers effect the long-term changes, which will raise standards and improve the
quality of education.”
Ofsted
Ofsted
‘High quality middle leadership is about more than managing a subject or an aspect of
school life. Middle leaders are enthusiasts for their subject, good managers and
administrators - but to be truly effective they embrace the more challenging
characteristics of leadership, which are to do with vision, strategy and a drive towards
improvement.’
‘There is a clear and welcome consensus about the importance of middle leadership.
The goals we all share for England’s education system – that all children, but especially
the most disadvantaged, have the chance to achieve their potential at good or better
schools – cannot be achieved without good middle leadership. Having high-calibre
people in middle-leadership posts is particularly important. Ultimately, the senior leaders
and headteachers of tomorrow are the middle leaders of today. This is pressing as
demographic factors are affecting the profession, not least as many headteachers
approach retirement.’
The key role of middle leaders – an Ofsted perspective
Mike Cladingbowl, Ofsted
The leadership route
“Too much work on leadership focuses on what happens at the top of an
organization. This is a significant issue. Rules which work at the top of an
organization are not relevant to someone setting out on the leadership journey.
An organization full of Genghis Khan wannabees is unlikely to be a happy place.
Managing transition from one level of leadership to another is always a
challenge”
Jo Owen
The leadership route
Knowing our starting point – a comparative study:
City Trader
Teacher
Civil Servant
People skills
2
9
4
Organisational skills
4
8
8
Analytical skills
8
6
6
Action focus
8
6
3
Initiative
6
6
3
Risk appetite
9
4
1
What are the implications for the support and training we provide for our Middle Leaders?
Effective leadership behaviours
The leadership
route
Foundations of
leadership: emerging
leaders
Practice of leadership:
leading from the
middle
Mastering leadership:
leading from the top
Focusing on people
Decentres self
Manages up
Supports others
Builds commitment
Good influencer
Builds networks
Forms, aligns and
motivates a leadership
team
Being positive
Has drive and ambition
Is self-aware
Adaptable
Finds solutions, not
problems
Volunteers
Embraces ambiguity as
opportunity not risk
Manages conflict well
Communicates a clear
vision
Handles crisis well
Focuses on must-win
battles
Decisive
Being professional
Learns the school
Loyal
Reliable
Masters core skills
Sees beyond own
setting
Shows honesty, integrity,
role model for core
values
Adapted from Jo Owen ‘How to Lead’
Ineffective leadership behaviours
The leadership
route
Foundations of
leadership: emerging
leaders
Practice of leadership:
leading from the
middle
Mastering leadership:
leading from the top
Focusing on people
Egocentric
No emotional
intelligence or political
awareness
Expertise rather than
people focused
Naïve about networks
and politics
Hires weak clones
Threatened by talent
Delegates poorly
Being positive
Can’t do attitude
Problem focused
Delegates upwards
Retreats into comfort
zone of authority rather
than responsibility
Lack of stretch for self or
organisation
Manages a legacy
Being professional
One of the lads or lasses
Engages in petty politics
and gossip
Leader in the staffroom
at lunchtime
Rides the gravy train of
status and entitlement
Adapted from Jo Owen ‘How to Lead’
The reality in schools
Cliché alert! (or is it?)
Tidying the
stock cupboard
How variable are the Middle Leadership roles in your setting?
Are any variations deliberate? If so, why?
What is the role of a Middle Leader?
SLT’s perspective:
Middle Leader’s perspective:
What is the role of a Middle Leader?
Working with colleagues
Standards
Curriculum
 Leading or organising
professional development.
 Providing guidance and
support to colleagues.
 Promoting the subject and
taking a proactive stance
with staff and pupils.
 Knowing how well children
make progress.
 Knowing whether they meet
the expected standard at
the end of each key stage.
 Overseeing the
effectiveness of
assessment.
 Having oversight of
curriculum coverage to
ensure it meets statutory
requirements or agreed
requirements of the setting.
 Appropriate high quality
resources are in place to
deliver a stimulating and
challenging curriculum.
Teaching
Improving outcomes
 Ensuring that teaching
within the subject is strong
and promotes good learning.
 Monitoring the effectiveness
of teaching and the impact
on learning and progress.
 Evaluating and defining the
next steps for improvement.
 Action planning for future
development and evaluating
whether actions have a
positive impact on
outcomes.
 Making best use of financial
and human resource to
impact on progress.
Context is key
+
-
Application of basic skills
Typical statement from a school’s curriculum policy or website:
“Our curriculum is designed to enable children to acquire and then apply basic
skills in a range of subjects through our exciting thematic approach…”
But do the children see it this way?
Who monitors the application of basic skills? And how?
Is it the job of core subject leaders?
Or foundation subject leaders?
Or phase leaders?
Or…
A good early years leader
1.
Starts with a clear vision shared by all
2.
Values all stakeholders
3.
Is brave and stands up for what they believe
4.
Strives to change the world one child at a time.
Is this a unique position in school?
Early years leadership
•
A leader is a role model of good, consistent and reliable practice
•
In leadership there is no room for ego
•
A leader must remain positive and optimistic
•
A good leader will build the team
•
A good leader will encourage risk taking
•
A leader will listen, make time and value contributions
•
All leaders must stand shoulder to shoulder, see the bigger picture and
take responsibility.
Child centered leadership
• The child must be at the centre of all decision making and leaders must
continually ask, ‘Why are we making this decision?’ and, ‘What impact will it
have on the children?’
• This includes decisions made regarding teaching, the environment,
relationships with parents and carers, assessment, training, spending,
timetables, curriculum and whole school policies.
• Also consider whether you ask the children and parents for their thoughts and
opinions enough.
• If you have an early years ‘vision’ or ‘statement of purpose’ you can use this
as your benchmark; Does this decision allow us to continue to meet our
vision, or enhance our vision for the children in some way?
Happy children learn…
• If we consider the simplest statement, ‘Happy children learn,’ the question then
becomes, ‘What does it take for a child to be happy?’
• To answer this question, leaders and teachers must become diagnosticians,
observing, assessing and diagnosing what it might take for each child to be
happy.
• This process involves many, well known structures to help to make that diagnosis
(see over). Maslow’s hierarchy of need gives you the most basic tool to assess a
child’s sense of safety, belonging etc and the Leuven Scale by Professor Laevers
allows you to assess a child’s sense of well-being and involvement.
• Once you find the barriers to children’s learning, you are a better position to
ensure their happiness while they are with you. If you can break down some of
the barriers to happiness, children will start to make progress.
Research, training and development
•
As a leader you are responsible for identifying the training and development
needs of your team. Your staff comprise experienced and highly effective
adults. You may also have staff who require support to develop their skills.
•
It is important that, no matter where each member of staff is in their
developmental journey, they feel valued enough to have improvement
opportunities.
•
In many schools, now, all staff have development plans, not just those who
may have weaker areas.
•
Stronger teachers and support staff can be used to model and develop
practice across the setting.
•
Phase meetings are invaluable in enabling you to assess the needs of your
team and to begin to address some of their training needs.
Phase meetings
• Phase meetings are an opportunity for staff development and should be
used as more than time to transfer practical information to staff.
• During discussions about children, areas and aspects of learning and the
provision, you can quickly see who has a good grasp of their
responsibilities and the knowledge and skills needs to be successful in the
classroom.
• Leaders should use phase meetings to address immediate needs, plan for
future development and look at ways to bring research based practice into
the classroom.
• When staff work together to bring research into the classroom, they
deepen their understanding while learning more about the children and
how each other works.
Becoming research focused
Research can be used for a number of reasons in the classroom.
1.
For identified problems you can try to find solutions.
2.
You can answer questions based on your own curiosity, about children’s
learning and your teaching.
3.
You can examine your own assumptions and beliefs.
4.
You can build up a portfolio of evidence that can be used to support effective
provision and as training for new staff.
Research
For every piece of research you must:
• Decide on the focus.
Plan
– What do you want to find out and why?
• Decide on the process.
– Who will be involved?
Act
Action
research
– How will this be reported?
– How will the outcome be used?
• Decide who is responsible.
Study
Do
Research outcome
Nursery - Literacy
Writing
I can use a range of tools to make marks and show an
End of Nursery
interest in my own marks and others marks.
Composition
I can randomly scribble on the page, sometimes with both
I can tell an adults what they have drawn or painted.
hands.
Grammar, Punctuation
I can begin to balance when sitting.
I can recognise a capital letter at the start of my name
I can make connections between my actions and the
Spelling
marks being made.
I can identify sounds from my own name in other words.
I can hold mark making equipment using the palmer grip.
I can ascribe meaning to other makes like on signage.
I can control the marks on the page.
I can start to write identifiable shapes and letters.
I can distinguish between the different marks they make.
Handwriting
I can turn pages in a book.
I can draw lines and circles in the air, on the floor or on large
I can control equipment like a jug and show increasing
sheets of paper using whole arm and body and balancing well.
control over tools like pencils and crayons.
I can use tools for mark making with control.
I can grip using five fingers or preferably two fingers and thumb
for control.
Source: I can Nursery Key assessment criteria for Nursery
I can use pincers, tweezers, threading equipment with
increasing control and confidence.
I can copy shapes, letter and pictures.
Research outcome
Reception - Literacy
Writing
Handwriting
Composition
I can draw lines and circles in the air, on the floor or on large
I can tell an adults what they have drawn or painted.
sheets of paper using whole arm and body and balancing well.
I can use some identifiable letters to communicate meaning and
I can use tools for mark making with control.
uses them to write captions and labels.
I can grip using five fingers or preferably two fingers and thumb for
I can give meaning to their marks as I write.
control.
I can read back my writing.
I can use pincers, tweezers, threading equipment with increasing
I can create representations of people, events and objects.
control and confidence.
I can begin to rehearse what I write orally before writing.
I can copy shapes, letter and pictures.
Spelling
I can sit on a chair with a straight back and feet on the floor.
I can identify sounds from their own name in other words.
I can control finer tools when playing with dough.
I can ascribe meaning to other makes like on signage.
I can form recognisable letters, some of them correctly.
I can start to write identifiable shapes and letters.
I can use a tripod grasp.
I can segment and blend the sounds in simple words and name
Goal
sounds.
I can use my phonic knowledge to write words in ways which
Grammar, Punctuation
match my spoken sounds.
I can recognise a capital letter at the start of my name
I can also write some irregular common words.
I can talk about sentences and start to write short sentences.
I can write simple sentences which can be read by myself and
I can start to use full stops and capital letters in the correct places.
others. I can spell some words correctly and others are
phonetically plausible.
Source: I can Reception. Key assessment criteria Reception
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