How to apply

The recruitment round for the fifth tranche of National Leaders of Education (NLE) has now closed.

Recruitment timetable

Selection criteria

The criteria that are set out below are separated into three sections and relate to the NLE as an individual, the NSS as an institution, and the combination of the NLE with the NSS.

National Leader of Education

Essential criteria:

• serving headteacher with successful headship experience in one or more schools for a minimum of three years and normally longer
• Ofsted inspection outcome since 9/05 that is outstanding overall, outstanding for leadership and management and for capacity to improve.  (If one of the three grades is a grade 2, consideration will be given to the application and any issues will be further explored through a school visit. Consideration will also be given in exceptional circumstances to applications from headteachers and schools that have been in an Ofsted category of Special Measures or Notice to Improve and have since been judged (in a Section 5 Inspection subsequent to that which removed the category) to be at least good overall and with good capacity to improve. In such circumstances a school visit will also be undertaken. In the case of schools serving high levels of deprivation, with 25 per cent or more of pupils eligible for free school meals, consideration will be given to applicants with an overall ‘good’ judgement, provided that there are at least 10 outstanding grades).
• evidence of improved performance and/or sustained high performance and value added scores that exceed local authority and national averages
• leading a school with the quality, capacity and experience of staff to provide support to another school

National Support School

Essential criteria:

• evidence that senior and middle level leadership within the school is very good or outstanding
• evidence that the school has a range of staff at all levels with coaching and mentoring skills
• judgement on quality of teaching in most recent Ofsted inspection at least good and with evidence of a significant proportion of outstanding teaching within the school
• no school that is itself below the floor targets will be eligible

National Leader of Education/National Support School

Essential criteria:

• experience of having provided additional and successful support to at least one other school (eg as school improvement partner (SIP), consultant, advanced skills teacher)
• experience of working successfully either in or with a school recognised as facing challenging circumstances
• ability to work sensitively and collaboratively with a range of partners and stakeholders

Desirable:

• Extensive experience of working successfully beyond a single institution
• Involvement with national policy developments in the education sector
• Experience as either a headteacher or leadership team mentor and/or coach
• Evidence of having been a ‘lead learner’ and/or having been involved in educational research
• Evidence of delivery or implementation of an extended school provision

We would also expect them to be:

• articulate and reflective about improving schools facing difficulties
• committed to taking responsibility for another school or schools
• determined to improve outcomes for children and young people
• expert in managing and sustaining change
• strategic in their approach
• skilled communicators, including in difficult circumstances
• collaborative leaders who are able to work closely with partners such as governors, SIPs and officers
• decisive in identifying issues and addressing them while remaining sensitive to circumstance(s)

If you require any further information about the NLE programme, please contact [email protected].