There is an emerging recognition that schools and leaders can benefit from considering flexible arrangements of headship and these will become more common in the future. The Every Child Matters agenda highlights how school leaders will have to work in partnerships to deliver the best outcomes and leadership models can support succession planning, challenge experienced leaders and improve the work-life balance of individuals.
NCSL was charged with ‘the development of new models of school leadership’ as one its top three priorities in its 2007-08 remit letter. The College launched a Models of Leadership website and the latest research findings about models of leadership in the early summer 2008. It is stimulating a national debate around how school leadership might best adapt to meet the needs of 21st century schools through a facilitated community of interest, delivered in partnership with the Innovation Unit.
A journey into the unknown (2006) 
(264kb, 6 pages)
Susan Percy
This report suggests that as times and needs change, other, more creative approaches to providing school leadership may be required. One solution may be federation. This may occur for a variety of reasons and in different contexts. This is an investigation into the impact of federation upon leadership in a sample of primary schools.
A journey into the unknown – full report (485kb, 23 pages)
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A model of school leadership in challenging urban environments (2004) (390kb, 28 pages)
Joan Fye
Report describing some of the attributes that distinguish highly effective headteachers in challenging urban environments. It affirms the characteristics of existing successful urban school leaders and increases the likelihood of finding more potential leaders with the same character qualities and abilities.
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Can federations help stars to come out? (2008) (78kb, 6 pages)
George Ford, Elaine McCue
This research investigates the structure and practice of a small number of federated schools. It concludes that federation has a positive impact on the professional development of staff and the engagement of governors.of school leaders.
Can federations help stars to come out? (391kb, 24 pages)
Different approaches to sharing school leadership (2003) (496kb, 6 pages)
Marion Court
Examination of international examples of co-head partnerships and teacher leadership collectives, drawing on concepts of distributed leadership to help explain their different aims and practices.
Different approaches to sharing school leadership – full report (342kb, 34 pages)
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Emerging patterns of school leadership: current practice and future directions (2008) (165kb, 18 pages)
This study set out to map and explore emerging practice and to highlight possible future directions in school leadership, management and governance.
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This is a practical toolkit that school and multi-agency leaders can use to explore and visualise alternative models of leadership and governance that will fit their context and purpose. It has been designed to be used in small groups within a short team workshop session (one to two hours) – although we would encourage you to use it however you feel it could be useful to you or your colleagues.
Download the toolkit.
Cover and contents page (236kb, 2 pages)
Chapter 1 (236k, 2 pages)
Chapter 2 (456kb, 4 pages)
Chapter 3 (1177kb, 16 pages)
Chapter 4 (286kb, 2 pages)
Chapter 5 (1325kb, 18 pages)
Chapter 6 (1919kb, 24 pages)
Chapter 7 (1083kb, 14 pages)
Chapter 8 (988kb, 15 pages)
Chapter 9 (257kb, 3 pages)
Chapter 10 (848kb, 11 pages)
Download the PowerPoint presentations.
Family of schools
14-19 partnership
ECM whole town approach
Hard federation
Faith, hope and charity : setting out to create a new culture in merging schools (102kb, 4 pages)
Sarah Harris
This research associate report charts the journey of two schools as they set out to come together and recapture or recreate shared morale.
Faith, hope and charity – full report (kb, pages)
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Getting our heads together (2006) (178kb, 6 pages)
Sally Coulton
New leadership and school improvement agendas, see the development of networks and school-to-school partnerships as a key driver in building the capacity for sustainable improvement.This study explores the process of cultivating shared leadership and moving school leaders from competition to collaboration.
Getting our heads together – full report (2.1Mb, 32 pages)
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Hard federations of small primary schools (2007) (175kb, 31 pages)
This study explores the leadership of hard federations of small primary schools in the UK and identifies key implications and conclusions for practitioners, policy-makers and other stakeholders. It considers the ways in which federations have been both successful and unsuccessful and provides practical guidance for headteachers and governors who might be considering federating in the future.
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Keep your head: co-headship as part of succession planning (2008) (418kb, 6 pages)
Nicola Allan
One of the key challenges facing schools at the moment is to retain more good heads to full retirement age and attract potential leaders to headship more quickly by making the role more appealing. Co-headship offers the possibility of addressing both of these issues. This paper summarises the perspectives of senior governors in eight schools which have pioneered the use of co-headship.
Keep your head – full report (861kb, 34 pages)
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Leading beyond the school (2006) (141kb, 16 pages)
This document summarises the findings of a project that investigated the role of Primary Strategy Consultant Leaders (PSCLs) in a sample of schools participating in the Primary Leadership Programme. Its purpose is to help PSCLs, Primary Strategy Managers (PSMs) and school leadership teams consider how the role of the PSCL can be used most effectively to support school improvement and raise standards of achievement for pupils.
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Making the difference – successful leadership in challenging contexts (2002) (218kb, 40 pages)
NCSL
Practical guide to what school leaders can do to improve and energise their schools, setting out eight areas in which research suggests that leaders of schools in challenging circumstances can make a real difference.
A printed version of this publication is available, priced £5
New models of headship – Co-headship (2006) (172kb, 12 pages)
In 2005 NCSL undertook a consultation to find out more about co-headship arrangements, how they worked in practice, what they might say about the demands of headship, and their potential for tackling a looming shortage of new heads. This research asks what the place is for co-headship.
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New models of headship – federations (2006) (894kb, 19 pages)
This study investigated the leadership of federations in The Netherlands, in order to challenge assumptions and stimulate discussions about alternative models of leadership and school organisation in England. It presented recommendations and implications for the future development of federations within England.
Federations – full report (892kb, 38 pages)
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New models of headship – primary executive heads (2006) (571kb, 8 pages)
A study of heads leading more than one primary school. The intention of this study was to investigate, on a small-scale approach what executive headship looked like in primary school settings and to exemplify practice across a range of themes. They are from geographically diverse contexts ranging from very small rural primary schools to large urban schools.
Primary executive heads – full report (250kb, 37 pages)
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New models of headship – secondary or special school executive heads (2006) (602kb, 8 pages)
This research looks at a small number of secondary and special school heads who have taken on the ‘executive’ responsibility for more than one school, with a view to investigating what conditions are necessary for success and the ways in which executive headship contributes to school improvement and system leadership.
Secondary or special school executive heads – full report (268kb, 30 pages
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New models of headship – varieties of shared headship : a preliminary exploration (2006)
(1.3Mb, 12 pages)
This study examines what is already known about the concept of shared headship in the categories of executive heads, federations and co-and dual headship. This report also examines collaboration as part of leadership, a concept that is implicit in all the shared headship models.
Varieties of shared headship – full report (337kb, 69 pages)
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Personalised learning in action: Primary executive heads (2006) (571kb, 8 pages)
A study of heads leading more than one primary school. The intention of this study was to investigate, on a small-scale approach what executive headship looked like in primary school settings and to exemplify practice across a range of themes. They are from geographically diverse contexts ranging from very small rural primary schools to large urban schools.
Primary executive heads – full report (250kb, 37 pages)
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Two heads better than one? Building a cross-phase school of the future (2002) Alison Banks and Catherine Finn et al
Research associate report recording and analysing the experiences of a unique situation – the appointment of two headteachers to two new schools which were being designed to be one innovative ‘future school’.
Two heads better than one – full report (254kb, 35 pages)
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United we stand: a soft federation model for small primary schools (2008) (424kb, 6 pages)
Jo Williams
Federation "can be shown to have a number of key benefits which, ultimately, impact positively on pupil performance". This study explores how some small rural primary schools have developed systems of soft federation, through small-scale case studies, in one geographical area.
United we stand – full report (440kb, 29 pages)
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