In case you missed it… recent highlights from NCSL in Dialogue, talk2learn’s online community for national education debate:
Download a pdf version of talk2learn highlights: issue 3a (188kb, 2 pages)
Download a pdf version of talk2learn highlights: issue 3b (272kb, 2 pages)
Download an audio version of issue 3a (2.3Mb, 5:48 mins) and issue 3b (1.8Mb, 4:34 mins)
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With their classroom experience, detailed knowledge of colleagues and children and the power to effect change, middle leaders play a pivotal role in making schools successful.
Moral purpose is one of the foundations of school leadership today but is it easier to espouse than to practise? In a talk2learn discussion on the topic, heads described how a wide variety of issues tested the courage of their convictions on a daily basis.
View the full discussion: making a real difference to learning and teaching in schools
With their classroom experience, detailed knowledge of colleagues and children and the power to effect change, middle leaders play a pivotal role in making schools successful.
A discussion of exactly how they do it produced a very popular talk2learn debate, in which over 1,200 school leaders participated. Many agreed that, at a time of ongoing change in education, shared leadership is more important than ever.
One of the biggest advantages of effective middle leaders is the way they support the vision for the school and act as a link between senior leaders and the classroom, said Jane Dilorenzo, an assistant head in a large primary. "It is the only way some headteachers, who often have little up-to-date ‘hands-on’ experience, can know what goes on," she said. "I have been fortunate enough to have grown from a subject leader 12 years ago to my current position by a headteacher who values and supports everyone’s career development."
Staff in my school have found this invaluable and it has had the effect of developing morale and confidence.
"He allows middle managers to take responsibility and trusts them in the role they do. Our middle managers are involved in off-site management days throughout the year and training is organised to suit their requirements," said Jane.
Shereene Khan, now a deputy head, said she had gained many skills as a middle manager, adding that teachers should undergo management training – "they become better teachers. I believe a ‘flagging’ teacher gets new life from these courses."
Another school leader agreed. "Middle management courses refresh stale thinking and change perceptions about people’s roles. Staff in my school have found this invaluable and it has had the effect of developing morale and confidence. They become better teachers. I believe a ‘flagging’ teacher gets new life from these courses."
Saron Urding thought the practice of middle managers leading professional enquiry groups "encourages them to operate outside their ‘comfort zone’ and, therefore, to rethink processes and practices; it encourages dynamic reflection on leadership processes, behaviours and actions". Effective middle leadership has other strategic benefits, such as enabling heads themselves to maintain a better work-life balance, suggested one contributor. "So many heads I’ve met have ended up a ‘frazzled mess’ due to too high a work load and expectations which are just too high."
However, some heads and deputies find ‘letting go’ very difficult, admitted another. "Having worked with two heads who could not delegate I am heartened to see that middle leadership initiatives are now firmly on the agenda. How can new deputies be inspirational leaders if they haven’t experienced directing policy, research and change?"
"How can new deputies be inspirational if they haven’t experienced directing policy, research and change?"
It’s exactly that philosophy headteacher Tessa Mason has taken to heart in developing seven middle leaders at her large primary school in Leeds. "It is really exciting – they all have huge potential and are leading phase teams (key stages if you like) and four curriculum cluster teams. It has generated enormous enthusiasm and a very positive response indeed from our recent team of Ofsted inspectors.
"I am planning particular development opportunities for them as a distinct group, meeting their specialisms and the general need to develop their leadership skills and styles. They have gained in confidence and influence and are assisting in outreach to other schools in our network. I see this as one of the key ways to prepare individuals for future leadership."
The revolution is not confined to teaching staff, however.
Sally Stone, who has worked in school administration for more than 20 years, described the rise of the school business manager and the promotion of some non-teaching staff to school management teams as ‘a breath of fresh air’.
"I feel that, as a direct result of support staff being more involved in policy making and strategic planning everyone is benefiting. New aspirations and plans are filtering down to the support staff and they are not just carrying out orders any more but understanding why new initiatives are happening. This must cascade down the whole school, especially to those on the receiving end of all this – the pupils."
There are downsides to the rise in prominence of middle leaders, as one contributor pointed out. The perception that a school succeeded or failed on its middle management engenders what she described as ‘a huge amount of pressure’.
"With my role teaching a full timetable and my role as a middle leader, there is little time to effectively carry out all my responsibilities. I am very keen on peer observations and mentoring but again time is an issue – inevitably few teachers share my non-contacts. How are we supposed to carry a strong responsibility whilst teaching full time?"
Other middle leaders agreed that they were too often ‘thrown in at the deep end’, while one recalled the lack of formal training she received as she progressed up the career ladder from class teacher to head of year.
"[However] I did have an excellent head who made it clear what he wanted for his school and empowered us to be both hands and feet whilst he remained the brain". She added that schools could not function without the multitude of roles played by middle leaders:
Middle managers are the arteries of a school. They are in the classroom so know how to lead from within. They are in each other’s classrooms so they can see how to support. They are conduits back to the senior leadership team.
Introductory video for effective middle leadership discussion
Moral purpose is one of the foundations of school leadership today but is it easier to espouse than to practise? In a talk2learn discussion on the topic, heads described how a wide variety of issues tested the courage of their convictions on a daily basis.
The decision to exclude a pupil, in particular, raises moral conflicts for leaders, as one head described in her turmoil over how to cope with one problem child:
"I want to keep the child in school – he’s a delight when he is not hurting other children or staff. I want to keep the other children in class safe and I want my staff to be able to feel comfortable and not as if they are walking on a knife edge. I have lots of agencies involved but have come to the end of myself in terms of any new resources to put in. I don’t want to have to justify every move but feel I have to. It’s a dilemma!"
Knowing that you take the ultimate responsibility can make headship a lonely place, she added.
"We have to make decisions, be able to live with ourselves afterwards and offer our support to all of those involved."
Justifying every step – at least to one’s self – is, perhaps, the crux of moral leadership, agreed Michael Gallagher:
"As heads, we have a great deal of power and there is a temptation to think that our colleagues should just accept the decisions we make simply because we hold that position. Is it not better to constantly check out our decisions in a ‘moral’ way?"
The need for true moral purpose to take account of the views and values of all school takeholders was captured by Jayne Franklin in her contribution on inclusion:
"The key for me is building the capacity in our community to discuss these issues and not take it for granted how our values present themselves in reality."
On a wider perspective, Iain Gilmour described how a new approach with parents diverted attempts to question his moral authority:
"A parent complained about a child and my usual approach would have been to say that I’ve done a, b and c and I hope that the problem should be solved. More often than not, the parent
often says that a, b and c have been tried before and didn’t work and if it was their child they would have done x, y and z. So I simply said I had dealt with it. Interestingly enough, the parent said ‘OK, thank you’ and we went on to discuss some other issues. My thinking is that this is saying to the parent ‘trust me, I’m a professional’ with all the moral implications that I now know that brings."
In support, one contributor said heads and teachers often lamented the fact that the role did not command the trust and respect evident a generation ago. "Are we so entrenched in the current focus of accountability that our courage and confidence in our own professional judgement is eroded? By justifying everything to those we feel accountable to, are we actually jeopardising the trust we are trying to build?" she asked. Many seemingly everyday operational decisions had strong moral elements which are sometimes overlooked, she added.
For example, should I let the after school club have a Halloween party? Should I favour the painter’s quote who happens to be a parent of a child at the school? The list goes on. I think we become very adept at using our value system to make decisions often without realising.
Andrew Evans agreed – "I had not considered before that how we assess students, track their progress or group them had a moral element. I can see now that practical systems can say a huge amount about our commitment to helping every individual succeed and achieve their personal best – a key moral educational principle."
Linda Stott said heads’ decisions would always be challenged and that although this took its toll, schools would be poorer places if leaders did not question themselves and their colleagues.
Moral leadership think piece: John West-Burnham 
(54kb, 6 pages)