School Leadership - A Scottish Perspective

I have just returned from the launch of the Scottish College For Educational Leadership (SCEL) Fellowship programme at Stirling University. On our first day we were lucky to have several speakers who talked about their vision for Scottish Education by 2030. They each had a different perspective and one of these was Professor Clive Dimmock Chair in Professional Learning and Leadership at the University of Glasgow. Clive has worked around the world and especially in  Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong working with governments and institutions exploring leadership in schools and how this impacts teaching and learning. He has also worked on and considered professional development for such leaders. At this event he shared with us the eight characteristics of high performing school leaders. He felt that it was really important that we stopped just focusing on leadership but shone a light on high performing leaders. What I would like to share in this post is those eight characteristic...

I was recently looking again at Michael Fullan's 'What's Worth Fighting For In Headship.' This is a thin book but it contains a lot to think about, if you're a school leader, or aspiring to such a role. I can't say I agree with all of Fullan's assertions, but I do agree with many of them. This is as it should be when we are considering a particular take on what we do. There should be some resonance with our own thinking but enough provocation to stimulate and develop our thinking further. Fullan usually achieves  this for me, and always in a very accessible way. Anyway, he set me thinking about my own position and thoughts around what I believe are the most important elements of our work in school. I share these in the same spirit. You may agree, or you may not, but hopefully this might encourage you to at least consider the issue of what is important to you in your own schools. Values and Principles I believe that this is where we should start all our th...

  Collaborate: vi to work jointly or together.-collaboration n. I saw some tweets the other day where people were talking about 'false' and 'pretend' collaboration. This set me thinking, as I don't know any form of collaboration other than a 'true' or 'real' type. I suppose that is not strictly true, because I have seen quite a few examples of schools who said they were collaborative but who,when you looked closely at them, or spoke to staff, were anything but. I had a visitor to  the schools I lead recently and I enjoyed showing her around, and getting her to meet the children and staff. She spent some time talking to my DHT and myself about the work we had been involved in over recent years to develop and improve. "What I am seeing and hearing" she said "is a truly collaborative culture and ethos in operation." We were pleased to hear this as this is what we have always strived for in the way we work. I abhor hierarchies and...