Transcript None - RTU NI

North-South school leadership
research project - update
Presentation to Standing Conference of Teachers
and Education North and South (SCoTENS)
10th October 2008
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PwC
Agenda
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Strategic context
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School leadership issues in Ireland
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Recent research on leadership
•
Terms of reference
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Methodology
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Early findings
•
Next steps
Strategic Context
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Strong and effective school leadership is one of
the key factors impacting on educational
achievement.
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With new ways of working come new skills
requirements for school leaders.
•
Succession planning issues face the education
systems in Ireland and there is a need for a more
robust evidence base to enable strategic planning.
•
The purpose of this exciting research project is to
provide the necessary data to inform future policymaking in this area and to help address these
recruitment and retention challenges.
Selected school leadership issues in Ireland

The demographic profile of school leaders in Ireland

Geographic and sectoral recruitment challenges

Falling applications for school leadership posts

The succession planning challenge

Making school leadership more attractive as many negative perceptions remain
unaddressed

Diversifying leadership teams

The complex school system and the rate of change
Recent research on leadership
•
Independent Study into School Leadership Department of Education and Skills (now
DCSF) (January 2007)
www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RR818A.pdf
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Our Northern Ireland School Leadership
survey - Regional Training Unit (September
2007) www.rtuni.org//PubUploads/ACFD105.pdf
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Literacy and numeracy research - Department
of Education (NI) (January 2008)
http://www.deni.gov.uk/no_49-2.pdf and
http://www.deni.gov.uk/no_50-3.pdf
•
Succession planning research with governors
for the National College of School Leadership
(on going) www.ncsl.org.uk
Terms of reference
Overall aim:
To investigate the reasons why some teachers apply for the post of
principalship/headship and others do not.
Specific factors to address:
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Personal circumstances
Levels of reward
Levels of support attached to post
Current career satisfaction
Alternative career path options
Prospect of selection
Perception of the role
School/context specific issues
Our proposed methodology
Methodology
Stakeholder engagement
Quantitative survey
Qualitative focus groups
• Eight focus groups
• North and South
• Newly appointed heads,
deputy heads, middle
leaders
• Will be used to inform larger
scale survey
• NI & RoI
• Two surveys – one for newly
appointed heads (approx.
300) and one for those who
choose not to apply (approx.
500)
• Administer using a mix of
face-to-face (e.g. at already
planned events) and postal
returns
• Administered through PwC’s
International Survey Unit
(ISU)
Ongoing consultation with RTU/LDS
Early findings – factors encouraging applications for
principalship
“The principal at my previous school did
the job extremely well, and that made
me wonder: ‘could I do that?’”
“Raw ambition”
“l think you can have a sense of a ‘calling’,
but that needs to be encouraged by the
people around you”
“I’ve seen the job done badly
and that motivated me”
“Passion for the school I was in”
Early findings – factors discouraging applications for
principalship
“You are a public
figure, and that puts
you under
tremendous
pressure”
Accountability
Pace of
change
“I don’t get the time to do
the things that I took on
the job to do; the
bureaucracy gets in the
way.”
Bureaucracy
Public
aspect of
the role
Demotivating
factors
Balancing
roles as a
teaching
principal
“We are responsible for all the
Litigation
children and all the admin – we don’t
and
get any release time for that.”
complaints
(Nursery principal)
Work-life
balance
issues
Perceived
inadequate
reward
“I took a pay cut as a viceprincipal to become a principal in
a small rural school”
Early findings – developing, recruiting and retaining effective
leaders
Professional development
Developing
leaders
•Few principals felt well prepared to fulfil the role on
appointment;
•Mentoring a preferred source of support.
Succession planning
•Not widespread and consistent;
Recruiting
leaders
•Lack of clarity around who is responsible.
Selection process
•Varying processes used;
•Some concerns around selection of candidates.
Retaining
leaders
Retention
•Theme of needing to ‘refresh’ principals through
sabbaticals, secondments and changing schools.
Next step
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Completion of school Principals interviews
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Completion of focus groups with newly appointed Principals and experienced
teachers
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Launch of survey
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Interim report 19th December 2008
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Final Report April 2009
Thank you
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