What is a Specialist Leader of Education?

1. What is a Specialist Leader of Education? Outstanding middle and senior leaders who have the skills to support individuals or teams in similar positions in other schools. They understand what outstanding leadership practicein their area of expertise looks like and are skilled in helping other leaders to achieve it in their own context.

2. The purpose of SLEs • Improving outcomes for children • Leaders supporting leaders • Drawing on specialist knowledge and areas of expertise • Being flexible, to meet the needs of supported schools • Sustainability – helping schools to improve their own leadership capacity.

4. Training • All SLEs have to attend one day of Mandatory Core Training (held at Harton Technology College, South Shields) • An introduction to school-to-school support • to equip SLEs with the tools and techniques for effective school-to-school support • to enable SLEs to support change and ensure impact when supporting others Plus entitlement to two optional enrichment sessions from the menu: • Leading Teaching and learning (one enrichment session) • To equip SLEs with a toolkit of strategies to support and improve the quality of teaching and learning in client schools • Developing your leadership potential (one enrichment session) • To enable SLEs to choose the right leadership style in supporting others and effectively deal with resistance • Developing others, including coaching (two enrichment sessions) • To enable leaders to develop a culture of coaching across the school and give strategies for getting the best out of a team • Leading and Managing organisations (one enrichment session) • To raise awareness of key elements of how schools operate successfully

5. Eligibility SLEs can come from any school, not just outstanding schools The eligibility criteria focus on: • Experience • Track record • Capacity and commitment • Skills • References Teaching schools will also set their own prioritisation criteria, according to need/demand in a given area

6. The designation process • national application round – download an application form from the National College website and apply online • applicants indicate which teaching school alliance they wish to consider their application • applications will be passed to the indicated teaching school alliance for sifting and assessment by a panel • teaching schools will invite successful applicants to an assessment exercise • teaching schools will notify applicants of their outcome

7. What are the benefits for the SLE? • Opportunities to work independently, to be creative and try out new ideas • Developing coaching and facilitation skills • The opportunity to network with peers • Gaining experience of different school environments • The chance to learn from ideas and approaches used in other schools • Developing skills and knowledge which can benefit their own school • The knowledge they are helping others to improve and are having a positive impact on outcomes for children.

8. How will SLEs be deployed? Commissioning • Support could be commissioned (and potentially funded) by schools, local authorities, diocesan bodies, academy trusts, the Department for Education… Brokerage • Teaching schools are responsible for brokering SLE support within their alliance or area. They will receive requests for SLE expertise, and allocate the right SLEs to the schools needing support. Deployment will vary depending on need, e.g.: • a two-day diagnostic exercise • half a day of support each week for two terms • a three-month full-time support role

9. Quality assurance and impact monitoring • Teaching schools are responsible for quality assurance and need to demonstrate impact on outcomes for children. • For each deployment, the SLE’s school, the supported school and the teaching school will agree the scope of the work, objectives and impact measures, which will be reviewed and monitored at the end. • Ultimately the SLE’s designation may be reviewed if there is a lack of evidence to demonstrate the impact of their work.

10. Application Process and Key Dates 1. General information and guidance. www.education.gov.uk/nationalcollege/sle: 2. Two part application process. Part 1 - Online Registration (triggers e-mail and instructions to head-teacher) Part 2 - Application Form (section 1) and Headteacher Reference (section 2) Section 1 must be completed and e-mailed to Headteacher to complete reference and to upload application to National College. 3. Closing date 30th September 2012 for the last round. The next round will open in May 2013 4. Interviews 5. Notification of designations