Whether you are a new or an established headteacher you will know that building and maintaining a strong leadership team is paramount. An effective leadership team is at the centre of any successful school and it is clear to everyone in the school when that team is right – but how do you as a leader go about creating a high-performing leadership team?
Focus on the most important things
Gary Wilkie, headteacher of Sheringham Primary Academy and chief executive of the Learning in Harmony Trust in east London, said: "Stop doing some things. Think about those things that are most important to you and concentrate on those things. Your leadership team can only be effective if they have a sense of realistic purpose. You only have so much energy so make sure that it is focused where you really need to make an impact."
Andy Hodgkinson, executive headteacher of the First Church Schools Federation in Macclesfield, added: "Good school leaders find the things that ensure impact and do them. As a school leader ask yourself how are you going to simplify. The adage 'less is more' is more often than not true – find the few things that bring about the most impact and do them!"
Kylie Spark, headteacher of Tyntesfield Primary School in Cheshire, continued: "Have an unrelenting focus on teaching and learning; on-going professional dialogue and CPD opportunities should be promoted to deepen leaders' understanding of teaching and learning. Outstanding school leadership focuses on what matters and invests time to ensure standards are high and consistent across the school."
Invest time and trust in your team
Ms Spark: "Recognise and invest in professional development opportunities for both middle and senior leaders. High-quality leadership training can potentially have a significant impact on both the confidence and skills of leaders and school improvement."
Mr Wilkie: "Succession plan. If you don't delegate responsibilities to your middle leaders, how are they going to make the mistakes that will enable them to become the leaders of tomorrow? Find talent, and use it. Don't do everything yourself and then fall into the trap of quality assuring your own work.
"Take care of yourself and your leadership team. Of course the most important people in a school are the pupils, and the people that have the greatest direct impact on them are the teachers, but don't neglect your own welfare or those who have the greatest influence on others in the school. Remember that aeroplane safety talks insist you put your own oxygen mask on before you put on your children's."
Play to your team's strengths – and lead by example
Ms Spark: "Recognise individual skills and talents in your team and play to these strengths. An outstanding leadership team is built on the strengths of the individual leaders, who both complement and support each other.
"Outstanding school leadership always leads by example, acting as a role-model for staff and pupils. Through daily action and interaction, effective school leaders establish high expectations and an unrelenting focus on standards of teaching and learning."
Know your school inside out
Ms Spark: "An outstanding leadership team knows and understands their school. They actively seek and effectively analyse all available information, both qualitative and quantitative, to ensure they understand where the school is at, both strengths and areas for further development. Outstanding leadership is restless, constantly looking to further develop, strengthen and improve."
Tell a good story
Mr Hodgkinson: "There are times when leading any organisation is like crafting a good story. Whether its considering the characters, creating the context, developing the plot, or deciding on the moral of the story, the life of any school can be understood in terms of narrative. All good school leaders understand their narrative and shape their behaviours around it. In this context, when interpreting your data or working with staff, vision is central – good school leaders live and breath their vision and all leaders are writing their story."
Mr Wilkie: "Remember you are a leader and not a dictator. Leading through principles rather than compliance is far more effective in the long term. Ensure that as a leadership team you have a shared set of principles (driven by you) and bring every school improvement initiative back to those principles."
Look outside the school gates
Mr Wilkie: "Get out of your own school, and make sure that your senior leadership do as well. Don't allow yourself to be trapped in your own bubble, visit other schools, network with colleagues and make sure that you're attending inspirational training. Only then can you inspire others."
Mr Hodgkinson: "No school leader is an island and there will be times when you will stand or fall on the quality of your relational networks. Relationships matter at every level of your organisation and beyond. Good school leaders spend time building relationships and their behaviours reflect their values. Remember, while technology can save time, making time for people can empower."
Learn to take risks
Mr Hodgkinson: "We live in a risk-averse culture. This is having profound affects on our ability as a society to reach our potential. An Ofsted inspector once told me he had never seen an outstanding lesson where the teacher had not taken a risk for the sake of their pupils. Whether this is true or not, developing a growth mindset as a school leader is crucial for ensuring your children are given the best life chances."
- Colin McLean is chief executive of Best Practice Network, a national training and development organisation which works in partnership with Teaching School Alliances to provide leadership development programmes and qualifications.
Further information
This advice and more can be found in a new guide to growing the best leadership team published by Best Practice Network, available as a free download at teacherleadershiptraining.com