PwC Independent
Study into School
Leadership
John Lakin
National Union of Teachers
The Future of School Leadership
conference, 1st May 2007
PwC
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Outline
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Terms of reference
Approach
Key findings
Recommendations
Conclusions
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Slide 1
What we were asked to examine… our terms of reference
Provide a comprehensive and independent account of existing,
emerging and potential models of school leadership, including
• roles and responsibilities
• governance
• reward and contractual arrangements
• career paths
• recruitment and succession
• support staff
• lessons from other sectors
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Slide 2
What we did… our approach
Literature review
(100+ documents)
School visits
Stakeholder interviews
(50 schools)
(50+ interviews)
Methodology
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Focus groups
with teachers
Survey of school leaders
(100+ participants)
(3,000+ respondents)
Slide 3
Some of our key findings…
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More complex and demanding role
‘Hero head’ model is redundant
Need for greater distributed leadership
Leaders think they distribute leadership well, but their staff
don’t always agree
Work-life balance is more important than pay
Behaviours matter more than structures
Clear moves towards flatter, wider management structures
No ‘one size fits all’ solutions
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Slide 4
What is effective leadership (from Ofsted reports)?
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A clear vision based on pupil need
Accurate and on-going self-evaluation
Carefully designed structures and distributed leadership
Well-developed succession planning
Well-informed and active governing bodies
A holistic approach to managing diverse workforces
Protection of the ‘strategic space’
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Slide 5
Views on effective leadership (from ‘the led’)
Characteristics of effective leaders
For support staff, effective leaders…
For teachers, effective leaders…
•Recognise and value the work of others
•Are visible and approachable
•Communicate fully and effectively with all staff
•Are supportive
•Define roles and responsibilities clearly
•Have an in-depth knowledge of the school and of the
wider community
•Provide development opportunities
•Are interested in wider issues rather than just results
•Adopt an open, consultative approach
•Understand classroom practice
•Are visible
•Are non-hierarchical and consultative
•Have a constructive approach to performance
management
•Distribute leadership effectively
•Act and feedback on concerns raised
•Act and feedback on concerns raised
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Slide 6
Some key future leadership skills
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Change management
Financial management
People management
Buildings and project management
Stakeholder management and interpersonal skills
Managing extended services
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Slide 7
Models of leadership
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The traditional model
Managed models
Multi-agency managed
Federated models
System leadership
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Slide 8
The Chief Executive/ non QTS leader debate
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For
No legal requirement at present
Reflects changing role of school
leadership
Widens leadership talent pool to all
school staff and beyond
Examples in other sectors and
countries
Opens up other ways of
addressing professional leadership
Supported by some teacher
associations
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Against
No current examples in UK
Devalues primacy of teaching and
learning
Non QTS talent pool lacks
credibility
Schools are unique and evidence
from elsewhere mixed
Professional and operational
leadership cannot be divorced
Not supported by majority of
existing heads/teachers
Slide 9
Recommendations - overview
Rationalising the policy landscape
Modernising
governance and
accountability
Building capacity –
enabling the sector to
distribute leadership
Promoting diverse
school structures
Winning hearts and minds
Rewarding the sector for
distributed leadership behaviours
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Slide 10
Rationalising the policy landscape
Recommendations
• DfES to engage sector better on design
Key findings
• Leaders continue to feel frustrated with the
pace and complexity of policy change
 Number of initiatives
 Mandatory vs voluntary
 Cross-sectoral dimension (i.e.
educational and social)
 Tensions between initiatives
and communication of policy initiatives
 Strengthen limiting mechanisms
 Clarity between mandatory/advisory
 ‘Sense checking’ of resources
• Regular mapping exercise of
bureaucratic burden to balance increases
against reductions
• Promote measures that recognise wider
contributions of schools
 Extended provision/social outcomes
 Collaboration/ multi-agency working
• Promote voice of parents and learners
at all levels
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Slide 11
Promoting more diverse school structures
Recommendations
Key findings
• Traditional hierarchical structures not
sustainable
• One size does not fit all
• Disproportionate pressure on small schools
• Clear evidence of innovative emerging
structures
• Publish and promote new models
 Via simple guide
 Incorporating NCSL materials
• Develop national programme of
support for new models
 Working with NCSL
 Pump prime innovative models
• Remove legal and regulatory barriers
 Executive heads
 Other innovative structures
• Carry out longer term evaluations of
new models
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Slide 12
Modernising governance and accountability
Recommendations
Key findings
• Lack of capacity/skills in governing bodies
• Lack of clarity, and some inconsistencies,
around accountability for school leaders
within ECM context
• Review governance to consider
 Size, composition and skill mix
 How employers can increase pool
 Aggregation of governing bodies
 Impact of multi-agency agendas
 Formalising pro bono contributions
• Provide guidance on roles of
governors
 Strategic involvement
 Wider accountabilities
 Extended services
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Slide 13
Building capacity
Recommendations
• Promote diversity/succession planning
Key findings
• Professional qualifications overly restrictive
and do not necessarily reflect complexity of
new environment
• Recruitment issues at all levels
• Burgeoning workload – in large part due to
ECM agenda
• Lack of career progression opportunities for
non-teaching professionals
in the sector
 Shorten time from QTS to headship
 Encourage BME/female candidates
 Support ‘system leadership’
 Consider non QTS professionals
 Pilot rotation of leaders
• Adopt new approach to qualifications
 Review NPQH content and delivery
 Accredit other relevant learning
 Invest in ongoing development
 Leadership training for support staff
 Mentoring and support post NPQH
• Expand development opportunities
 Exchanges, secondments, shadowing
 Valuing and requiring continuing CPD
 Funding CPD for leaders
 Increasing e-learning opportunities
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Slide 14
Winning hearts and minds
Recommendations
Key findings
• Traditional approach and conservatism
predominates in the sector:
 Schools
 Governors/LAs
 Parents/public
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• Develop a communications strategy
 Describe changing landscape
 Explain benefits of new models
 Challenge attitudes/expectations
 Attract new talent
Slide 15
Rewarding the sector
Recommendations
• Maintain the existing pay framework
 Modification not radical change
Key findings
• Pay levels not the main issue
• Pay framework out of line, in a number of
respects, with policy framework
• Some issues around differentials
• Reward new roles and performance
 Executive heads
 System leadership
 Support staff in leadership positions
 STRB to oversee all school staff
 Use of balanced scorecard
 Guidance on existing flexibilities
• Review differentials
 Between different size schools
 Between sectors
 Between deputies and assistants
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Slide 16
Conclusion
• A broad-ranging package of measures to support existing and
future school leaders, without being prescriptive
• Focuses on building capacity and distributed leadership within
schools to better manage change and make the job more
‘doable’
• Contains challenges for all parties, including government
• Provides an evidence base from which others can draw
• Provides a possible programme of action, in whole or in part
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Slide 17
PwC Contacts
John Lakin (tel: 020 7213 5872, email: john.w.lakin@uk.pwc.com)
David Armstrong (tel: 02890 415176, email: david.m.armstrong@uk.pwc.com)
Report and technical annexes available at:
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RR818A.pdf
This presentation is based on the PwC Independent Report into School Leadership which was prepared for and only for DfES in accordance with the terms of our engagement letter dated
April 2006 and for no other party and/or purpose. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP does not accept or assume any liability or duty of care for any other purpose for which this report may be
used or in relation to any other third party or other person(s) or organisation(s), who may read and/or rely on this report, save where expressly agreed in writing with
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
© 2007 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. All rights reserved. ‘PricewaterhouseCoopers’ refers to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (a limited liability partnership in the United Kingdom) or, as
the context requires, other member firms of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity.
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