Abstract
This summary explains the Leadership Preparation and Development (LPD) Research Interest Group (RIG): its aims; how to get involved; the benefits of participation; and a viewpoint from a RIG attendee. As we all know, education policy is a fast-moving area and BELMAS responds by establishing RIGs when academics and practitioners team up to discuss and research the changes that are happening in a particular area. The BELMAS LPD RIG is open to all those who have an interest in researching leadership development in its broadest sense, including educational leaders, researchers and research students. Its aim is to build a forum and network capable of generating and facilitating exchange and partnership on a continuing basis across the full range of research interests, professional contexts and contemporary issues relating to leadership development, and the ways in which we prepare leaders in education for their roles.
The group might appeal to colleagues researching the changes in leadership preparation and development. This could include colleagues researching social policy, Initial Teacher Education, postgraduate education, those involved in CPD, those involved with recent NCTL developments, and so on.
Benefits from participation will include
Membership of a community of researchers engaged in advancing the understanding of leadership development The opportunity to collaborate or correspond with colleagues engaged in similar studies, research or activity The opportunity to identify and explore contemporary issues linked to leadership development Participation in future events specifically covering issues related to leadership development
Networking and further information on this RIG’s activities will take place in the members’ area of the BELMAS website. Membership is free for the first year. We are keen to hear from members interested in leadership preparation and development.
Overview of sessions held
This new RIG was launched in 2015, with a keynote talk by Professor Tony Bush. Tony’s talk provided food for thought on the areas for development inside this RIG. In November 2015 we held an event where we presented short abstracts from our research in this area. This enabled us to discuss as a group how to collectively go forward with the RIG, and whether or not we want to consider publications from our research.
Although, as Tony’s launch talk mentioned, much of the focus is at present school-based, as a RIG we are interested to hear from other angles on LPD. In our May 2016 session, we focused on the different levels of LPD: micro, meso, macro and international. Tony Bush spoke to our international theme in October 2016 on Principal leadership development. We then returned to our micro theme of internal school LPD cultures in March 2017, with a talk by Paul Irvine, on middle leadership preparation. At each session a wide range of interested people came together to share thoughts, insights and research.
Next session
By the time this issue is published we will have held our next session, planned for November 2017, which will be a Roundtable event, with some of the leading figures in LPD. Andrew Warren (Chair of the Teaching Schools Council); Professor Tony Bush (CRELM); Ian Dewes (NLE and a Primary Head); Sue Robinson (MAT CPD Lead); Claire Smith (MAT Assistant Principal) have agreed to form a panel and will be taking questions about how the system of school to school support (S2SS) is currently working for the preparation and development of our education system leaders.
View from a RIG attendee (Dr Val Poultney)
I have very much welcomed the opportunity to be involved in this RIG which has helped me to develop my understanding of leadership preparation from a range of different perspectives and contexts. The range of presentations, discussions and debates to date have given me space to be able to consider how leadership development contributes to my own research into school improvement through teacher inquiry, and the ways in which I need to understand how vital it is to develop authentic school leaders who are prepared to continue their own professional learning in order to be able to meet the needs of their students and staff. Over the last two decades the reshaping of school structures and networks between schools (Academies, Trusts, MATs) has become much more complex and keeping abreast of the many changes to all phases of education will continue to be a challenge. The work of this RIG then is very timely so that both academics and practitioners can begin to understand in more detail how to prepare leaders for the fast pace of work they will encounter as they move into these key positions in schools, whether that be at middle, senior or executive level. The accountability ‘bar’ for school leaders through standardized policies and practices such as learning targets and reliance on metrics has been steadily rising and resulting in real work intensification for these leaders; so how are they best prepared and developed for the role?
We also recognize through research that school leaders do make a significant difference to the outcomes of students and the professional staff they lead. Without adequate preparation and continuing professional development for leadership we may see attrition rates, especially at headship level, continuing to rise. The lines between leadership, preparation and development are becoming less clear and we need to understand why this is the case and then how best to prepare and develop the leaders of the future. The work of this RIG gives us the opportunity to research into the many facets of these burgeoning issues and I have welcomed the opportunity to share, learn and to contribute to our collective understanding of this very important aspect of leadership.
Current research
We are currently working on a Special Edition of Management in Education to be published in Spring 2018, on Leadership Preparation and Development.
If you would like to come along to any events, and see what we do, please register on our Leadership Preparation and Development RIG page on the BELMAS website, or contact
