Category: Leader

Fully funded places available on Open University Microcredentials

The OU in Scotland is currently offering some fully funded places on our Microcredential courses starting in June/July 2024. These courses run from 10 – 12 weeks and are designed for people looking to gain new skills to help advance their careers. The courses are delivered online via distance learning which allows you to fit in time for learning alongside work and life commitments. They can give you and your staff practical skills that can be immediately utilised in the workplace. Offered at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, the courses will also give you the chance to learn alongside people in a wide range of sectors and roles and share knowledge and experience.

The courses on offer are:

  • Agile Leadership and Management
  • Business Management: Marketing Principles and Practice
  • Business Management: Improving Organisational Practice
  • Business Management: People Management and Leadership
  • Business Management: Project Management
  • Business Management: Fundamentals of Management Accounting
  • Business Management: Financial Accounting for Non-Financial Roles
  • Climate Change: Transforming Your Organisation for Sustainability
  • Cyber Security Operations
  • Mental Health: Working with Children and Young People
  • Mentoring and Coaching in Professional Learning
  • Python Programming
  • Teacher Development: Embedding Mental Health in the Curriculum

More information about the courses and the application form can be found at https://www.open.ac.uk/courses/choose/scotland-micro. The deadline for applications is 19th May 2024.

Catholic School Leadership Programme

Catholic School Leadership Programme

The Scottish Catholic Education Service and the Archdiocese of St. Andrews & Edinburgh have been working in partnership with Scottish Borders Council to develop an integrated approach to leadership development for aspiring and present Catholic school leaders through the formation of a Catholic School Leadership programme.

This network will offer a framework for identifying, nurturing and developing future and present Catholic leaders within Scottish Borders Council and will feature two aspects: accompaniment and encounter.

  1. Accompaniment Sessions (dates agreed by Facilitators locally)

 There will be 4 on-line accompaniment sessions which will be facilitated by middle and senior leaders in Scottish Borders schools. At these sessions you will use materials prepared by the Scottish Catholic Education Service as part of their Good Shepherd Leadership Pathway programme to consider middle leadership in a Catholic school.  The sessions will involve the Facilitators directing you towards reading and use of video clips to encourage discussion, sharing good practice and reflection on the role of the middle leader in a Catholic school.

  1. Diocesan Encounter Sessions

These in-person sessions will involve all the participants taking part in the Catholic School Leadership programme from across the Archdiocese of St. Andrews & Edinburgh and will be hosted by the RE Advisors.  These sessions will involve a presentation from a Catholic leader, spiritual activities followed by an opportunity to network with colleagues across the Archdiocese.

 Session 1   The role of the Catholic Middle Leader: 22nd October 2024 4pm – 5:30pm

 Session 2   Spiritual leadership in a Catholic school: 24th February 2025 4pm – 5:30pm

Session 3   Relational leadership: 28th May 2025 4pm – 6pm

This network is intended to be supportive and encouraging.  The framework will offer colleagues opportunities to connect and reflect. There will be no formal activity and we hope no implication for workload.

We know that Scottish Borders Council has excellent leadership programmes to support those considering all types of leadership, in both the denominational and non-denominational sector.  This programme is intended to meet the needs specifically for Catholic school leaders. It would therefore be important to note that this offering is intended to support those who meet the requirements to be appointed (at the appropriate time) to the post of a middle leader in a Catholic school.

If you’d like more information on this new programme, please get in touch with Margaret Barton, the Secondary School RE Advisor at margaret.barton@staned.org.uk or Melissa Gavan, the Primary School RE Advisor at melissa.gavan@staned.org.uk

Recruitment to Into Headship Programme 2024 – 2025

Recruitment to Into Headship Programme 2024 – 2025

We are pleased to confirm that recruitment for the next cohort of the Into Headship programme will be open from Monday 29th January until Friday 8th March 2024.

Please note – we are aware that the Education Scotland website states 29 March as the closing date. This is the date that Local Authorities must confirm all successful applicants to Education Scotland and our recruitment process has to take place prior to this.

Into Headship

Into Headship is Scotland’s national programme for teachers with relevant leadership experience, who are aspiring to a headteacher post within the next 2-3 years.  The purpose of the Into Headship programme is to further develop the skills, knowledge and understanding, professional values, abilities and commitment for participants to move into headship with the confidence to lead a dynamic school community. Successful completion of the programme leads to the award of the Standard for Headship which is a mandatory requirement for all newly appointed permanent headteachers in publicly funded schools in Scotland.

The updated national guidance document will be made available within the coming weeks.

Application Process

Applicants should submit a completed form, and an endorsement form from their line manager to CLPL@scotborders.gov.uk

For entry on to this programme, local authorities should complete an interview process with applicants to confirm that they can demonstrate appropriate experience and professional learning in leadership, relevant to local context.

Application and endorsement forms will be available from:  https://professionallearning.education.gov.scot/learn/programmes/into-headship/

Programme Funding

It is anticipated that funding to support the fees will continue for the 2024 cohort, however this is subject to the outcome of the budget bill process in Scottish Parliament and subsequently Scottish Ministers’ agreement.

Travelling expenses are not included as part of the funding.

Aspiring Leaders Senior Leaders Middle Leaders

 

Into Headship – Applications Opening Soon

The Into Headship programme is for GTCS-registered teachers aspiring to the post of headteacher, who are likely to be successful within the next 2-3 years.

If you would like to find out more about the Into Headship programme we will be holding an online information session on 24 January at 4:30pm.

Why not come along and hear about the application process, find out more information about the course and hear from past participants. We will be joined by colleagues from SEIC Local Authorities, Education Scotland and Edinburgh University.

Please contact CLPL@scotborders.gov.uk to receive the joining instructions.

Into Headship – Information Session

The Into Headship programme is for GTCS-registered teachers aspiring to the post of headteacher, who are likely to be successful within the next 2-3 years.

If you would like to find out more about the Into Headship programme we will be holding an online information session on 24 January at 4:30pm.

Why not come along and hear about the application process, find out more information about the course and hear from past participants. We will be joined by colleagues from SEIC Local Authorities, Education Scotland and Edinburgh University.

Please contact CLPL@scotborders.gov.uk to receive the joining instructions.

 

Standard for Middle Leadership event

We’d like to draw your attention to an upcoming event hosted by GTC Scotland focusing on the Standard for Middle Leadership. Please share this with colleagues who may be interested in attending.

On 20 November 2023, GTC Scotland will host its first annual event focused on engaging with the Professional Standard for Middle Leadership. 

The event is open to all registrants who are existing and aspiring middle leaders, and aims to stimulate professional thinking, discussion, and national networking.

We will be joined by guest speaker Kevin Brack, Lecturer in Educational Leadership, Programme Director: MEd Leadership and Learning at University of Edinburgh, who discuss themes such as middle leadership identity, the growing importance of middle leaders in a time of educational reform and the unique professional learning needs of middle leaders.

Kevin Brack is a former primary school Headteacher and in 2018 was appointed Attainment Advisor for Dundee with Education Scotland.

He has previously been involved in research into Financial Education in the USA and has presented his work on school improvement at conferences across the UK, in Denmark and Boston, MA. In 2016 Kevin was appointed to the First Minister’s Reading Challenge Advisory Group and he was shortlisted for the Outstanding Leadership Award at the Quality Improvement Awards in 2017. Kevin’s current teaching and research focuses on school leadership, headship and the professional learning of teachers and leaders.

Participants will be split into breakout rooms to stimulate professional thinking, discussion, and networking, based on what Kevin has discussed.

If you have any questions on the event, can you direct them towards Asif Chishti – Asif.Chishti@gtcs.org.uk