Have you been appointed permanently to a middle leadership position in a Scottish Secondary school in the last 12 months?
Do you feel prepared for your role or are there aspects you wish you had been better prepared for in the lead up to your promotion?
Do you have a career story that you would like to share to help others as they prepare for leadership?
If the answers to the above are yes, then read on and find out you can help the future generations of leaders.
Hello!
My name is Kenny, and I am a Scottish Secondary school teacher of over 10 years having spent nearly 5 years as a departmental and faculty lead in 3 different schools.
My background…
I spent large portions of my undergraduate degree underperforming academically and getting passes by the skin of my teeth. When given the option on my PGDE year to enter assignments at Masters level, I declined the option, saying that I would never do any more formal education once I completed it.
After that, I spent five years passing my probation, completing a two-year Basic Expedition Leadership course as well as achieving my accreditation to become a Duke of Edinburgh supervisor and assessor.
I continued to hone my craft as a teacher (I am no way finished!) and started to gain leadership experience at a departmental level and was successful at interview to cover a maternity cover as a department head. After a fantastic time in a great department, I realised that I needed and wanted a deeper theoretical understanding to support my career journey. It had begun to niggle at me that I didn’t go for that Masters credit during my PGDE. When I returned to my substantive post, I applied to do my Masters in Educational Leadership at Strathclyde University thinking that I could get that done before going for a full time PT post. At the same time, I did think it wise to strike whilst the iron was hot and applied for a few PT jobs that were being advertised thinking it was worth a shot.
To my surprise, I was successful at both so in August 2017, I set off on an adventure both as a new Principal Teacher and as a Masters student. I had THE best time engaging with research, conversations with some of Strathclyde’s finest academics but also my fellow students.
However, I was riddled with imposter syndrome and always felt I did not have the academic or literacy skills needed to succeed. After a lot of hard work and dedication, I graduated with Merit with a Masters in Educational Leadership.
Why am I telling you this?
I am indulging you in a little of my story as it is important to the current leg of my professional journey and the doctoral research that I am currently engaging in.
As part of my doctoral studies, I completed a systematic literature review entitled “What elements of professional learning impact the leadership development of middle and senior leaders in schools in Scotland? A systematic review of the literature.” where I I engaged in Scottish research in the past ten years with a focus on leadership development and preparation for middle and senior leadership.
It will likely be no great surprise at the five key themes which permeated these nine articles:
- Collaboration and Relationships (8 articles)
- Formal Programmes (8 articles)
- Reflection (5 articles)
- Coaching and Mentoring (3 articles)
- Practitioner Enquiry (3 articles)
Although it is clear that there are links between the themes above, there were also limiting factors mentioned which hinder development. These were time, trust, and the needs of individual development versus the needs of the system.
However, many of the articles merely mention these as themes for professional development and do not go into detail regarding their effectiveness. This is the area that I wish to explore.
The convergence of my research and my story
Having secured a permanent middle leadership position within the first four years after my probation, I have always been anxious regarding my own ability to be both a great classroom teacher at the same time as a great departmental or faculty lead.
It leads me, amongst other things, to ask:
- What, if anything, could I have done better to prepare me for a formal leadership position?
- Should I have spent longer honing my craft as a classroom teacher?
- Are there specific elements (above or otherwise) that we should be concentrating on more in developing leaders?
And now over to you!
This is the part where you come in…
This research aims to address a gap in knowledge in the Scottish context around the perceptions of new middle leaders in Scotland’s secondary schools and their preparedness for their first middle leadership role. I wish to investigate what activities and support that made leaders feel prepared and their views on what they might have done to feel more prepared.
The study will use narrative inquiry to highlight the stories of middle leaders and the variety of perspectives that might emerge regarding preparation for leadership, promotion, and the confidence of leaders in carrying out their duties.
Participants will be asked to reflect on their careers to date and to articulate the preparedness they feel for taking on a middle leadership role in a Scottish secondary school. Participants will be offered the chance to consider their thoughts and feelings before an interview takes place, the interview then providing an opportunity for participants to retell their stories talking about the impact that particular events and experiences have had on their journeys. A follow up interview a few months later will allow for collaboration of the story told. This will allow the participant to ensure accuracy in the data collection from the initial interview, contribute to the analysis and allow both me and the participant the opportunity to add to the data after reflections from the initial interview.
How can I take part?
Complete the form below, scan the QR code, or email kenneth.drummond@strath.ac.uk
