1. Into Middle Leadership in Schools
Session 1: Leadership and learning

2. Session 1: Key areas of middle leadership and management
Leading and learning
Valuing and visioning in context
Communicating and decision-taking
Motivating individuals and teams
Managing conflict and difficult people
Planning and implementing improvement
Evaluating outcomes for learners

3. Session1: Learning outcomes
By the end of this session you will have:
Read and reflected on thought pieces relating to the functions and qualities of middle leaders in schools
Clarified your ideas about the nature of middle leadership
Evaluated your current middle leadership strengths against a standard
Reflected on the link between middle leadership and learning

4. Into Middle Leadership in Schools
Session 2: Valuing and visioning in context

5. Session 2: Learning outcomes
By the end of this session, you will have:
Read and reflected upon a number of thought pieces relating to values, vision, culture and ethos
Reflected upon your personal values and vision
Analysed a school/department in terms of its ability to promote or hamper improvement
Expressed leadership values in connection with any proposed school improvement project

6. “This is how we do things around here.”
Session 2: Valuing and visioning in context
CULTURE: A set of values and assumptions that underlie the statement
“This is how we do things around here.”

7. Session 2: Leadership culture
The way in which school leaders and managers treat their colleague, pupils and parents
The appropriate use of power, influence and style will help leaders to secure the commitment of their colleagues, pupils and parents

8. Session 2: Ethos
The ethos of a school is the quality of relationships in it as a result of the ‘way we do things around here’, particularly with regard to levels of mutual respect and collegial activity

9. Session 2: Climate
The pervasive ‘atmosphere’ of a school or department, it’s warmth or coldness of welcome
The climate of a school, like the ethos of a school, reflects the culture of a school

10. Session 2: Values
Personal beliefs about what is really important in life.
Values will influence a leader’s preferences and aspirations, perception of situations and problems and choice of behaviour in dealing with a given situation.

11. Session 2: Vision
A mental picture of a preferred future for a school in which things are in some way better than they are now
The composition of such a picture is influenced by our values

12. Session 2: The leader’s challenge
To develop a consensus around the values that underpin an effective culture, climate and ethos
To create a learning environment based on those values that is dedicated to raising the attainments and achievements of every pupil

13. Into Middle Leadership in Schools
Session 3: Communication and decision-making

14. Session 3: Learning outcomes
By the end of this session, you will have:
Read and reflected on a number of thought pieces related to communication and decision-making
Reviewed the key skills required in identifying and reducing barriers to communication
Reviewed the nature of the decision-making/ decision-taking process

15. Session 3: Leadership and communication
It is impossible to exaggerate how important it is for any team leader to be able to communicate effectively
Effective communication
Builds relationships
Builds trust
Builds mutual respect

16. Session 3: Understanding the process of communication
View communication as a people process, rather than a language process.
Meaning is not in what is said or meant, but rather in what is heard and understood.

17. Session 3: Communication effectiveness
When effective communication occurs, there is a mutual sharing of ideas and feelings out of which understanding develops and action can jointly be taken

18. Session 3: Barriers to communication
Poor Interpersonal
relationships
Information Overload Differences in status
Semantics Filtering
Paralanguage Time

19. Session 3: Reducing communication barriers
Establishing good interpersonal relationships
Managing position power
Acquiring feedback
Being an active listener
Displaying empathy
Understanding the ethics of conversation

20. Consultative Autocratic Joint decision-making Distributive
Session 3: The art of decision-making
Four ways in which school leaders make group decisions
Consultative
Autocratic
Joint
decision-making
Distributive

21. Session 3: Decision-making: Three key topics
Quality and acceptance
Degree of concern
Level of decision-making

22. Session 3: The decision-making process
Identify the problem
Analyse critical issues
Explore alternative solutions
Assess solutions for best fit
Select the best alternative
Implement the alternative
Evaluate the process and monitor the results

23. Into Middle Leadership in Schools
Session 4: Motivating people and building teams

24. Session 4: Learning outcomes
By the end of this session, you will have:
Read and reflected upon a number of thought pieces relating to motivation and team building
Reflected on key principles in motivating individuals and teams
Recognised the importance of adapting leadership style to context
Reflected upon the qualities and skills required to build a team
Reflected upon the importance of well-managed meetings

25. Session 4: Motivation
No leader can rely upon genius: the supply is always scarce and unreliable.
It is the test of a leader:
To make ordinary people perform better than they seem capable of
To bring out whatever strength there is in team members
To use each person’s strength to help all the other members perform

26. Session 4: Motivation
Intrinsic motivation is more powerful and lasting than any carrot or stick.
So the secret is to create the kind of environment in which people will motivate themselves.

27. Session 4: Motivation
There is one absolute when it comes to the uses of power, influence and leadership style to motivate people
That is that there are no absolutes when it comes to the uses of power, influence and leadership style to motivate people

28. Session 4: Teamwork
A team approach is particularly important in developing the plans, policies and procedures by which teaching and learning will be delivered.
Team members will be much more inclined to commit themselves to the implementation of a particular approach if they have been jointly involved in its formulation in the first place.
From the pupil perspective, there will be a consistency and coherence of approach that will enhance their learning.

29. Session 4: Teambuilding
Performing
Norming
Storming
Forming

30. Session 4: Chairing meetings
Climate setting
Leading the discussion
Gate-keeping
Refereeing
Administering

31. Into Middle Leadership in Schools
Session 5: Managing conflict and difficult people

32. Session 5: Learning outcomes
By the end of this session, you will have:
Read and reflected upon a number of thought pieces about the nature of conflict
Reflected on the management of conflict and difficult people
Identified the key leadership skills, the principles and the steps that are required to remove or reduce conflict

33. Conflict can be functional or dysfunctional.
Session 5: The nature of conflict
Conflict can be functional or dysfunctional.
When conflict is functional, the school benefits;
is a win-win attitude and harmony exists.
When conflict is dysfunctional, there is a win-lose
attitude and hostility is produced .

34. Competition for scarce resources A desire for autonomy
Session 5: Five main sources of conflict
Competition for scarce resources
A desire for autonomy
Divergence over method and means
Personality clashes
Loose cannons

35. Session 5: Strategies for managing conflict
Avoidance
Smoothing
Bargaining
Power struggle
Problem solving

36. Into Middle Leadership in Schools
Session 6: Planning and Implementing Improvement

37. Session 6: Learning outcomes
By the end of this session, you will have:
Understood the connection between the management process and the planning process
Written a draft action plan with rationale
Reflected upon your overall planning skills

38. Vision Values Aims Session 6: The management and planning process
Audit
Plan
Implement
Evaluate

39. Into Middle Leadership in Schools
Session 7: Evaluating outcomes for learners

40. Session 7: Learning outcomes
By the end of this session, you will have:
Reviewed the importance of evaluation to professional practice
Reflected upon the pros and cons of different methods of evaluation
Confirmed the importance of rigorous self evaluation
Carried out an evaluation of your SMART action and learning plans

41. Meet Needs Identify Needs Evaluate Impact
Session 7: CPD and school improvement
Identify Needs
Meet Needs
Evaluate Impact

42. Session 7: Who should evaluate and how?
External – Inspector/QIO
Internal – senior, peer, junior
Self – after considering other views
Observation
Discussion
Analysis of outcomes

43. Session 7: From CPD to School Improvement
Four levels of evaluation
Reaction of participants – what they thought of the CPD input
Learning – the resulting increase for participants in knowledge and understanding
Behaviour – the extent to which new knowledge and understanding led to new behaviour
Impact – the effect of the new behaviour on learning outcomes