We operate in and for urban secondary schools in Greater London, the West Midlands and North West England.

Find out below about the journey currently offered to potential Future Leaders participants, designed to enable them to contribute to school leadership within 12 months, and aim for headship of a challenging school after 4 years.

To view the current recruitment brochure for potential applicants, click here.

Leadership Coaching

From the moment they commence the programme, each participant is assigned an external Leadership Coach who will support them and assess their progress, setting targets to improve their performance. Leadership Coaches are either current or former headteachers with years of experience running urban challenging secondary schools. Leadership Coaches not only come into school to meet with participants, their Headteachers and In School Mentors, but also attend and help deliver training during residentials. During their residency year, participants also receive mentoring support from their headteacher. The mentor head provides ongoing inspiration and structuring of the experience for the participant so that they make the most of their residency year. Participants also benefit from meeting regularly with their In-School Mentor, a member of their residency school’s Senior Leadership Team, who will provide support on-site.  

Foundations
Over one day and two residential weekends in June and July, and ten days residential in August (see FAQs for dates) in Nottingham at the National College for School Leadership, Future Leaders brings together a leading faculty to provide participants with foundational training tailored to the needs of challenging urban schools. Modules include personal leadership, school ethos and culture, technical competency and student achievement. A key component of the rigorous and demanding training is the participants themselves, who will be sharing and recognising each other’s expertise, areas for development, and strengths - the foundations for future collaboration and peer support. Foundations also incorporates a “virtual school” tool which allows participants to create and build a vision for a new school working as a senior leadership team. During Foundations, participants will be supported by their allocated leadership coach and peer coaches: current Future Leaders participants. They will also be assessed by their leadership coach.  Above all, Foundations is an opportunity for Future Leaders to prepare for residency year and their future leadership in a challenging urban setting.

Residency Apprenticeship Year
From September 2009, participants enter their residency schools and start apprenticing under the mentor headteacher and their senior leadership team. Participants will have been matched with their mentor heads as part of the assessment process, based on their development needs and personality, and their residency school’s culture, ethos and location. During residency, participants work as a member of the school’s senior leadership team, carrying a teaching load in line with other senior leaders in the school, carrying out specific leadership duties given to them by the headteacher and receiving mentoring from the headteacher who will help them gain a number of key experiences that school leaders often need to succeed.

As part of the training, participants must carry out two specific projects in their residency year. The first is a data driven assessment project. The second will be a whole school project determined by the residency school.  Participants must complete these projects to a satisfactory level and meet Future Leaders overall training standards (designed to fit with other national criteria and the needs of challenging schools) in order to pass their residency training year and be recommended for progression to senior leadership roles the following year.

Participants will undergo a series of assessments by their coach to help determine their progress and guide their development needs.  Coaches will also seek regular feedback from participants’ headteachers and/or In School Mentors.  This will also help determine the level of senior leadership post they should be applying for during the job application process for year 2 and beyond.   During the residency year, participants receive a bespoke career support package including interview training to help them with their applications.

During this time, participants draw a salary in line with that which they received from their previous employer, up to a cap of £50,000 per annum.

School Visits

During the first year of the programme, participants have the opportunity to visit exemplary urban schools in the USA.  A member of their senior leadership team normally accompanies the participant on this visit to maximise the learning experience.  Further visits to exemplary schools in the UK are arranged throughout the four year programme.  These visits aim to inspire and raise expectations, and enable the observation and sharing of best practice.

Preparation for senior leadership

Several months before most vacancies for senior leadership positions are advertised, participants will receive training in how to best prepare themselves for applications and interviews.  While participants are responsible for securing a job in Year 2 of the programme and beyond, Future Leaders and the participant’s coach can give guidance on suitable schools and their application.  Participants must only apply to urban challenging schools, meeting Future Leaders’ criteria.

Second Year

During the second year, participants will start to put into use the tools, experiences and skills they will have acquired during the residency year, and gain further experience and knowledge that help them make a difference to the school they are working in and in preparing them to become a headteacher.  They continue to benefit from formal training through seminars, residentials and peer-led sessions and their coach will visit them on a regular basis to help guide their development.  For Years 3 and 4, participants will continue to receive training and support as they prepare for NPQH and ultimately headship.

And beyond...to headship

Participants continue to benefit from Future Leaders training and support, geared towards them gaining their first headship. They are part of a growing participant network that is brought together at events, the Annual Conference, and through the alumni association. They can communicate with one another through an interactive online forum which also acts as a resource base.  Participants are expected to contribute back to the programme through the payback scheme, whereby they complete projects and consultancy work to help Future Leaders and other participants. They are also encouraged to help recruit, mentor, support and train other participants.