Leadership and Management Development in Education (Education ...

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THE NATIONAL COLLEGE FOR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP85University master’s degrees, and other forms of leadership development, willnot be acceptable alternatives. This will reinforce the perception, and thereality, that the NCSL is taking control of the school leadership agenda. ‘Thecollege’s power has been exercised wisely but the lack of pluralism inevitablycarries risks’ (Bush 2006: 509).A significant side-effect of the creation and success of the NCSL has been itsnegative impact on universities. Some have closed or scaled down theireducational leadership centres while all are experiencing difficulties inrecruiting candidates to their master’s and doctoral programs. Many schoolleaders who might have taken postgraduate degrees now seem to believe thatNCSL’s less demanding provision is sufficient to meet their needs. Theacademic field of educational administration and leadership remainsimportant for scholarship but its long-term future is uncertain. Someuniversities are responding by focusing on research, and internationalprogrammes, but these are unlikely to generate sufficient income to enable allthe specialist centres to survive (Bush 2006: 510).Levine (2005: 58) notes that the NCSL does not award degrees and adds that‘the college seeks partnerships with universities so that their students can earndegrees and credits for their NCSL work’. In practice, however, only a tinyproportion of College participants do so. The College’s 2007 remit letter fromthe Secretary of State urges the College to consider how accreditation linkswith other courses might be developed (www.ncsl.org.uk/programmes). Whilethe new model NPQH proposal makes tentative links to ‘M’-level work, thisfalls short of the full articulation necessary to produce a meaningful linkbetween College provision and academic leadership programmes.It is unduly influenced by the governmentWhen the NCSL was established, it was expected to fulfil three main roles:• To be a government agency, responding to the requirements set out by theSecretary of State and elaborated by Departmental officials• To be a voice for school leaders, articulating their views to government• To be an independent organisation, developing and implementing its ownpolicies and programmes.While Southworth (2004: 340) states that the College seeks active partnershipswith all the key players and stakeholders in the education service, there can belittle doubt that NCSL’s principal stakeholder is the government, for three mainreasons:
86LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT IN EDUCATION1. It is a creature of government, which appoints its chair and governing body.2. It operates in accordance with a remit letter produced annually by the Secretaryof State.3. It is funded on a substantial scale by government; more than £100 millionper annum.(NCSL 2006b)Levine (2005: 57) notes that ‘juggling the three, sometimes inconsistent, rolesof NCSL – government agency, independent organization, and voice of theschooling profession – is difficult’. While senior NCSL staff seek to find anappropriate balance, it seems inevitable that government requirements will beprivileged as and when these constituencies come into conflict. This leadsThrupp (2005: 18) to argue that NCSL can be seen as ‘the delivery arm of theDfES’, rather than being an independent voice for school leaders. The 2006–09Corporate Plan (NCSL 2006b: 27) states that ‘we will continue to listen closelyto school leaders’. Significantly, it adds that ‘we are establishing a closer relationshipwith ministers and officials … and expect to have a stronger influenceon future policy and practice’ (ibid.). This shows the College’s ambition to havea two-way relationship with government, responding to, but also influencing,policy. This is a sound strategy for both parties but it would be foolish to assumethat this is an equal relationship. The NCSL’s income, and its very survival,depend on satisfying the government’s policy imperatives.ConclusionThere are mixed views about the achievements and influence of NCSL. In its shortlife, it has fundamentally changed the landscape of leadership and managementdevelopment by establishing a suite of impressive programmes, developing anotable electronic platform and becoming a major sponsor of school leadershipresearch. The College’s overall conception and scale represent a major step forwardfor school leadership and its development in England, and globally. TheNCSL is unique in that it provides a national focus on leadership, stresses developmentat all stages, relies heavily on practice and practitioners, and reaches avery large number of school leaders. It is clear that it is now the dominant influenceon school leadership development and research. However, the NCSL hasalso pursued scale at the expense of depth, demanded too little from its participants,and overemphasized practice at the expense of theory (Bush 2006: 508).The future of the NCSL, as with any other government creature, depends onit retaining the goodwill and support of its stakeholders. School leaders, in particular,need to be satisfied that it meets their development needs in diverse andappropriate ways. The College does not take such support for granted, but seeks
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