Leadership and Management Development in Education (Education ...

THE NATIONAL COLLEGE FOR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP87to find out leaders’ views. This is done through formal surveys. For example theEduCom (2006) survey showed that 70 per cent of school leaders believe thatthe College’s activities are effective (NCSL 2006b: 31). It also engages directlywith leaders. The new Chief Executive met 2,000 school leaders during his firstyear in office.Support from school leaders is essential but even more important is the relationshipwith government. The central issue here is likely to be perceived valuefor money, given the huge investment in infrastructure and programmes. Onekey dimension is the evidence of the impact of school leadership, and leadershipdevelopment, on school and student outcomes. This is the focus of Chapter 8.Beyond this need for evidence is the wider requirement for ongoing political support.Bolam (2004) points to the problems of sustainability for publicly fundedbodies such as the NCSL. The opposition Conservative Party pledged to abolishthe NCSL had it been elected in 2005. While it seems secure following the reelectionof the Labour Party, Bolam (2004: 263) cautions ‘that nothing can, orshould, be taken for granted’. The closure of the NCSL would be regrettable givenits achievements but an even more serious concern is that much of thearchitecture of leadership development could be swept away with it. It is a measureof the College’s success that it is not easy to visualise the leadership landscapewithout it.