Leadership and Management Development in Education (Education ...

THE NATIONAL COLLEGE FOR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP81NPQH candidates is ‘readiness for headship’ (www.ncsl.org.uk.npqh).The NCSL’s programmes include a wide range of activities thought to represent‘best practice’. Its international visits programme (Bush and Jackson 2002)led senior College staff to conclude that process-rich strategies, such as mentoring,coaching, school visits, action learning and e-learning, are more likelyto promote leadership learning than sustained engagement with theory andresearch. The author’s evaluations (for example, Bush and Glover 2005; Bush etal. 2007b) show that networking, action learning, mentoring and coachingwere rated highly by participants.The NCSL also makes extensive use of current and recent school heads tolead College provision. They work as tutors, mentors, coaches, facilitators andconsultants on many NCSL programmes (Bush et al. 2007b). While the terminologyvaries, the philosophy is consistent; current and recent headshipexperience is regarded as vital to achieve successful socialisation of the newgeneration of leaders. The new model NPQH, for example, ‘requires servingheadteachers to give NPQH colleagues support, challenge and feedback’(www.ncsl.org.uk/npqh). The programme will draw on the expertise of ‘highlyeffective headteachers’ (ibid.) to provide placements, in coaching trainees, andin serving on the graduation assessment panel. This stance is underpinned bythe view that contemporary experience of headship is essential to engage effectivelywith school leaders. The approach is generally facilitative rather thandidactic, drawing heavily on participants’ experience. However, this approachhas several potential drawbacks, which we examine later in this chapter.Programmes underpinned by researchThe NCSL gives a high priority to research and publications. Its deputy directoris also director of research and the current incumbent, Geoff Southworth, is adistinguished researcher, notably but not exclusively on primary headship. Itsresearch section plans and delivers the following activities:• Programme evaluations• Impact studies• Practitioner research associateships• Leading practice seminars• Publications on leadership (180 identified on the College website).(www.ncsl.org.uk/research)All major programmes are subject to external evaluation. Findings are usuallypublished and are regularly used to inform programme development. The Collegeis increasingly concerned to assess the impact of leadership, and of its own