What do teachers think of Collective Leadership?

Isle of Iona: Island rejects Council’s proposed ‘Collective Leadership Model’ across Argyll & Bute schools

Iona Community Council (ICC) has consulted its island community regarding Argyll & Bute Council’s proposal to remove all Head Teacher posts, reduce decision-making power in all schools, and put schools under the control of ‘Executive Heads’ across the local authority area.  Read More

The EIS represents over 85% of teachers in Argyll and Bute.

Read the EIS briefing for Parent Councils, 24^th January

Teachers are concerned there is

• No evidence that the proposals will improve children’s education.
• No evidence for a new model of school leadership.
• No detail: e.g. which schools are to be joined together in collectives with an Executive Head?

You are invited to sign the EIS petition on www.eis.org.uk/Argyll-And-Bute/Petition and to write to your local Councillor.

What do parent councils think of the Collective Leadership Proposal?

 A statement will be available soon

 What other communities/bodies feel about Collective Leadership?

 That it was is model of last resort, an emergency response

• That there is no case for radical change
• That we need to invest in our staff/improve and review the current system, evolve
• We want to work collaboratively will all groups, teachers/staff, unions, Council, parent councils

What the experts say ADES – The Association of Directors of Education in Scotland.

 ADES represents senior leaders in Education and has over 300 members. The comment below was made with respect to national reforms.

“We do not believe that the case for radical or fundamental change in governance structures has been made”. (pg 2) See a link to the report below. Support needs and the position of small school as well as so many other concerns are still being discussed at national levels as reform is being planned. This begs the question is this proposal timely in terms of national reform? Are stability and certainty NOT the key desires of all involved during a pandemic? Is this proposal ill-timed/premature? Link to ADES document:

ADES Governance Review Final

Strong leadership in schools

“Headteachers occupy a unique place in their communities and in the management framework of Councils. It is significant that parents have rights, set out in law1 , to participate in the appointment of headteachers and depute headteachers. It is the headteacher who is responsible for reconciling the learning needs of the children in her, or his, care with the requirements of national and local policy and to deliver that in the context of the community.”

We simply have no way of knowing how the role of the head teacher will be protected under this model. In the long-term what will a head of school be qualified head teacher, a depute head teacher or a principal teacher, there are no details no guarantees we won’t damage one of the key strengths of our existing system.

 “If we really want to transform our schools, we should expect less from policy-driven reforms and more from the visionary leadership of principals, professional wisdom of the teachers, and passionate engagement of students as change-makers”. Sahlberg