Report highlights crucial role of school leadership
The importance of leadership in driving forward educational change in Wales has been highlighted in a new report by a guiding coalition of international experts.
The second meeting of the Wales Education Commission considered the major impact leadership has on school standards and reflected on what some of the world’s highestperforming education systems have done to support school leaders.
It follows Education Secretary Kirsty Williams’ commitment to strengthening school leadership through a new National Academy that will ensure leaders in Wales’ education system can benefit from high-quality professional learning opportunities.
The Wales Education Commission, which brings together educational thinkers from across the world, responded to the Welsh Government’s leadership agenda by presenting observations on international best practice.
It looked at successful leadership strategies in Canada, the USA and Scotland, and was given an insight into the mobilising of headteachers during the London Challenge programme.
In its second report to the education community, the Commission stated that it considered the quest for effective system leadership at all levels within Wales’ education system to be “of paramount importance”.
The report said: “Members stressed the need to create a culture for change, recognising that Wales has embarked on total system reform. This will require a shift of mindset and behaviour across the entire education profession.
“Therefore, the challenge for leaders at all levels is great and they will be crucial to the successful delivery of the Welsh Government’s vision for education in Wales. Distributed leadership is a key strategy for sharing this responsibility.
“The Commission noted there was an immediacy associated with improving performance in Wales – but that this could not come at the cost of wider workforce development and a strong political will would be required to ‘stay the course’ and allow new policy to bed in.
“It urged the Welsh Government to be clear about how the success of its priorities will be measured and seek to communicate that message to all stakeholders.”
The Commission, which meets three times a year and considers education at all stages, is part of the University of Wales’ Trinity Saint David’s newly-developed Yr Athrofa – Institute of Education.
The group’s dual purpose is to help guide the work of Yr Athrofa and its professional learning partnership of schools and university staff, while simultaneously contributing actively to the wider education debate in Wales.
Professor Dylan Jones, Director of Yr Athrofa and Secretary to the Commission, said that learning from partners across the globe would be of huge benefit to Wales.
He said: “The wealth of international expertise we have brought to Wales allows us to reflect critically, in an innovative manner, on what are the appropriate developments for our education system.
“I am delighted by the support provided by this distinguished group of individuals, each of whom has gained immense respect for the contribution that they have made to improving education through their own work.
“The Welsh Government has embarked on an ambitious reform agenda and we are hopeful that insight provided by the Wales Education Commission will help iron out potential bumps in the road.”
Prof Jones added: “These are exciting times for Welsh education and the culture of collaboration engendered by the Cabinet Secretary is none more prevalent than in our guiding coalition of international experts.”
The Commission includes Dr Carol Campbell, Associate Professor of Leadership and Educational Change at the University of Toronto; Professor Trevor Gale, Head of the School of Education at the University of Glasgow; Laura Perille, Chief Executive of Boston-based EdVestors; Mick Waters, Professor of Education at Wolverhampton University; and David Woods, Professor of Education at Warwick and London universities.
The Wales Education Commission’s second meeting took place at the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea. Its subsequent report can be viewed in full at the website www. athrofa.cymru