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COLUMBA 1400: HEAD TEACHER LEADERSHIP
ACADEMY: DEVELOPING ENTERPRISE CULTURE
CHAPTER SEVEN: CONCLUSIONS
7.1 The Columba 1400 Head Teacher Leadership Academy
(HTLA) is a unique pilot programme that focuses on
realising and (eventually) fulfilling the potential for
leadership that is in every head teacher (and deputy head
teacher). It relies upon the facilitation and active
monitoring of a unique learning experience and personal
development that is acquired through the different elements
of the programme, especially through the six-day
residential element that takes place at the Columba 1400
Centre at Staffin on the Isle of Skye. Therefore, for each
HT and DHT that has completed the pilot programme the
learning experience, the personal development that takes
place and the individual impact of the programme will vary.
It will also vary with the dynamic of each HTLA - with the
learning that takes place from the sharing of experience
within each separate cohort of 15 HTs and DHTs that
undertake an individual HTLA. Despite this recognised
variety of the impacts of the programme, nevertheless, the
study's findings suggest that there are identifiable, if
subjective, impacts on changes in HT/DHT attitudes, in
behaviour, in practices and in learning outcomes. These
form the basis of the following conclusions.
Recommendations are treated separately in the following
section.
- The study found evidence of changes in attitudes
and behaviour of HT/DHTs post each HTLA. We have
identified changes that included greater willingness of
HT/DHTs to listen to and consult their staff, to be
more confident and affirmative, to delegate, to improve
communications, but particularly to utilise and
practise individual coaching using skills acquired on
the programme.
- The study also found a greater determination of HTs
and DHTs to seek to overcome barriers that may exist in
achieving personal and school objectives, including
those associated with DtS with an increased awareness
of the value of external relationships.
- The programme, as indicated, had the most impacts
on individual HT/DHT leadership and management
approaches and practices, in some cases, having
powerful and deep impacts that led to a reassessment of
personal goals, however, there were more limited
impacts on objectives that could be associated with
DtS. For example, limited evidence was found by the
study of a greater resolution to achieve change
associated with the direct introduction of enterprise
in the curriculum, or with building links with the
local business community, that would provide a
foundation for the achievement of some of the
objectives of DtS.
- Practice and attitudes to E in E varied, although
there was a high degree of awareness of different and
varied practice in enterprise in education pre Columba
1400. There was little direct connection made by all
the HTLAs with the Columba programme and E in E pre
Columba, however, post Columba greater association was
made between the nature of the HTLA and the aims of E
in E.
- Indeed there was some, apparently deliberately
maintained, vagueness of knowledge of all members of
each HTLA on the aims of the programme pre the
residential element at Staffin. This created a certain
'mystery', even though some members had been in contact
(e.g., at their school) with previous participants.
This could be accounted for by the desire of the
Columba 1400 trainers to focus upon individual personal
development that was continually monitored.
- Different elements of the programme varied in terms
of their impacts. The most valuable, and those having
the deepest and most profound impacts, were the
intensive coaching sessions and the inter-active group
seminar sessions. In particular the large degree of
time spent on the programme on the development of
individual coaching skills appeared to be worthwhile,
since there was evidence of changes in practice and
determination on the part of HT/DHTs to develop these
individual coaching skills further in their
schools.
- The flexibility of trainers to be able and willing
to respond to modifying the programme was an important
feature. Not just to be able to respond to the nature
of individual learning and development on each HTLA,
but also being able to modify elements of the programme
with later HTLAs. The study found that some elements
were modified following feedback from participants,
notably the whole group 'coracle' sessions. Although
this element was retained, it was modified, which
helped to increase the value of these sessions.
- The role of the individual psychometric profiling,
which was undertaken at the start of HTLA, was more
problematic. Although this session was also modified
with later HTLAs, to reduce time spent on the session
and to reduce the need for travelling, the value of the
session was never clearly identified by participants.
It did not appear to have a role in determining the
nature of subsequent sessions, for example, in the
make-up of the 'trios' for the coaching sessions, so
the value of this element of the HTLA programme must,
at least, be questionable.
- Other elements of the HTLA programme, the
inter-active group sessions, personal reflection and
graduation were highly valued by participants and could
be seen as essential elements. The two day preparation,
in Edinburgh, and the six day residential at Staffin on
Skye, were needed to provide the time required for
preparation and to allow for the individual personal
development of leadership capacity and potential which
were the main aims of the programme. Without such a
period of preparation and the dramatic location on
Skye, the programme could not have achieved such
impacts on personal and leadership development of
participating HTs and DHTs.
- Individual HT/DHT development, however, also
depended on an element that was difficult to predict,
control and measure, that of the dynamic interaction
that took place within each HTLA due to the composition
and the breadth of experience brought by participating
members within each HTLA. This raises the issue of
whether there should be an element of selection, for
example, by getting more vertical differences in
experience. All participating HTs and DHTs were at the
same stage of their career and were drawn from a
relatively narrow age range, their experience varied
horizontally (e.g., from different schools, rural or
urban, primary or secondary), there may be a case for
enriching the group dynamic by allowing more vertical
differences in experience. In some HTLAs, there was a
relatively large number from one education authority
but this did not seem to detract from the variety of
experience brought to the programme.
- A related issue is how the HTLA programme fits into
the framework for teacher CPD that has been
established, especially post McCrone. A strong finding
of the study was that the programme was very different
from any other CPD undertaken by the participants, a
unique and very valuable experience, but the Scottish
Executive needs to consider how it best complements the
existing CPD framework for teachers and this is dealt
with further in the recommendations.
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