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Guidance
Teaching schools and system leaders: who they are and what they do
- From:
- National College for Teaching and Leadership
- Part of:
- How to access school-to-school support
- First published:
- 25 March 2014
- Last updated:
- 4 April 2016, see all updates
- Applies to:
- England
Find a teaching school, system leader or teaching and leadership adviser in your area to get tailored support for you and your school.
Overview
One of the most effective ways of achieving school improvement is by working with other schools.
There are now many opportunities for school leaders and governors to work with and receive support from their peers. This guide summarises the options available to you and how to access them.
How to find a system leader or teaching school
Use the school-to-school support directory to find and contact system leaders or teaching schools in your area.
We’re looking to improve our content on support for schools and how you find support in your area. Please give us your views.
Teaching schools
The role of teaching schools is to work with others to provide high-quality training and development and support in their local area.
Teaching schools lead in 6 areas:
- School-led initial teacher training
- Continuing professional development
- Supporting other schools
- Identifying and developing leadership potential
- Recruiting and managing specialist leaders of education
- Research and development
Read the latest Teaching schools: the school perspective report. This report gives examples of what teaching schools around the country are doing to respond to the main areas of their role.
Contact a teaching school
Schools are welcome to contact a teaching school to ask about what they can offer.
Find teaching schools in your area:
- school-to-school support directory – contact details are available through the directory
- teaching schools map
Costs
There may be costs, depending on what type of support you need. You will negotiate any payment with the teaching school.
Time commitment for you and/or your staff
This will vary considerably, depending on how much support your school needs. Some projects only take a few days, others can include full-time support roles over a period of several years. Your school, the teaching school, and any concerned organisations (for example, Ofsted or the local authority) will negotiate this.
Further information
Local authorities and other educational support organisations who want to work with teaching schools should email us at the address below to discuss options.
For more information about teaching schools, email teaching.schools@education.gov.uk.
National leaders of education (NLEs)
NLEs are outstanding headteachers who work with schools in challenging circumstances to support school improvement.
Because their support role will often include members of their own staff, the school of a national leader of education is called a national support school.
You should contact an NLE if you want to improve performance at your school. They will meet with the headteacher and senior staff from your school to discuss the challenges you face and what help is needed. Their work will be tailored in partnership with you.
They can get involved in different ways, including:
- working with your school alongside their staff
- working with your school on their own
- their staff working with your school under their initial direction
Contact an NLE
Use the school-to-school support directory to find national leaders of education in your area. Contact details are available through the directory. You can contact the NLE directly.
Costs
There may be costs, depending on what type of support you need. Any payments will be negotiated between you and the NLE’s school.
Time commitment for you and your staff
This is a very intensive form of support. The length and type of work can vary significantly. It could involve up to 3 to 4 days of support per week for 2 years or more.
Further information
For more information about NLEs, email nle.enquiries@education.gov.uk.
National leaders of governance (NLGs)
NLGs are highly effective chairs of governors who support chairs of governors in other schools.
You should contact an NLG if you want to improve the leadership and performance of your school’s governing body.
Typical activities include:
- coaching and mentoring
- reviewing the responsibilities of the governing body
- action planning
- supporting academy conversion
- advising on reviewing headteacher performance
Contact an NLG
Use the school-to-school support directory to find national leaders of governance in your area. Contact details are available through the directory. You can contact the NLG directly.
Costs
NLGs are expected to have a placement at least once over the course of a year, supporting a chair of governors, and his or her school. Any cost will be negotiated between you and the NLG’s school.
Time commitment for you and your governors
The NLG will work directly with your school’s chair of governors. Their support can include:
- phone calls
- emails
- face-to face meetings
The time can be spent across full or partial days, during evenings or at weekends.
Further information
For more information about NLGs, email governors.mailbox@education.gov.uk.
Local leaders of education (LLEs)
The National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) will no longer designate LLEs, and instead we‘ll give teaching schools the freedom to recruit and designate school leaders in this role as they already do with specialist leaders of education (SLEs).
Please read the local leaders of education news story for further information.
Specialist leaders of education (SLEs)
SLEs are experienced middle or senior leaders with a specialism (for example, maths, initial teacher training, behaviour).
While other roles (for example, advanced skills teachers) focused on developing classroom expertise, this role is about developing other leaders so that they have the skills to lead their own teams and improve practice in their own schools.
You should contact an SLE if you want to improve the leadership in a specific subject or specialist area in your school.
SLEs can provide one-to-one or group support. Their work could involve a variety of activities, such as:
- data analysis
- coaching
- facilitating and training
- joint action planning
SLE specialisms cover the 4 areas of focus for Ofsted.
| Ofsted focus | Areas of expertise |
|---|---|
| Leadership and management | Academies and academy transition; assessment; leadership of continuing professional development; school business management and financial management; leadership of curriculum |
| Pupil achievement | Art; closing the gap; drama; design and technology; early years; English; geography; history; information and communication technology; maths; modern foreign languages; music; phonics; physical education; personal, social and health education; religious education; science; special educational needs; support for the most able pupils |
| Quality of teaching | Initial teacher training and newly qualified teacher development |
| Behaviour and safety | Behaviour and discipline; attendance |
Contact an SLE
Teaching schools manage the placements for SLEs. A teaching school in your area will send the SLE to work with staff in your school.
Use the school-to-school support directory to find teaching schools in your area, then browse the subjects that SLEs cover in those schools. Contact details are available through the directory. You can contact the teaching school directly.
Costs
You will usually need to pay the teaching school for an SLE’s time. Payment for SLE services is negotiated by you and the teaching school.
Time commitment for you or your staff
This will vary according to the project, level of support required and number of your staff involved. For example, one project might be a 2 day diagnostic exercise, while another might require a 3 month, full-time support role. Time may be taken as a block of consecutive days or spread over a longer period.
Further information
For more information about SLEs, email sle.enquiries@education.gov.uk.
Regional support: teaching and leadership advisers
Teaching and leadership advisers will work regionally with the education sector to help teaching schools work together. In particular, they will:
- act as critical friends for existing teaching schools
- support the identification and designation of new teaching schools
- support de-designated teaching schools
- work closely with the Teaching School Council to support the development of teaching school networks
- support candidates and successful NLEs and NLGs
- support initial teacher training (ITT) activity
- increase School Direct requests for allocations
- work with licensees to plan and implement changes towards the end of the licence period in March 2016
- increase NCTL’s engagement in regions with few teaching schools or system leaders
Contact us
If you would like to contact a Teaching and Leadership Adviser in your region, please email teachingschools.enquiries@education.gov.uk or contact our help desk.
Teaching school and system leader help desk
Telephone 0800 085 0984
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, excluding UK bank holidays.
Document information
Published: 25 March 2014
Updated: 4 April 2016
- Survey added to capture your views on our support for schools content and how you access support in your area.
- Linking through to the latest Teaching schools: the school perspective report.
- Updated the list of SLEs with a designated specialism
- First published.