This course is designed to provide novice headteachers with the intellectual, professional and personal knowledge and critical capabilities to lead their school in the initial phase of their headship, through focused challenge tasks mapped to the school improvement planning cycle plans. The course complements and runs in parallel with Course 1: Shaping professional identity and practice.

None

Shaping professional identity and practice

Summative assessment: participants will be asked to identify three issues related to achieving equity and excellence in practice from their situational analysis and present an educational argument for addressing one of the identified issues through critical engagement with research literature and in debate with the wider educational community (2,000 words). Participants will be required to develop their educational argument through professional problem solving in the form of an academic poster to present to tutors and peers for discussion and feedback (Equivalent 2,000 words plus a plan for action).

The aim of this course is to provide novice headteachers with the intellectual, professional and personal knowledge and critical capabilities to lead their school in the initial phase of their headship through focused challenge tasks mapped to the school improvement planning cycle to achieve equity and excellence in education. The course complements and runs in parallel with Course 1: Shaping professional identity and practice.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

undertake a situational analysis of the school and its community

engage members of the school and its community in applying appropriate tools to evaluate the strengths and development needs of the school and its community

engage members of the school and its community in creating and developing a strategic vision for the school/educational establishment

develop an understanding of, and apply theory in the design of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment

work through the community and with other agencies and partners to advocate for and maximise the outcomes for children and young people

demonstrate and apply the use of academic and professional literacies to overtake the learning outcomes for the course.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.