The Leadership, Empowerment & Improvement Workstream is designed to promote connections across the eight local authorities and support collaborative improvement across the West Partnership.
A range of opportunities are available for teachers, middle and senior leaders with a focus on enhancing practice and developing capacity for leading school improvement.
The West Partnership’s (WP) Improving Our… set of programmes and activity are developed by and for teachers and leaders across the eight local authorities (LAs). All the programmes and groups that drive them have the same focus on improvement through:
Improving Our Schools (IOS) is a year-long programme involving all practitioners and senior leaders within a primary school.
IOS is designed to part of the School Improvement Plan (SIP) and flexible to work in different contexts. The focus of the programme in each school is driven by their self-evaluation evidence. Participating schools include it in the SIP and Working Time Agreement.
There are six afternoon sessions for school leaders between March 2023 and May 2024. The final session in June sees leaders from participating schools come together to share what they have done and what difference it has made in their context.
If you’d like to know more, please contact Alison.Drever@eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk
Recruitment starts in January each year and the programme begins in March.
The West Partnership’s (WP) Improving Our… set of programmes and activity are developed by and for teachers and leaders across the eight local authorities (LAs). All the programmes and groups that drive them have the same focus on improvement through:
Principal teachers (PT) and faculty heads (FH) in any subject area who are looking for a secondary specific programme that is focussed on improvement at a department / faculty level. Buy–in and leadership that supports and drives engagement are pre-requisites. This won’t work for a department or faculty with existing serious issues or challenges.
IOD / F is structured round a flexible timeline with check-in points. This is the main tool used to guide the structure of the year and activities that are undertaken. It is straightforward and very much designed for PTs and FHs to use and adapt to fit their context.
IOD / F participants have access to the professional learning materials and tools used by the other programmes mentioned above. Also included are secondary specific examples shared by other secondary participants.
There will be five in person sessions, for PTs/ FHs spread over the period of 14 months. These are two hours long and held mid to late afternoon to minimise the impact on the school day. Dialogue and building networks are key features of all the sessions. They are held in different local authorities. Everyone presents their journey and progress to their peers in June ’25 at the end of the programme. All dates are shared at the start of the programme.
As with other Improving Our programmes, trio visits within departments / faculties and optional between school visits are also part of the timeline. Other opportunities to network and bring people together are planned depending on what participants identify as helpful.
IOD/F is designed to be a part of a department / faculty improvement plan and to be flexible to work in as many contexts as possible, across the BGE and Senior Phase. It is focussed on the priorities in the departments / faculties of participants identified through self-evaluation.
IOD/F compliments rather than being additional to existing improvement structures. It provides a supported structure to drive collaborative improvement – it’s everyone’s job, not just the PT / FH.
The opportunity to build networks with other PTs / FH from across the eight local authorities in the West Partnership area is a key feature of IOD/F.
If you have any questions, would like more information or to express an interest in participating, please get in touch Alison Drever from the West Partnership at alison.drever@eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk
Sign-ups start in February each year and the first session takes place in May.
Thinking About Headship (TAH) is a year-long programme that is a preparatory step for those on the journey towards headship. It is delivered by the West Partnership.
Thinking About Headship (TAH) is a programme for practitioners in any sector who are beginning their journey to being a headteacher but don’t feel quite ready to undertake Into Headship. It is aimed at effective deputy headteachers and principal teachers with at least two years of experience in a school-based leadership role and whose next role is likely to be that of headteacher. Working with colleagues in similar roles in other local authorities, the programme supports practitioners to develop their understanding of leadership from a strategic perspective. All participants are required to have the support of their headteacher before applying.
The programme has a number of different elements that are described below.
Participants are placed in a small group and work together for the duration of the programme. Where at all possible, groups are set-up so that there are different local authorities and sectors represented. This allows for rich discussion and learning across the year, supports collaboration and gives the opportunity to develop cross-authority networks. There are also opportunities to work with other participants at different points too, including in sector-specific groups.
Each group is allocated an experienced headteacher who works with them across the year. The headteacher supporters facilitate group discussions at TAH sessions. This provides an invaluable source of support, expertise and perspective.
This provides participants with a range of perspectives across the Scottish education system and the opportunity to consider these in relation to their own leadership journey. Sessions take place both online and face-to-face and last between an hour and a half and two hours. Most take place at the end of the school day but a small number are run together during the school day.
The frameworks are used to support professional dialogue across the sessions. This allows participants to reflect both on their own and other’s leadership experiences. At the end of the programme participants engage in a reflective professional discussion with a small number of senior education staff. The purpose of this is to support participants to critically reflect on what they have learned and consider what their next steps are.
Please speak to your headteacher in the first instance and share this information with them so you can discuss whether this is the right opportunity for you.
Applications open after the Spring break and close towards the end of May. Please get in touch with the officer who has the responsibility for leadership development in your local authority or email Alison Drever, West Partnership workstream lead officer: Alison.Drever@eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk if you would like to know more or would like an application form.
‘Thinking about Headship has provided me with the fantastic opportunity to learn from a range of inspiring Head Teachers and other leaders, as well as the space and support to reflect on my role as a leader and the role of Head Teacher. I would highly recommend this course to other aspiring Head Teachers.’
