Leadership
Includes strategic vision, pedagogy, professional learning, collaboration, staffing.
Why leadership matters
Successful leadership establishes a culture that places learners’ progress and wellbeing at the heart of a school’s work. It ensures that the quality of teaching and learning experiences support all learners to thrive, progress and realise the four curriculum purposes.
Effective leaders ensure that all staff implement agreed policies and strategies consistently in the best interest of all learners. They establish strong links between curriculum, pedagogy, teaching and learning to support the school in achieving its vision for learners.
Successful leadership nurtures a culture that inspires staff to become the best they can be. Effective leaders develop the leadership skills of others within and beyond their school.
The reflection and dialogue prompts in this category are organised into the following categories:
Strategic vision
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How well does leadership:
- Establish a clear vision for learning, teaching and the curriculum that secures the best possible progress and wellbeing for all learners?
- Draw upon the views and actions of the school community to shape, implement and review its vision?
- Use its vision to underpin a shared sense of purpose, high expectations and positive cultures in all aspects of its work?
Additional toolkits:
Schools as Learning Organisations (SLO) survey (requires Hwb login)
Pedagogy (Learning, teaching & curriculum)
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How well does leadership:
- Positively influence the quality of teaching to enable learners to progress in relation to the four purposes and the principles of progression?
- Use assessment information to support all learners to make the progress of which they are capable in accordance with the principles of progression?
- Enable learners to influence their learning experiences and develop their effectiveness as a learner?
- Establish and maintain a positive and inclusive learning and teaching environment?
- Ensure that the school positively promotes the Welsh language and the culture of Wales?
- Keep the quality of teaching under review to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement (individual, departmental, whole school)?
Additional toolkits:
Professional Learning, innovation and collaboration
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How well does leadership:
- Establish a culture of professional learning that supports the school to realise its vision for learning, wellbeing, teaching and the curriculum?
- Use its evaluation work to inform professional learning?
- Use professional learning to improve learning, wellbeing, teaching and the curriculum?
- Support staff in identifying and addressing their professional learning needs?
- Develop the leadership potential of others?
- Promote engagement in professional learning about pedagogy, within and beyond the school?
- Evaluate the impact of its professional learning arrangements?
- Promote and use innovation to improve learning, wellbeing, teaching and the curriculum?
- Encourage, facilitate, engage with and evaluate innovation?
- Challenge or resist unnecessary changes and innovations?
- Promote and use collaboration to improve learning, wellbeing, teaching and the curriculum?
- Establish a culture of collaborative learning and mutual respect within and beyond the school?
Staffing and resources
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How well does leadership:
- Support the wellbeing of all staff?
- Ensure that staff have the resources they need to do their jobs effectively?
- Use resources to achieve its vision for learning, wellbeing, teaching and the curriculum?
Systems, policies and procedures
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How well does leadership:
- Establish and apply systems, policies and procedures to achieve its vision for learning, wellbeing, teaching and the curriculum?
- Establish and apply statutory policies and procedures?
- Establish and apply evaluation and improvement processes?
- Include stakeholders
- Keep its own effectiveness under review?
- Make use of the PTLS and to support effective performance of the workforce?