School leadership for the 21st century - the professional development of the primary headteacher

The unparalleled matrix of tasks facing headteachers and the clear evidence relating to their importance in the execution of school improvement dictate that an evaluation of the processes that prepare candidates for headship is appropriate. This research considers the current nature of managing schools, leadership and management competencies and functions and also attempts to envisage the future of professional development for headteachers. In analysing the main element of professional development provision for headteachers, the National Professional Qualification for Headteachers (NPQH), this research describes the experiences of colleagues who have recently undertaken headship or been involved in the NPQH and determines whether or not the qualification along with other continuing professional development (CPD) initiatives do provide the necessary preparation for the headteachers of the 21st Century.The research is located within the qualitative paradigm attempting to provide an understanding of current educational practice. It is a systematic and critical enquiry into the process of providing CPD for prospective and serving headteachers at primary / middle school level in West Sussex Local Education Authority (LEA). The research provides naturalistic generalisations about this process and informs future provision through feedback both to headteachers and officers of the LEA involved in the study. The data has been collected through a series of focused interviews with a set of key questions introduced but with the dynamics of conversational exchange providing valuable additional information. The interviews are conducted on an individual basis representing a sample of the personnel relevant to the study. In addition to my own perspective of events drawn from the interviews, information about the NPQH and CPD generally is also utilised from a critical analysis of recent and relevant documentation on this subject and it is evident a high degree of congruence exists in relation to local and national perspectives.The research has provided a description of the current role of headteachers and the development activities provided leading up to taking up their first post of headteacher. The professional development of headteachers has proved to be inextricably linked to school improvement along with the importance of the more informal elements of human interaction. New concepts of leadership have emerged and a concomitant change in the role of the headteacher has become apparent. A more holistic model with leadership as a relationship rather than a function is manifestly required. The commitment of staff not control has become a key element and this has proved to militate against a competence based approach to leadership development. The route to leadership is still a fragmented and indeterminate trail but the new professional development continuum, including the NPQH, has provided a framework on which we can build the next stage of leadership development where there is a lucid understanding of the nature of leadership and the contextual factors that influence it.