Teach Middle East Magazine Sep - Dec 2020 Issue 1 Volume 8 | Page 31

Sharing Good Practice
hold to account. Moving up to lead
former professional equals, possibly
friends can require excellent social
awareness and skills.
Delivering school priorities - as
identified by the senior leaders, this
is undertaken by middle leaders
through;
detailed
monitoring,
evaluation of data, observing lessons,
work scrutiny and the implementation
of school policies, discussion and
feedback.
Impact- measuring and evaluating
impact is a cornerstone of the role
and is a key factor in determining
pupil progress and attainment and
subsequent life chances.
How do you know if you are
ready for stepping into a
Middle Leadership role?
Teaching - Is your classroom practice
good enough to give you credibility
to challenge and support others?
Outstanding teachers do not always
make outstanding’ leaders, but your
team will always appreciate being led
by someone who has credibility in their
current role before looking to step up
to whole school responsibilities.
Research your move - What area of
leadership are you interested in? You
may want to focus on special needs,
assessment, pastoral or a subject
area. Look at roles and responsibilities
in your school and others. What
skills, attributes and knowledge do
you need for these roles? Create a
dialogue with other middle and senior
leaders around you, find out what they
feel are the rewards and some of the
challenges.
Professional Development - Does
your school have a development
programme for aspiring middle
leaders?
Will they support your
professional development as a
middle leader? If you are an ex-pat,
it is useful to look at the professional
development recognised in your own
country, for example UK programmes
such
as
NPQML
(National
Professional Qualification for Middle
Leadership) and NPQSL are available
in the Middle East. Undertake a 360
review to help you identify gaps in
your skills. Get good learning habits
as you start your role.
Who inspires you? Who is your
educational hero? Read their books,
access their videos. My own heroes
are Simon Sinek and Richard Boyatzis.
Check them out. master, don’t be overwhelmed by the
‘tyranny of stuff’ that comes your way.
Support- Who is there in the school
to help guide you on the next steps
of your career? It could be your line
manager, a trusted colleague or even
someone that you have previously
worked with. They should be able
to spend the time supporting you in
identifying your strengths and areas
for development to help you realise
your potential. Network- Meet with other teachers
and middle leaders, both face to face
and online. There are many online
forums for the exchange of ideas. Look
for educational influencers. Nothing
beats face to face, so middle leaders
should be encouraged to attend
conferences, courses and network
meetings, where they can take time
out with other school leaders, reflect
on the issues of the day, or just share a
moan in a safe space!
Commitment-The majority of school
leaders, particularly those in middle
leadership roles, have a substantial
teaching commitment to balance
alongside their other duties.
As
leaders they may find they have risen
up the ranks because of the skills
they’ve developed and demonstrated
in the classroom. When entering a
pressurised leadership role, however,
this is the first thing that can slip in
quality.
Compromise- Middle leadership can
be one of the most challenging roles
within a school because, as the job
title states, middle leaders are in the
middle which is why these leaders
often feel in limbo between their
teaching and leadership roles, and
between teachers and senior leaders.
Middle leaders are accountable both
to the Senior Leadership Team and
the staff they lead. Managing both of
these responsibilities will take time to
Manage your expectations. Mastery
of any skill takes practice. Don’t
expect to get everything right straight
away. Practice, ask for feedback, learn
from others, learn from your mistakes.
Be resilient!
Future thinking – Middle leadership
may be the first step on the
leadership ladder, so it is important to
develop good knowledge, skills and
understanding of the theories and
practices underlying leadership. As
you develop as a middle leader, keep
your eyes on the skills needed for the
next level, as a senior leader.
Middle leadership isn’t easy, but it is
an exciting and rewarding step, and
if you are ready to make this step, it
offers you the opportunity to make a
difference on a scale unlike any you’ve
known before.
Jeni has extensive experience in the Education Sector. She has been a successful
Headteacher, a School Improvement Partner, at NCTL she was Senior Manager,
Consultant Leader, certified Coach and Lead Facilitator. She was a National
Facilitator, and then led the Middle Leadership Development Programme
(MLDP). Then she led the design and delivery of The International Development
Programme as the Associate Director, leading the project across India.
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