NPQEL - First face-to-face day

So I’m heading to Birmingham to attend the first two face to face days as part of the NPQEL course. It’s been a hectic few weeks at work, so as much as I had tried to complete all the reading tasks and be fully prepared, I am apprehensive. Having watched the briefing video in two parts as I could not find blocks of time to sit through it in one go! I was particularly concerned about the two assessment tasks. It seems I was not alone in having these fears.

I am currently Principal of a large Special Needs Academy, Bradfields Academy which is based in Medway Kent. We are building and looking to expand our trust. Fortis Trust already provides outreach support to over 70 schools across Medway and Kent. I had decided to start the NPQEL having completed the NPQH four years ago and found that it gave me an insight into headship which would have taken a much longer time to learn in the role. I am completing the NPQEL as I am embarking on a new challenge in preparing for my next step as Executive Leader as we begin the challenging journey of the growth of our MAT.

As I arrived I was pleased that all other attendees were extremely friendly and keen to collaborate and share their stories of how they came to be there, their own personal experiences and details of their schools and MATs. There were leaders from all areas across the country. For me, this was one of the best elements of the two days as it was an opportunity to explore ideas and gain insight into the workings of other trusts across the country. A strong message which came across was that there is no right or wrong way to run a MAT that all MATs have their own contexts and need to be lead with a shared vision and strong moral purpose.

There was a clear running theme throughout the two days as T.S. Elliot said, it’s ‘The journey not the arrival that matters’. The definition of an Executive Leader is one that cannot be simply defined as it’s a relatively new role in the education sector and so in many ways, the job description is still being written and is unique. As a class we explored our perception and understanding of this role, drawing out key elements. Clearly, this will be a topic that will continue to evolve in our minds over the course.

We were privileged to have talks from a range of leaders both existing Executive Leaders and Leaders outside of education. I found these to be inspiring, prompting me to reflect on my own journey and experiences. All gave a full and honest account, they were not presenting a ‘my way works’ approach but were giving realistic accounts of their own journeys, what worked and what didn’t. This gave the group much food for thought and prompted discussion and questioning.

Karen Burns, CEO of the Victorious Academies Trust presented how she had found the transition to Executive leader and CEO. She had needed to be brave, to challenge the norms and forge new routes. This need for bravery in the face of challenges came through strongly from all that presented, especially as the role can be even lonelier than that of headship. Fergal Roche, MD of Nobel Thinking Ltd, the company behind ‘The Key’ talked about his experience of working across a complex organisation, with the focus on developing strategy and building a common identity. He emphasised that as the lead you did not need to have all the answers, all the knowledge or all the skills, but that you needed to build an effective team around you which filled your gaps and enabled strength.

The two days were information-rich and so I now feel that I need to go over all the materials and details again to reflect on the ‘learning journey’ to date. However, already I have returned to a very busy time with interviews, parents evenings, Ofsted training and alike all placing demands on my time. Although the learning platform will help to organise my progress through the online ‘blended’ learning modules I am already recognising the need to get very organised and to try and find a way to manage my time.

I feel clearer as to the expectations for the ‘learning journey’ and the assessed tasks and now wait to have my first coaching call to discuss the Leadership 360 results and develop a personalised journey through the course. The 360 requires you to be open to constructive feedback and to consider how your own perception of your strengths and areas for development may not be aligned to those you lead, those on your leadership team or the opinions of those you report too. For me, I am chasing that ever-illusive ‘presence’ factor, the need to secure new partnerships to build the trust and the need to develop a shared owned trust vision.