Big announcements today in the world of school leadership professional development with the publication of new Headteacher Standards (HTS) & NPQ Frameworks (NPQs).

(Thread) /1 https://twitter.com/TomRees_77/status/1315962039244853250

New HTS replace the HT standards for excellence (2015) and remain non-statutory. It was a privilege to be a part of the HTS review group chaired by @MalcolmTrobe - a really good and proper debate amongst the group over several months with different perspectives. /2

Within the new HTS, there is now a Section 1, focused specifically on ethics and professional conduct - similar to Part 2 of the Teachers' standards, building on the 7 Principles of Public Life (Nolan Principles). /3 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-standards-of-excellence-for-headteachers/headteachers-standards-2020#section-1-ethics-and-professional-conduct

Section 2 is made up of 10 standards across the following three domains:

1. Culture & Ethos
2. Curriculum & Teaching
3. Organisational Management

This signals more of the specific things that 'good heads' know and are able to do.

/4 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-standards-of-excellence-for-headteachers/headteachers-standards-2020#section-2-headteachers-standards

For coherence, the new HTS now build on content areas from within the ECF as well and are the basis for 6 new Leadership NPQs >

Specialist NPQS:

Behaviour & Culture
Teacher Development
Leading Teaching.

NPQSL
NPQH
NPQEL

/5

No NPQML in the new frameworks, recognising a shift to more specialist (domain-specific) qualifications for senior teachers/middle leaders and away from more generic approaches to middle leadership. /6

Frameworks including ITT, ECF, Specialist & Leadership NPQs and Teacher/HT standards are now much more coherent with a common thread of language/knowledge base.

Previously, these different documents have used different domains/terminology. /7

As @informed_edu says here, there's lots to welcome, not least the increased focus on teacher's professional development and raising the bar on PD more broadly in schools.

Also, a year to prepare which is welcome given the huge challenges atm. /8

https://tdtrust.org/2020/10/13/5-reasons-to-welcome-the-new-headteacher-standards-and-npq-frameworks/

Lots to do now, working together ahead of Sep 2021 in building new curricular for leadership development. I'm excited at the opportunity to bring together what we've learned in the sector about leadership & PD to improve staff development in the future. /9

More details here on today's announcement on the @Ambition_Inst blog:
/10 https://twitter.com/Ambition_Inst/status/1315970926941532166?s=20

Here's a post I wrote earlier in the year about the importance of professional development and why I think it's a long-term investment worth making in the profession.

/11 https://www.ambition.org.uk/blog/professional-development-must-be-heart-schools-coronavirus-recovery/

Full details on the Headteachers' Standards on @educationgovuk here including downloadable versions.

/12

Over and out. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-standards-of-excellence-for-headteachers