Chartered Urban Leader

Why do we need this?

In a bygone, deferential age when urban schools knew their place, they turned out hundreds of thousands of young people prepared to make a career in one of the plentiful supply of unskilled and semi-skilled jobs. In those days the role of headteacher was easier one than it is today.

That world has gone. Now to be a leader in most urban schools - especially those serving youngsters from families facing socio-economic challenge - requires character and a range of qualities including indomitable will and a passion for success that brooks no denial.

Above all, such headteachers require serious professional knowledge and experience backed by a belief that all youngsters can succeed. They need to believe in the 'transformability' of youngsters and to be able to communicate it with conviction to their staff, their pupils and their community. They need to inspire.

This document -and the move towards acknowledging and accrediting the uniqueness of the urban school leader -affirms the characteristics of existing successful urban school leaders and increases the likelihood of finding more potential leaders with the same character qualities and abilities.

This document provides an insight into what such leaders do, and what is special about it. It's true to say that what leaders do, the time they spend on the task and especially how they do it, has a huge influence on the climate and culture of the school.

It has always seemed to me that urban school leaders are perpetually carrying out, often simultaneously, six activities. It has always seemed to me that urban school leaders are perpetually carrying out, often simultaneously, six ac ivities. First they create energy by talking with, not about staff; by asking 'what if', speculative questions; by being fussy about appointments and ensuring that they don't inadvertently appoint "'energy consumers". They look for optimists - those who say "how could we" rather than "Why we can't".

Secondly they build capacity, for example, by teaching a lesson when observed by other staff, by taking somebody's class to enable them to see another's practice, by rotating the chair of meetings to grow the skill of colleagues.

Thirdly they always extend the vision -by listening to others and adding their ideas to the vision, by asking 'why not', by circulating articles to read and above all, by telling stories and speculating about possibilities.

Fourthly they seek and chart improvement by encouraging bench marking, by extending horizontal links and by using critical review, systematically involving all the staff. They celebrate real success.

Fifthly they secure the environment by ensuring classroom teaching and learning materials are plentiful, up-to-date and well-organised, by reviewing meetings schedules so that staff are not overwhelmed by transactional business and by getting the details right.

Finally they minimise risk for others by taking the blame when something goes wrong, by reminding people of all the good things, by talking of the future as well as the present, by ensuring that people feel appreciated whenever they do things well and by acting as a mediator and ambassador with the external world. We are in the middle of an exciting journey of discovery about the possibilities of urban schooling and what urban school leaders can achieve. The journey started in the 1990s and has been given a focus by the Excellence in Cities programme introduced in 1999 and sustained and extended since then. We are now showing that there is no necessary correlation between socio-economic disadvantage and educational failure. We have the statistics and the real stories to show we are making a difference.

This venture is designed to ensure that those leading this adventure are recognised and in doing so we hope attract others with the same personal qualities and character to join an educational expedition which is pushing back the frontiers of what's possible.

By Tim Brighouse, Chief Adviser to London Schools

For further details of this programme contact:

Gill Adams
CEA@Islington
School Improvement Service
Laycock Street
London
N1 1TH

Tel: 0207 527 5772
Email: gill.adams.cea@islington.gov.uk