School leaders

Who you are

Our school leaders are either newly appointed or experienced executive and senior leaders from schools serving students in areas with high levels of deprivation who want to develop their leadership skills in areas such as:

leading change
ability to delegate
creating and implementing strategy
analysis of data
building a coherent team culture across the school
how leaders perceive their ability to present at meetings.

Who we match you with

We match you with a business leader with success in and experience of leading teams.

Business leaders come from diverse backgrounds including multinational corporates, public sector organisations and the charities sector. We have business leaders from many different organisations (including banking, retail, management consulting, publishing, media) and functions (including finance, HR, product development, learning and development, and sales and marketing).

The qualities we look for in our business leaders are an open mind, curiosity and commitment to the relationship. The matching is very important to us and we take time to make sure we get this right, and check in with you regularly as the programme progresses.

How you sign up

If you are interested in joining our programme, then contact us by submitting the website form and we will be in contact with you to discuss further.

Programme fee: £900* per leader**

* We have some places for school leaders that are are fully sponsored by corporate partners– please get in touch for more information.
** A discount is available if more than one school leader signs up from a school or MAT.

Join the programme

What our school leaders say

"It has sharpened my focus, it’s really helped me to think more strategically."

– Josephine, Head of School, matched with Bill, a Senior Vice President

"It’s helped with communication and my confidence. Little light bulbs going off. It's transforming."

– Debbie, a Business Manager, matched with Helen, a Director

"It’s not just all me, it’s about empowering those that I lead."

– Sarah, an Assistant Headteacher, matched with Christina, a senior Civil Servant

"I’ve become more reflective and better able to plan and think ahead."

– Tom, an Assistant headteacher, matched with Sam, a Business Owner

FAQs

When does it start and what is the time commitment?

Our nine month online programme runs twice a year - from February to November and/or from November to June and your time commitment will be:

a 45 min launch event
an hour a month for nine months with your partner
a 30 minute midway check on progress

See Programme Overview for more information

Do I have to be a senior school leader to be on the programme?

Yes, this programme is about matching business leaders with school leaders in a partnership. Our business leaders are senior level executives and are looking to build a relationship with school leaders at a similar level. We will also consider people with. plans to step up into senior leadership positions in the near future.

How are the matches made?

The matching is very important and we take time to make sure we get this right. We have a two step process:

You complete a form outlining your skills, preferences and the areas of focus for self development.
We have a short discussion with you to find out more about your needs and interests so we can make the right match.

My school already has links with business leaders, can I work with them?

Yes, if you already have a relationship with a business or business leader we can facilitate and provide the framework for the partnership.

How do you choose the business leaders?

We will have an initial conversation with each business leader to understand their interest in joining the programme and their suitability. The main criteria are the motivation to support others and leadership experience. The qualities needed are an open mind, curiosity and commitment to the programme.

What is expected of me?

To get the most from the programme you will need to prepare for each meeting, give it your full time and attention away from distractions, and work on mutually agreed goals between sessions.

It is beneficial to come to sessions with an open mind, to listen and be curious as well as at times prepared to step outside your comfort zone.

Will there be training and support?

We train the business leaders on providing effective support and on understanding the context of the school. We provide a programme guide for participants which has resources to help you make the most of your time with your match. We also provide ongoing support and regular check ins throughout the programme.