Education plays a crucial role in enabling communities and governments to understand one another’s values, processes, systems and cultures. The globalisation of information in the international market place also lends sharp focus to the need for effective and successfully led education systems. This puts a premium on helping policy makers to plan for ‘Schools of the Future’ and, above all, to plan the training of future school leaders, as their national systems adjust to the enhanced leadership demands of the 21st Century.

The aim of the seminar is to share examples of good practice in setting standards, training and assessing for school leadership. It builds on the first international seminar of November 2002, using the CD-Rom of its key presentations and web links as important preparatory material. It also seeks to explore some of the prospective features of ‘The School of the Future’.

The seminar places emphasis on enabling participants to offer evidence of their leadership development experience and to consider practical outcomes for their own context. The programme includes school visits to experience a series of initiatives to promote enhanced learning with City Learning Centres.

The seminar will:

• explore the core purpose, key outcomes, skills, attributes and key areas of school leadership and consider the implications of National Standards for participants’ own contexts
• explore the National College’s Leadership Development Framework and programmes and consider the implications for participants
• visit a City Learning Centre and appreciate its range of strands for promoting improved learning, including a visit to a participating school
• explore thinking and approaches to The School of the Future
• consider the school leadership needs and expectations for The School of the Future
• consider the prospective value and approach of the National Professional Qualification for Headship
• review the value and approach of delegates’ experience of leadership development with a view to sharing good practice
• explore Ofsted’s criteria for Leadership and Management and consider the implications for participants’ own contexts
• provide opportunity for participants to prepare their own action plan, incorporating appropriate ideas and learning from the seminar.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE
The seminar will be of interest to all those who have responsibility for the preparation, training and development of leaders in schools. It will be of value to government policy makers, senior education leaders, inspectors and advisers, including experienced school and college leaders seeking to influence educational and school leadership policy developments in their own countries.

Those applying for a place on the seminar are asked to indicate under ‘Section 2 Professional objectives’ of the application form:

• What is happening towards School Leadership development in your country?
• What do you feel you are able to contribute to the seminar with regard to school leadership?