Headteachers of the future achieve national qualification

TWO of the Island’s deputy headteachers have been successful in securing the nationally recognised qualification for headship.

Keith Winstanley, Deputy Headteacher at Ballakermeen High School, and Graeme Cushnie, Deputy Headteacher at Manor Park Primary School, have completed the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH).

This brings the total number of successful NPQH graduates funded by the Department of Education to 43.

The NPQH was established in 1999 and, in the Isle of Man, the first two graduates were Adrienne Burnett, now the Headteacher at Ballakermeen, and Paul Craine, now the Department’s Co-ordinating Adviser for 11-19 Education.

The NPQH successes for Keith Winstanley and Graeme Cushnie are the latest in a steady succession of suitably qualified and experienced teachers being equipped to handle school headship.

The NPQH, run by the UK’s National College for Leadership of Schools and Children’s Services, is the flagship qualification for aspiring headteachers. In England, there has been a mandatory requirement since 2004 for applicants for headteacher posts at primary or secondary level to hold the NPQH.

The NPQH programme is underpinned by the National Standards for Headteachers and practitioners on the programme are referred to as ‘trainee headteachers’. Applicants for the programme are expected to be close to securing headteacher posts and a two-stage application procedure, with a residential element, filters out those who are not yet ready. The programme involves placements of up to 20 days in National College-accredited ‘placement schools’ as well as a personalised pathway, based on individual development needs, taking between four and 12 months.

The trainee headteachers can access a range of opportunities including national learning materials, placements, coaching, online resources and leadership development activities involving self-directed peer groups.

The first school on the Island to be accredited as an NPQH placement school is Marown Primary School. Marown’s self evaluation showed many strengths that were agreed during the school’s external validation process and the National College agreed in 2009 that trainee primary headteachers could undertake placements there.

Mr Craine said:

‘The Department is committed to the NPQH programme because it both provides opportunities for our senior leaders to develop their potential to become effective headteachers and ensures that we have suitably qualified applicants for headteacher posts. ‘The NPQH has international recognition as a very high quality leadership development programme. On behalf of the Department, I would congratulate Keith and Graeme and wish them every success in their future careers.’