Tristram Hunt MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, will today unveil Labour’s plan to drive up head teacher standards, address the looming shortages of heads, and support school and business leaders to break down the barriers between education and business.
 
He will announce:
 
·         New Leadership Partnerships between businesses and schools to improve the management skills and expertise needed by head teachers exercising increasing autonomy over multi-million pound school budgets;
·         Create a new prestigious School Leadership Institute to champion high quality leadership, attract the next generation of head teachers, and increase the numbers of black and ethnic minority (BAME) head teachers;
·         New gold standard, accredited headship qualifications; and
·         Plans to break down the barriers between schools and businesses to help equip young people with the skills they need to succeed in the world of work.
 
Tristram Hunt will unveil the plans on a visit to The City Academy in Hackney, a school partnered with KPMG.
Speaking ahead of the visit, Tristram Hunt said:
 
“Britain and British business succeeds when every child is given the opportunity to succeed. Young people are the best investment any government can make in our country’s future and that is why Labour has pledged to protect the education budget with real term increases in funding for schools over the next parliament.
 
“But to ensure we get value for money for every penny spent we need all of our schools to be led by skilled and valued head teachers focused on raising standards. Head teachers today manage multi-million pound budgets and are often responsible for over one hundred staff. To support them in this hugely important and challenging task, we are working with the Confederation of British Industry and Business in the Community to ask some of the best business leaders in Britain to share their expertise.
 
“Businesses want schools to equip the next generation with the skills needed to succeed. And head teachers will benefit from the help that business is ready to give them.
 
“We have many excellent head teachers in this country, but under this Government standards have been allowed to slip with ministers waiving the requirement for heads to hold qualifications. The lack of support for head teachers is a major reason why Ofsted has found thousands of schools are now facing a crisis in leadership.
 
“Business leaders, head teachers and government all have a part to play in delivering the best education for every child, in every classroom, in every school. By working together we can ensure all schools, all children and all businesses benefit from the top quality leadership  needed for head teachers to manage effectively. 
 
“And head teachers deserve a new profession-led institute focused on raising standards in schools to create powerful and life changing schools so that every child succeeds.”
 
New Leadership Partnerships to benefit school and business leaders
• Labour will be asking employers to offer business and leadership partnerships to head teachers in local schools.
• The CBI agrees[1] stronger links are needed and as part of Labour’s plan to raise head teacher quality, will be exploring with its members how they can work to provide these valuable opportunities to head teachers in local schools. 
• These two-way partnerships will help foster the spread of ideas and leadership skills across business and education, as research suggest schools and businesses can learn from each other to improve their own operations[2].
• Head teachers today need skills that are not always gained through a teaching career. The average secondary school head teacher manages a budget of around £4.5 million and a staff of around 130. This requires strong leadership, people management and financial expertise which many head teachers need some extra support and training to acquire.
• Labour agrees with the CBI that senior ministers need to be more vocal in championing the role of business in schools[3]. That is why Labour will capitalise on the enthusiasm and expertise of business and industry to expand the number of formal partnerships between businesses and schools. These Leadership Partnerships will draw on the success of the Business in the Community (BITC) Business Class programme.
 
A new School Leadership Institute 
• Labour will work with leading head teacher associations and their members on plans for a dedicated School Leadership Institute to champion quality in school leadership. The government’s National College for Teaching and Leadership is failing to provide any focus or support for driving up head teacher standards.
• A new profession-led body will give head teachers the basis from which to lead their development and standards from the bottom up.
• The School Leadership Institute will accredit the best headship qualifications, cultivate the next generation of school leaders (particularly in challenging schools) and work to drive up numbers of female and BAME head teachers. Currently, only 6 per cent of head teachers in England are BAME[4] and only 36 per cent of secondary head teachers are women[5].
• Under this Government a head teacher needs no qualifications at all. Head teachers are concerned that this will harm standards. Labour will therefore work with a new School Leadership Institute to accredit the very best head teacher qualifications and training.
 
The announcement has received the support of business and school leaders.
 
Stephen Howard, Chief Executive of Business in the Community (BITC), said:
“Developing a long term school partnership is one of the best ways that a business can contribute toward a fairer society and our aspiration is that every school is able to benefit from a high quality business partnership. By ensuring that all schools have access to a range of business support we can break the cycle where only 1 in 8 children from low income homes go on to achieve a high income as an adult.”
 
Russell Hobby, General Secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, will say:
"School leaders can rise to any challenge if we invest in their skills - matching the demands placed upon them with development and growth. We are excited about the idea of a profession-led leadership institute to oversee this and welcome genuine partnerships with business. Good leaders help teachers perform to their full potential and, ultimately, raise standards for students.”
 
Peter Kent, President of the Association of School and Colleges Leaders (ASCL), said
“ASCL welcomes the Labour Party’s focus on the importance of leadership and leadership development. In a self-improving system, leadership development must be profession-led.  We believe it is time for school leaders to step forward and work with politicians to define what a world-class system looks like, and then move steadily and determinedly towards it.”
 
Dame Alison Peacock, Head teacher of The Wroxham Primary School, Potters Bar and a National Leader of Education:
“Recognition by the Labour party of the tremendous contribution made by head teachers is extremely welcome.  It is particularly pleasing to hear that professional development of school leaders and head teachers is seen as an important part of continuing to develop educational excellence in the UK.”
 
Government failure on head teacher quality
·         In 2012 the Government changed the rules and removed the requirement for head teachers to hold a qualification for headship. New figures released by the Labour Party today reveal the worrying impact of this reform – just 194 candidates graduated from the professional qualification for headship last year, compared to 1,165 in 2012, and applications for the qualification have more than halved. This is putting head teacher standards under threat.
 Financial year 
Number of people who: 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 % change since 2012
applied for the NPQH* 2591 1532 1262 -51.29%
commenced the NPQH 1981 1202 1140 -42.45%
graduated from the NPQH 1165 120 194 -83.35%
 
*NPQH stands for the National Professional Qualification for Headship.                             
Sources: Hansard, 21 January 2015, cW, http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2015-01-16.221058.h&s=National+Professional+Qualification+for+Headship#g221058.q0
Hansard, 21 January 2015, cW, http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2015-01-16.221059.h&s=National+Professional+Qualification+for+Headship#g221059.q0
Hansard, 5 December 2014, cW, http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2014-12-01.216574.h&s=headteacher+qualifications#g216574.r0
 
England is risking its status as a world leader: Under this government England has gone from being top of the international league table on school leadership[6] to not even requiring heads to hold any qualifications or training. Many in the profession are themselves highly concerned and are investigating ways to mitigate the damage being done. Labour will work with them.
We are now facing serious shortages: The increasingly high stakes nature of school leadership and the lack of support head teachers receive are putting many good prospective heads off the job. We are now facing serious shortages of head teachers.
•       A third of head teachers are within five years of retirement[7]  and, in 2013, the number of primaries struggling to appoint a head reached a 13-year high[8]. 
•       Low morale and poor support means 40 per cent of school leaders are considering quitting and two thirds of deputy and assistant heads say they are less likely to apply for a headship than they were in 2011[9].
We suffer from weak leadership in poor performing schools: Although we still have many excellent head teachers, Sir Michael Wilshaw has identified weak leadership as a major cause of poor standards in schools[10]. Head teacher standards are under serious threat under this Government.
•             This government removed the requirement for all heads to hold a leadership qualification and scrapped plans for checks on Free School heads, against civil service advice.[11]
•             There are nearly 3,500 schools where the quality of leadership is still not good enough[12]. High profile cases of school failure and mismanagement – including the Al Madinah Free School, Discovery Free School and Kings Science Academy Free School - highlight the need for a focus on this.