Introduction

    Sigma has an extensive network of system leaders who are able to support and advise schools, contributing to the development of other leaders and raising standards for students. Our System leaders include National Leaders of Education (NLE), National Leaders of Governance (NLG), Local Leaders of Education (LLE), Specialist Leaders of Education (SLE) and Local Specialist Teachers (LST).

    All System leaders have gone through a strict assessment process to ensure that they meet the eligibility criteria and that they have a proven track record of successful working with other school professionals.

    National Leaders of Education

    NLEs are outstanding headteachers who work with schools in challenging circumstances to support school improvement. Because their support role will often include members of their own staff, the school of a national leader of education is called a national support school.

    National Leaders of Governance

    NLGs are highly effective chairs of governors who support chairs of governors in other schools. You should contact an NLG if you want to improve the leadership and performance of your school’s governing body.

    Local Leaders of Education

    LLEs are experienced headteachers who coach or mentor new headteachers or headteachers whose schools are in challenging circumstances. You should contact an LLE if you are a new headteacher, or an existing headteacher interested in a leadership coach.

    Special Leaders of Education

    SLEs are experienced middle or senior leaders with a specialism (for example, maths, initial teacher training, behaviour). While other roles (for example, advanced skills teachers) focused on developing classroom expertise, this role is about developing other leaders so that they have the skills to lead their own teams and improve practice in their own schools.

    Local Specialist Teachers

    LSTs are experienced teachers and middle leaders who can demonstrate a high level of impact from their own teaching. They may be interested in becoming an SLE however need to gain further experience in supporting other before they can do so.

    Benefits for your School

    The work of System Leaders:

    • Is rooted in current leadership practice and draws on real, relevant experience
    • Takes place within your school, with the SLE working alongside staff and taking into account demands on their time
    • Is flexible and bespoke, adapting to the particular needs of your school
    • Brings a fresh perspective to specific challenges or issues, as well as specialist knowledge and expertise
    • Is always seeking collaborative development
    • Helps to assure long-term, sustainable improvement
    • Can contribute to improving school performance overall, by providing a specific focus for development and implementing tangible goals that staff can really engage with
    • Uses a coaching model which is non-judgemental, whose aim is to support the on-going development of the school
    • Follows a clearly defined agreement based on the needs of the supported school put in place prior to the deployment

    Our Team

    How to request SLE support

    All SLE deployment will be brokered via the Teaching School.  It is anticipated that potential deployment will be foreseen in the whole school improvement plan, and that, where possible, SLEs will be used proactively in a developmental, strategic way.

    SLE deployments can be requested using the Deployment Request Form available on the STSA website or by contacting Fritz Penn-Barwell directly at f.penn-barwell@sigmateachingschool.org.

    Initial Inquiry

    A key element of SLE work is building relationships; from the very beginning of the process, the Teaching School will be seeking to build trust and rapport with the commissioning agency/host school before any formalised agreement is put in place.

    Following an initial enquiry, the Teaching School Alliance will identify and make contact with a suitable SLE. The SLE will then make contact with you to discuss the specific focus of the support.

    An SLE Deployment Agreement, tailored to your particular circumstances, will be drawn up by your school and the SLE identified.  There is no set model but the support will always focus on sustainable leadership development and school improvement.

    Please contact Fritz Penn-Barwell (details above) for any initial enquiries.

    Deployment Agreement

    SLEs will be monitored and held accountable for the quality of the support they provide.  They will be expected to provide evidence that their work has had a positive impact with measurable outcomes. 

    As the SIGMA Teaching School is responsible for the quality assurance and impact monitoring we have to formalise the arrangement with written agreements.

    To this end, a clearly defined agreement based on the needs of the supported school will be put in place prior to the deployment.

    The first section of the SLE Deployment Planner will be drawn up by the SLE and the School. It will detail the:

    •      organisation commissioning the support

    •      host school (school to be supported)

    •      selected SLE

    •      scope of work

    •      personnel involved at the host school

    •      targets

    •      key performance indicators to be met

    		 •      success criteria

    •      expected outcomes

    •      time commitment and time line, schedule

    of visits

    •      impact measures

    •      funding arrangement and costs

    This will be shared with all parties and subject to modification by agreement.

    Deployment Evaluation

    The final section of the SLE Deployment is an Evaluation to be completed by the school or body requesting the deployment.  This will review progress achieved for the duration of the deployment and it also provides an opportunity to identify any further support required.

    Costs and Subsidy

    SIGMA Teaching school is committed to a sustainable and cost-effective provision of services. To that end, member schools can pay a membership fee which is dependent on the size of the school.

    Such member schools would then be entitled to a number of FREE SLE days per academic year in return for offering the same number of FREE days SLE support to another member school.

    Additional costs to the host school will be calculated on a daily rate or pro rata for half days. There is no predefined time commitment for SLE work because models and types of deployment will vary, for example, a half day each week for two terms, a full day a week for one term. Overall, we expect each SLE to be available for deployment for up to 10 days per academic year.

    The daily rate for an SLE to provide School to School Support (all phases) is £350, this fee is used to reimburse the school providing the SLE and includes a brokerage fee to Sigma Teaching School. This fee will be used to cover the cost of administration incurred by the Teaching School and the ongoing support of the SLE by the Teaching School, the final evaluation and the quality assurance for each deployment, as required by the National College for Teaching and Learning.