Leaders set out an effective learning and teaching policy, developed in consultation with others. They alert staff to its principles and practice.

Leaders at all levels in the school make the practical implementation of the learning and teaching policy the central driver to school improvement. It informs, and connects with all other policies and its principles are translated into daily action.

Leaders make learning a consistent strand in school development/improvement planning, along with a range of other priorities.

Leaders ensure that learning is the central focus of school, department and stage development/improvement plans, and that learning priorities are linked to classroom approaches.

Leaders plan staff development programmes, in consultation with others, which balance school, group and individual needs and priorities, and which provide opportunities to improve approaches to learning and teaching.

Leaders provide staff development which has a central focus on learning, teaching and meeting needs and their impact on pupils’ achievement. Staff learning is collaborative and collegiate, and led by valued and respected practitioners. Staff have a strong personal commitment to furthering their own learning and to modelling learning for pupils.

Leaders support staff development in learning, create opportunities for staff to develop their expertise and establish procedures for class visits.

Leaders are lead learners, making class visits, giving feedback, sharing insights widely and stimulating self-evaluation. They prompt an on-going focus on the craft of teaching. They share the findings of research.

Leaders structure a curriculum, in consultation with others, which takes account of national and local curriculum principles and priorities.

Leaders assert and reassert the purposes of the curriculum in developing young people’s capacities and attitudes.

Leaders delegate effectively, as appropriate to their level of responsibility.

Leaders at all levels within the school act to show that influence is two-way. They draw on the collective knowledge, experience and personal interests of a wide range of staff and on pupils’ views.

Leaders provide opportunities for some staff to take leadership roles, for example, through a committee structure and consultative mechanisms in the school.

Leaders reinforce a culture where staff and pupils feel able and confident to take lead roles within and beyond the classroom. Current and future leaders learn with and from others, formally and informally, prompting reflection and change. Such modelling and training promotes the conditions through which the school sustains excellence.

Leaders create effective channels of communication and systems for sharing knowledge and expertise and shaping existing school policy.

Leaders create conditions where staff have confidence in exercising their initiative and in grasping opportunities to share knowledge and assume responsibility. They recognise complementary forms of leadership and the capacity of people and teams to achieve a positive impact on the life of the school.

Leaders apply well-established systems so that they successfully maintain standards of efficiency. They consistently adopt successful management styles, securing the commitment of most staff to the school’s policies and values.

Leaders at all levels within the school use a range of leadership styles to mobilise people. They adjust these styles to context and setting, and are sensitive to relationships. Their styles are consultative and collegiate, securing shared commitment. When required, leaders drive action forward directly.

Leaders organise and deploy people and resources effectively, within a consultative management system, and as part of the development of a supportive school climate.

Leaders continuously reinforce an atmosphere of collective responsibility and mutual support between staff and staff, pupils and pupils and staff and pupils. They create, review and improve structures for formal management, learning and support, in order to secure these relationships.

Leaders establish effective working relationships. They support, persuade and praise. They are accessible and visible and lend legitimacy and support to school activities.

Leaders at all levels within the school act as exemplars in sustaining the school climate. They demonstrate empathy with a range of groups and individuals. They are prepared to challenge individual staff and pupils. Through their own behaviour, leaders persuade others that core values are shown in small-scale daily actions, as well as in strategic moral vision.

Leaders provide opportunities for young people to identify with the aims of the school, to be proud of their school, to participate in a range of activities, to have a say in the running of their school and to achieve and attain. They set the conditions in which children feel safe, valued and included, and they respond appropriately and effectively to discriminatory behaviour.

Leaders create activities and systems which signal to every child his or her worth as a learner and as a person, enabling all to experience success. They emphasise the capacity of young people to support each other. They set high expectations and lead by example. Leaders give high priority to the pupil voice within a context of rights and responsibilities. They promote equality of opportunity and encourage the celebration of diversity.

Leaders create effective referral channels for dealing with misconduct and disruptions to learning.

Leaders retain active personal responsibility for the school’s approaches for promoting positive behaviour, understanding what motivates learners and managing behaviour. They establish coordinated and integrated support for pupils.

Leaders show competence in managing and directing staff and young people and are aware of the effect they have on other people. They persuade through demonstrating the appropriate professional knowledge and skills. They deploy resources effectively.

Leaders establish high levels of personal credibility and gain the confidence of the school community. They demonstrate a willingness to learn from others and to acknowledge mistakes. They convince people and cement the trust of others by their actions. Leaders sustain an optimistic outlook about the potential of the school community to achieve success and to make a difference.

Leaders plan and sequence innovative activities in consultation with others, and in line with development/improvement planning processes in order to manage the process of change.

Leaders at all levels encourage and enable individuals and groups to engage in innovative activities where evaluation has indicated that this would lead to improvement. They promote the view that continuing critical inquiry and creative approaches should be integral to the thinking and practice of all staff and pupils.

Leaders effectively engage departments and teams in the annual planning cycle.

Leaders embed planning for improvement across the school, particularly at classroom or playroom level. They consistently demonstrate the inter-connectedness of all the school’s activities and improving learning and outcomes.

Leaders respond to national and local initiatives, in most cases using review and analysis as a basis for action. Leaders understand their role in managing change and take account of risks.

Leaders have a coherent vision of what is important for the school and its community and innovate in line with that vision. They guide and manage the pace of change. They win hearts as well as minds. They understand that change management is about people learning and adopting new ideas and changing practices. They develop project management at all levels. They avoid overload, innovation fatigue and potential division among staff.

Leaders create effective consultative groups and teams to shape and lead developments. They organise programmes which allow staff time to consider proposed changes.

Leaders create conditions for all staff to initiate, and be committed to change. They stimulate intellectual curiosity and the creation and sharing of knowledge. At times this involves challenge and creative disagreement as staff come to a shared awareness of the key issues and the way forward.