Kirsty Williams, Cabinet Secretary for Education
“Inspirational leaders working collaboratively to raise standards” is one of the key enablers in the recently published policy document “Education in Wales – Our National Mission”. The development of the National Academy for Educational Leadership is vital in this endeavour and as such I want to take this opportunity to provide you with an update on progress.
Firstly, I wish to give credit to the hard work undertaken by the Task and Finish Group I set in place to lead on the establishment of the Academy. This group has been ably led by Ann Keane (former HMCI) since its inception and over recent months much progress has been made.
As such, we will now be advertising for the new Chief Executive Officer for the Academy with an advertisement going live today with a closing date of 21 January 2018. The appointment will be made in early February and I will update you on this after this time.
This post will be critical to the establishment of the National Academy for Educational Leadership. The role will support the embryonic organisation and direct its work. The right individual for this role will ensure we move forward and create an Academy capable of inspiring and supporting leaders in Wales.
Over the next few months, we will also be advertising for the board of the Academy (which is being established as a company limited by guarantee) recruiting both a Chair and other non-executive Board members. It is my intent that this will be a small agile Board, recruited on the basis of their skills tasked with ensuring the smooth running of this new organisation. .
Although the Academy is still in the early stages of development, we are also recruiting a small group of effective and credible headteachers from across Wales to become the first group of Associates of the Academy. This pilot group of Associates will be in a unique position to influence the initial work of the Academy and help secure its standing among school leaders and shape the Associate role for the future. To support this exciting and challenging role, Associates will have the opportunity to engage in the first leadership development programme to be designed on behalf of the Academy. This programme will develop and strengthen the skills and knowledge they require to play a strategic system-leadership role across Wales.
Other opportunities for the sector to actively engage in the developments of the Academy are being developed. This will include the call for membership of the stakeholder group. This group will be representative of the whole of the education sector in Wales; representing a range of organisations and practitioners at different levels of leadership from across Wales. They will have a strategic remit, providing support and challenge to the Academy, significantly influencing the work of the Academy moving forward.
I will provide further updates on the development of the National Academy for Educational Leadership over the coming months.