News

Rhema and MGL Heads Together leadership and change management workshops win high approval rating from Primary and Secondary school Headteachers

The immediate consequence of The Children Act 2004 is that schools are to become ‘client’ orientated, and given that the clients are defined as being the pupils, the parents and the Government it is not difficult to see that the management of their respective aspirations is a significant piece of work.

Add to that falling pupil numbers, increased competition and the externally enforced drive toward collaboration and one can see that the teaching profession is in the grip of deep change in the delivery of its services. The Government mantra Every Child Matters whilst a resonant imperative among the teaching profession, is by no means simple to deliver in a paradoxical environment where Headteachers especially are being distanced further and further from the vocation of educating, by being shoe-horned into the “business of teaching”. The truth is that many schools feel ill-equipped to meet with the challenge.

Heads Together is a joint response from MGL and Rhema Group which seeks to address this dilemma from tactical, technical and cognitive perspectives. The programme was piloted in the North West over two days in March.

Rhema Group Senior Consultant Paul Anderson-Walsh who co-authored and facilitated the pilot programme said:

“We designed the programme to enable Headteachers to discover and cultivate the core leadership and change management competencies that are needed to operate both successfully and rewardingly in the new teaching environment. Working with education specialists MGL added tremendous value and integrity to our already robust processes. Heads Together is about empowerment; the empowering of the Headteachers themselves and the empowerment of those whom they lead.

“It was truly gratifying to facilitate a programme for such an appreciative audience. The delegates critically engaged with the subjects and whilst it was clear that the Primary School Heads face different issues to their Secondary School counterparts both groups we able to derive highly meaningful and applicable outcomes from their respective day’s workshop.”

“There’s an old maxim that says ‘its better to put a fence on the cliff than an ambulance in the valley’. I guess that’s the reason that I feel so committed to this project. As Personal Development Trainers we are so often engaged in the business of helping our clients improve bottom line results. Working with a vocational community reinforces in my mind the thought that we must never lose sight of the deep learning that we can bring to people and that the best way to improve the bottom line is to improve the lives of those charged with the responsibility for delivering it.”

Rhema and MGL were greatly encouraged by the participation and feedback provided by participants. Typical of their reactions are comments from Headteachers Jim Holian -  “It was all challenging and informative”; and Shirley Styles – “An excellent day”.