Connecting with the Standard for Middle Leadership

Talking trusted teaching - Middle Leadership resource

This resource is aimed at teachers in or aspiring to middle leadership roles, providing you with an opportunity to discuss and reflect on the Standard for Middle Leadership (SfML), with a particular focus on 2. Professional Knowledge and Understanding and 2.2 Professional Responsibilities.

In this professional discussion Kathleen Kerrigan, Lecturer in the School of Education at the University of Glasgow, and Jacqueline Morley, Teaching Standards Education Officer at GTC Scotland, explore the role of middle leadership and how we ‘understand and demonstrate self-awareness and inspire and motivate others’. (2.2.2)

Read the recording transcript

Chapters

Using the outline of 2.2.2, the discussion explores 4 key themes, with the video split into the following chapters:

Session overview (0:00 - 03:11)
Welcome, introduction to speakers and provocation overview (03:12 - 04:38)
Part 1: The role of the SfML as an underpinning framework to ‘becoming, being and growing’ as a middle leader (04:39 - 08:34)
Part 2: The professional and personal credibility of a middle leader as the lead learner (08:35 - 25:08)
- What does it mean to be recognised as the 'lead learner' within our teams or departments? (08:35 - 20:55)
- How can middle leaders balance the dual role of being a learner and a leader? (15:30 - 20:47)
- In what ways does the Standard for Middle Leadership support reflection on who are 'becoming' as leaders and just what we are 'doing' (20:50 - 25:08)
Part 3: The middle leadership role in growing leadership skills and capacities in others (25:10 - 32:21)

Part 4: The professional responsibilities for Middle Leadership as a learner and a leader for helping colleagues engage meaningfully with the suite of Professional Standards (32:23 - 46:30)
Conclusions (46:30 - 47:33)

Reflective questions

Part 1 - the SfML and ‘becoming, being and growing’ as a middle leader

How do you see the SfML as a framework to guide our professional journey — from aspiring to experienced middle leader?

Part 2 - middle leader as ‘lead learner’

What does it mean to be recognised as the “lead learner” within our teams or departments?
How can middle leaders balance the dual role of being both a learner and a leader—remaining open to feedback while guiding others?
In what ways does the SfML support reflection on who we are becoming as leaders and just on what we are doing?

Part 3 - middle leadership supporting professional growth for colleagues

The SfML says ‘as a middle leader you - encourage and enable the development of leadership skills and capacities in others and cultivate trust and respect among colleagues by creating leadership opportunities across and beyond the school. What do you understand by this?