Leadership and the Professional Standards

Leadership is one of the central underpinning and interconnecting themes within the suite of Professional Standards and is a key aspect of teacher professionalism.

The Professional Standards place all teachers as leaders of learning. They lead learning for, and with, all learners and they work with and support the development of colleagues and other partners.

"Upholding the professional values of social justice, trust and respect and integrity requires a commitment to leadership that inspires confidence and encourages aspiration. This commitment underpins leadership of learning in all contexts and change for improvement.’

The professional commitment of teachers in Scotland is to lead learning through:

• developing deep knowledge of learning and teaching
• critically examining how our teaching impacts on learners; and
• using evidence collaboratively to inform teacher judgement and next steps for learners."

(1.2 Professional Commitment, Professional Standards)

Professional values explicitly reinforce the professional commitment of a lecturer by putting students at the centre ensuring that respect, integrity, inclusion and equality are integral to that everyday practice. Through the commitment to being a professional leader of learning, these values are affirmed

(Professional Standards for Lecturers in Scotland’s Colleges)

Equating leadership solely with the actions of those in formal leadership positions is, according to Spillane (2013), inadequate as leadership involves many leaders, some with, and some without, formal leadership positions:

It is not the actions of individuals, but the interactions among them, that are critical in leadership practice. Teachers learn with and from each other and their collaborative endeavours contribute to the professional learning and development of colleagues, student teachers and the wider learning community.

Practitioner Enquiry

Teacher leadership is core to the principle of practitioner enquiry.

Practitioner enquiry involves teachers questioning their own educational beliefs, assumptions, values and practices.

Through adopting an enquiring stance to challenge and inform their professional practice, teachers individually and collaboratively develop knowledge to enhance, progress and lead the learning experiences of all their learners, including colleagues and partners.

Standard for Middle Leadership and Standard for Headship

The Standard for Middle Leadership and Standard for Headship recognise that effective leadership depends on the principles of collegiality and that all teachers should have opportunities to be leaders, who lead learning for, and with, all learners.

These Professional Standards focus on developing teacher leadership and working collegially to build leadership capacity in others.