Leadership Pathways is a modern course for middle or senior ranking staff in schools in the UK. The programme is run by the National College for Leadership of Schools and Children's Services. This is a prestigious organisation which accredits and aids the delivery of several educational leadership programmes - with national pathways being seen as the 'middle tier'.

Taken from the National Colleges Website:

"Leadership Pathways offers senior school leaders practical access to the latest in leadership thinking and school practice, which will benefit their schools as well as them as individuals.

The programme seeks to build on experience that participants have developed in middle leadership and via National College programmes such as Leading from the Middle and Teaching Leaders. It can also help support those aspiring to take part in the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH)."

The NPQH is the qualification which really helps to build an individual qualifications for becoming a head teacher of a primary school, secondary school, or even sixth form college. However, the Leadership Pathways course should not just be viewed as a means of stepping up to a further qualification, as it is a high quality course in itself, which will help the individual to develop their skills to lead.

This course is designed for senior leaders who intend to move up into a Headmaster or very senior role within the subsequent 1-2 years. This can be a fairly specific leadership development course geared toward a specific stage of staff. Applicants must even have previously been concerned in effective change management, and have a chance to undertake a faculty-broad change mission within the close to future.

The college itself loosely describes the benefits as being 'increased performance' of people who present a proactive angle and take responsibility. I believe that on steadiness - the advantages will match the enthuasiasm you bring to the course, and intelligence with which you set private course objectives. Ironically, those with the best leadership traits will in all probability draw the most benefit from this leadership course.

I've heard good feedback about the Leadership Pathways course. It isn't simply a multi-day presentation or a single-day lecture. This isn't a course that will leave you after you walk out of the door. Instead, this is a course which comes to your job, your position within school, and will challenge you to question the way you do things, and the way you approach your work.

A great element of the course is that the College allocates a 'coach', who is a member of staff within your school, who will act as somewhere inbetween a mentor, and a liason between you as the participant and the college itself. Having a coach helps to keep the course rolling at a good pace, and to ensure you don't let your eye fall off the your personal development goals.

If you put in a considerable level of attention and effort into this course - you will bring away fantastic rewards, and as such, I recommend this to any upwardly mobile education professionals with apsirations to run a school.