The headteacher and staff at Cockburn School in Beeston, Leeds, have been selected for a top role supporting schools in challenging circumstances.
David Gurney is one of more than 70 headteachers to be appointed to the role of national leader of education (NLE) in the latest recruitment round.
NLEs along with staff in their school – designated a national support school (NSS) – use their success and professionalism to provide additional leadership capability in other schools. NLEs are deployed to suit the needs of each school needing support. The type of support provided is flexible and can sometimes involve NLEs becoming executive headteachers. They also have responsibility for developing the next generation of NLEs and national support schools.
Cockburn School Headteacher David Gurney said:
“It is a huge privilege to be recognised nationally. This is excellent news for Cockburn School and an acknowledgement of the work our determined team of staff do in supporting schools across the region. Through engaging in this national support programme, we will continue to positively influence the lives of children beyond our school, by supporting other leadership teams to improve outcomes for them. It’s about working in the spirit of partnership.”
Many NLEs/NSSs report improved outcomes at the schools they support.
Roger Pope, Chair of the National College for Teaching and Leadership, said:
“It’s fantastic that heads like David Gurney have the passion and ambition to help improve the life chances of young people, not just in their own but in other schools as well.
“The aim of national leaders of education is to drive improvement in underperforming schools. We now have over 1,200 NLEs and we’re working to increase this number further to spread educational excellence everywhere.”
Successful heads have been invited to attend a formal induction and training event for the role in driving school improvement.
