Inspiring ‘Called, Connected, Committed’ leaders of the future!

After the success of the Catholic Formation programme ‘What Makes Great Catholic Schools?’, the Avila Partnership is pleased to be a Delivery Partner for the National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership programme (NPQSL) in partnership with the Church of England and the Catholic Education Service.

On Thursday 10^th March, participants from a variety of Catholic and Church of England schools who were successful in applying for the course, were invited to a ‘meet and great’ evening at Ursuline High School, as part of the launch of the NPQSL programme. This was an historic evening, as it was the first time that the Church of England and the Catholic church has collaborated in delivering a professional development programme for teachers.

The Avila Partnership aims to contribute to the formation goals of the Diocese in providing great Catholic education and is delighted to be offering this new course for aspiring leaders. Ms Waters, Headteacher, Ursuline High School, Wimbledon, and Ms Noone, Headteacher, St Philomena’s High School for Girls launched the event prior to Mr Williams and Ms Stark, Assistant Headteachers, facilitating the programme of events. Participants also gained insight from Ms Rachel Phillips, Education Advisor for the Church of England and Southwark Diocesan Board of Education and Ms Sharon Docherty, Professional Learning Manager, and team leader for Religious Education from the Education Commission for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark.

Thought provoking questions were posed during roundtable group discussions, regarding what makes an impactful and successful senior leader? Participants were asked to reflect on memorable, successful leaders they had come across in their lives, what traits these leaders carried and how they could discover similar traits within themselves, to make their own lasting impact as a leader. In addition, Participants were invited to consider how commonalities could be found within their own personal ethos and values, and their schools’ mission statement and overarching strategy, to enhance the impact of their leadership in the future. Participants took away with them a powerful list of books on faith leadership to light their path, including Luminaries: Twenty lives that illuminate the Christian Way by Rowan Williams, The Gift of Leadership by Steven Croft and In the Name of Jesus by Henri J.M. Nouwen. They also received a copy of Called, Connected, Committed- 24 Leadership Practices for Educational Leaders by David F. Ford and Andy Wolfe.

The programme will involve 18 months of in-depth training to inspire the best leadership in Catholic and Church of England schools. We look forward to seeing our participants progress through the programme, in becoming empowered vision-focused leaders who will be instrumental in the future of our schools.