ā¦ you can demonstrate urgency, ambition and humility. And some other stuff too.
But there is no ideal candidate
Weāre not looking for 20 Deputy Headteachers on the cusp of taking on their first headship. If we were, weād say so. Thatād be the answer and we could end this post here!
But weāre not. Weāre looking for 20ish aspiring school leaders who:
1ļøā£ Want to lead their own school within the next ~5 years;
2ļøā£ Believe that closing the disadvantage gap in Yorkshire is possible;
3ļøā£ Can provide evidence of leading improved progress in their school/sāespecially for students from disadvantaged backgrounds;
4ļøā£ Possess the humility to learn from others by sharing their own learning honestly and fully; and,
5ļøā£ Are committed to developing strong relationships and playing an active role in a purpose-driven network of school leaders across the region.
āSeniorityā or āscopeā of role just arenāt selection criteria of ours. There are some practical reasons for this and some philosophical ones, too.
Philosophicallyā¦
We're not looking for āthe (very nearly) complete articleā because:
We donāt believe that person exists, and,
We believe that each Yorks100 cohort is significantly enhanced by the diversity of experiences, expertise, and personalities held within it.
So, while we don't believe there's an ideal candidate, weāve got an ideal cohort in mind to aim for.
Weāre not looking for 100 people who see the world the same way; weāre looking for 100 people with different experiences and world views approaching the same challenge, together.
That means for every āturbulent campaignerā in the group, we're going to need an āassertive logisticianā. We know that small, rural, primary school leaders can learn loads from large, urban, and secondary leadersāand vice versa.
School leaders with a wide range of leadership experiences from a variety of contexts built over a number of years can learn from those deeply rooted in their communities or domain, and/or those earlier in their respective leadership journeys.
Weāve seen this time and time again in the South WestāKrishaās testimony below is one of many (š).
We believe in the power of relationships and partnerships. We're intentional about creating psychologically secure spaces to encourage cultures of critical reflection, productive partnerships, inclusion, and ambition.
We believe these are distinctive features of the Yorks100 programme, and weāll actively test applicantsā commitment to them during the selection day in June.
Pragmaticallyā¦
We recognise the profound variation in school leadership opportunities across the region and between phases.
Within rural communities, for instance, there are simply fewer leadership opportunities available (feasibly, at least) for aspiring school leaders to take on. Secondary schools are larger and, as such, maintain larger leadership teams.
We do not want these structural barriers to prejudice primary colleagues from joining the programme and, in so doing, prohibiting everybody else from gaining value from their insights, experiences, and expertise.
To this end, hereās a personal reflection from (now) South West 100 Alum and āsmall school championā, Jo Luxford š
We appreciate itās not the most straightforward answer but hope itās helpful all the same. If youāve got questions about how to evidence these commitments in the application form, please do get in touch:
Sign up to one of our information events in March and April here
Email us at y100@reachfoundation.org.uk or
Ready to apply? Great! Head here!
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