Preparing for Senior Leadership - Thursday 27 November 2025 (Online)
This course is for: Aspiring Deputy Heads, Directors of Studies, Assistant Heads and other senior leadership roles.
Description
Course Outcomes
By the end of the course delegates will have:
- Learnt about senior leadership roles and their opportunities and challenges
- Understood their own development needs and career pathways in preparation for a senior leadership role
- Learnt about the application, interview and recruitment process
- Developed insight into making an effective transition to a senior leadership role
Course Programme
|
Time |
Session |
|
09.30 |
Welcome and introduction
Speaker: Jill Berry |
|
09.35 – 10.15 |
The nature of Senior Leadership
Speaker: Jill Berry |
|
10.15 – 10.30 |
What the Head is looking for, both in appointing a new senior leader, and in working with their Senior Leadership Team
Speaker: Jill Berry |
|
10.30 – 10.45 |
Break |
|
10.45 – 11.45 |
Making the transition from Middle Leadership to Senior Leadership
Speaker: Speaker TBC |
|
11.45 – 12.15 |
Preparing to make the leap
Speaker: Jill Berry |
|
12.15 – 12.30 |
Reflection: how ready are you, and what might be your next steps?
Speaker: Jill Berry |
|
12.30 |
Close |
Course Leader Biography:
Jill taught for thirty years across six different schools in the UK, state and independent, and she taught adults to GCSE and A level in the evenings for several years. She was a head for the last ten years of her time in schools. Since 2010 she has completed a doctorate, researching the transition to headship and written a book about it: 'Making the Leap - Moving from Deputy to Head' (Crown House, 2016) https://www.crownhouse.co.uk/publications/making-the-leap (also now available as an audio book); and carried out an extensive range of leadership development work. She has given a TEDx presentation on the subject of ‘Take a Second Look: Bring Out the Best in Yourself and Others’: https://www.ted.com/talks/jill_berry_take_a_second_look_bring_out_the_best_in_yourself_and_others and she has published four novels. See her author page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B01JSM9UXI
Delegate Feedback
"All elements were very good which makes for an excellent course. Informative, welcoming, challenging without putting us on the spot, a good balance of delivered elements, chat, and break out rooms."
"An excellent insight into how to prepare for the jump into Senior Leadership, reflective, sharing of ideas and all course notes etc uploaded on to Padlet for easy access."