Two organisations offering development opportunities for teachers and leaders are to merge into a single charity.
Ambition School Leadership, which has more than 9,000 leaders in its network, will join with the Institute for Teaching to form a new organisation, leaders of the two groups have announced today.
The new organisation, which has not yet been named, will have a single focus – to “support teachers and school leaders to keep getting better so that all their pupils, regardless of background, get a great education”.
Both the Institute for Teaching and Ambition School Leadership already deliver programmes dedicated to
improving the quality of teachers, school leaders and system leaders, particularly in schools in challenging contexts that serve significant numbers of disadvantaged pupils.
“The most important part of school leadership is creating the conditions for effective teaching to take place,” said James Toop, CEO at Ambition School Leadership.
“The Institute for Teaching provides some of the highest-quality teaching programmes in the sector that help leaders to deliver their vision for pupils. I’m really proud that our combined programme offer will provide clear and coherent development pathways at every level.”
“Teachers and school leaders deserve as much effort to go into their development as they put into supporting their pupils,” said Matt Hood, founder and director of the Institute for Teaching.
“That’s why we believe that investing in the professionals who work in our schools not only helps them get better but means they are happier and stay in the profession for longer. Working with Ambition School Leadership gives us an opportunity to have an even greater impact.”
Formed in 2016 from the merger of charities The Future Leaders Trust and Teaching Leaders, Ambition School Leadership runs programmes for school leaders in both primary and secondary schools across England, including national professional qualifications at every phase.
The organisation also works with schools and trusts to help develop leaders at all levels, and also offers assistance with recruitment.
The Institute for Teaching was officially launched by education secretary Justine Greening last November, and offers teachers who want to train as teacher-educators the chance to sign up for courses developed using expertise from a range of fields.
Work is now underway to bring the two organisations’ programmes and participants together.
England’s own ‘Graduate School of Education’ having to merge to keep afloat so soon after being set up?
Is the Government losing interest in a “teacher-led profession”? Has a lack of professional interest sealed the IoT’s fate perhaps?
Who would know given the positive spin above?