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Student Leadership
Investing in tomorrow’s leaders for
schools and communities
 The Student Leadership Programme

Contents

4 Foreword 17 Key Issues

5 Executive summary 18 Summary

6 Student Leadership Programme 19 Appendix: References

6 Introduction
6 Background to the programme
9 Programme and module overview
11 Underlying principles for
the programme
12 How the course was developed
13 Some examples of activity since
the course
14 What we have learnt from running
the programme
16 How can school leaders be supported by
this learning to achieve their objectives?

National College for School Leadership | 3

The Student Leadership Programme

Foreword
We are delighted to introduce you to ‘Student communities. For many schools, it quite
leadership: Investing in tomorrow’s leaders for simply lies at the heart of their moral purpose,
schools and communities’. For the last three as recognised by one of the school leaders
years, working with the London Challenge who took part in the London Challenge
team, the National College for School programme when she said, “for us it is quite
Leadership (NCSL) has been committed to the simply the right thing to do – it lies at the
development of student leadership in London heart of leading with moral purpose – we
schools. The Student Leadership Programme, cannot exclude 85 per cent of the school
introduced by this document, has been written community from the leadership development
by students, for students. It aims to develop we are engaging in as an organisation”.
young leaders in our schools who are
committed to making a difference to their own We at NCSL hope that this document will help
lives and to the lives of others. The you to share in some of the excitement and
programme is now available nationally and achievements of young people as they develop
NCSL is pleased that it is being delivered their own leadership. We hope it will
through two organisations with considerable encourage you to look again at how you
experience in working with young people and develop young leaders in your school and to
with schools: Community Service Volunteers access the Student Leadership Programme,
and the University of the First Age. which you will read about here, to support you.

Student leadership lies at the heart of Schools that have been involved in the
improving our schools and enabling young Student Leadership Programme have reported
people to realise their potential. It builds the significant changes in the young people who
necessary skills, confidence and motivation for took part and changes in the school as a result
young people to engage directly in the wider of their school-based work. As students
improvement of the school and, in particular, become more aware of leadership actions and
in the improvement of the learning behaviours, they seek out role models, both in
experience. It enables students to become each other and in the school staff around
advocates for their own needs and the needs them. An investment in student leadership
of others. It lies at the heart of building a is a direct investment in leadership across the
sense of community and trust in school and school as student leaders begin to demand
builds effective relationships. An investment in more of the adult leaders in the organisation
student leadership is a direct investment in and to work with them in a joint endeavour to
tomorrow’s leaders of our schools and of our transform their school.

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 The Student Leadership Programme

Executive summary
This document celebrates the work of around The document will enable school leaders to
400 young people from over 30 schools across understand the context and the content of the
London who co-developed, piloted and tested programme and its value to them. It will also
a programme of materials for developing explain why the model is an important
student leadership. development in how we build effective and
meaningful relationships with young people
Central to the policy framework for coherent in our schools.
children’s services and the raising of
achievement is the greater engagement of
young people in the process. Student
leadership is a critical area of work that can
no longer be ignored by school leaders.

In this document we will describe:

• how the programme was developed
• the principles underlying NCSL’s Student
Leadership Programme
• what we learnt
• what the young people learnt
• how this programme and the learning
from it can support school leaders to meet
their objectives

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The Student Leadership Programme

Student Leadership Programme

Introduction Background to the programme

The project was initiated by NCSL in response The London Leadership Strategy focuses on
to its agenda on distributed leadership, the development needs of school leaders in
community leadership and the development London schools. The strategy is one strand
of pupil (and student) voice. The development of the London Challenge initiative described
of the Student Leadership Programme was in Investments for Reform (DfES, 2002).
supported and funded by London Challenge The strategy focuses on developing all
through the London Leadership Strategy. It aspects of leadership capacity within
was therefore subject to various constraints London secondary schools and is being
and had to meet specific targets and outputs run in partnership by NCSL and the London
set by London Challenge. These were central to Centre for Leadership in Learning.
the policy framework for coherent children’s
services, raising achievement and the greater The aim of the programme’s development was
engagement of young people in the process. to produce training materials, co-developed by
young people at Key Stage 3 in London
It was worked in three phases over two and a schools, in order to help develop young
half years. There was an initial phase of leaders in London. The programme has been
writing, delivery, re-design and co- developed in school time and also out-of-
development with young people, a second school hours, on Saturdays and during
phase of trialling and amending the materials holidays, with students voluntarily giving up
and a third phase of initial roll-out in London. their free time to participate.
This work has been done through partnership
with NCSL, the University of the First Age (UFA) The Student Leadership Programme consists
and Community Service Volunteers (CSV). The of six leadership modules that mirror the six
foundation module was also worked in part National Standards for Headteachers (DfES,
with Improving Self Efficacy, Self Esteem and 2004) and the NCSL Learning to Lead
Confidence of Children and Adults (ISECCA), a curriculum. Following the development and
charity based in Dorset which works in the first roll-out phase, the Student Leadership
field of emotional intelligence. Programme will become available
beyond London.

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 The Student Leadership Programme

The six modules are: • young people who have an increased

possibility of success in attainment and
• Foundation module 1: Understanding self
achievement
and working with others
• students who could act as ambassadors and
• Module 2: Shaping the future
champions for the school
• Module 3: Leading learning and teaching
• young people who could become lead
• Module 4: Building a community and learners in, and organisers of, extending
collaboration and enriching activities
• Module 5: Managing an organisation, • a curriculum to deliver part of their
programme or project personal, social and health education (PSHE)
• Module 6: Securing accountability, impact outcomes
of your actions and taking responsibility As students participated in the modules,
it was hoped that they would acquire a greater
The programme has shown that schools that understanding of themselves and their
participate in the programmes will have: abilities as well as the skills and attributes of
• young people who are motivated, ready and leaders. The table below shows the sort of
enthusiastic to initiate leadership work in learning that students would be able to
school identify with after participating in the
Student Leadership Programme.
• students who are ready and able to cascade
the learning from the course to others

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The Student Leadership Programme

As a leader I am able to … Module

be committed to teamwork All
be committed to checking my understanding and yours All
be committed to identifying shared vision and values All
model effective communication – listening, language, body language, etc All
recognise and respond to different attitudes and skills All
demonstrate my ability to influence others All
lead by example All
coach others All
identify the advantages and disadvantages of situations All
give effective presentations All
know about my own and other people’s learning styles 1, 2 and 3
understand my own needs and characteristics 1
understand the needs and characteristics of others 1
make effective use of my emotional toolkit 1
use this knowledge to inform my own leadership and teamworking 1
be committed to valuing every person’s contribution and role 1
be committed to supporting others 1
know about future thinking 2
manage change 2
encourage creativity 2
identify a range of learning opportunities and experiences 3
be committed to encouraging others to participate in life-long learning 3
lead learning in my school and beyond 3
be committed to distributed leadership 4
build trust and respect within a group 4
be committed to consulting and involving others 4
represent the views of the group 4
build and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of people 4
make best use of physical resources 5
consider financial implications 5
meet deadlines and other specifications 5
be committed to identifying group purposes and objectives 5
be committed to involving others and brainstorming ways forward 5
be committed to action-planning (objectives, milestones, deadlines etc) 5
review effectively – plan, meet objectives and learn for the future etc 5 and 6
use effective evaluation to inform future planning 5 and 6
monitor progress and review group attitude 6
develop collective responsibility 6
both make and receive constructive criticism 6

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 The Student Leadership Programme

Programme and module overview

Foundation module: Understanding self Module 3: Leading learning and teaching

and working with others
Students learn to:
Students learn to:
• nurture a strong and positive learning
• understand more about oneself in terms culture and develop enthusiasm and
of being a learner and a leader understanding of the learning process
• develop and reflect on one’s understanding • develop an understanding of the nature
of one’s own emotional health and of effective learning and teaching and
emotional responses in various situations the strategies that support learning
and teaching
• improve time organisation as a
leadership skill • link with the learning and teaching
practices in the curriculum and within
• develop the idea of roles and
the wider life-long learning agenda
responsibilities
• identify the role that student leaders
• develop further the idea of teamwork
can have in influencing policy and
• develop further listening and contributing to the education debate
communication skills locally and nationally
• use problem-solving to investigate more
deeply situations which may occur that Module 4: Building a community and
require leadership skills to be exhibited collaboration
• reflect on one’s own leadership skills
Students learn to:
• nurture a strong and positive understanding
Module 2: Shaping the future of distributed leadership, particularly in the
context of working within diverse groups
Students learn to:
• develop an understanding of how to engage
• nurture a strong and positive learning with diverse groups of people and how to
culture and develop enthusiasm and develop trust and effective working
understanding of the learning process relationships
• model and develop effective • develop an understanding of the different
communication skills, both verbal community contexts that they may be
and non verbal involved with
• develop vision and goals • identify the role that student leaders can
• develop understanding of future thinking have in their local community, and in
influencing policy and contributing to the
• develop an ability to manage change community debate locally and nationally
• develop an ability to influence others
through reasoned argument and debate

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The Student Leadership Programme

Module 5: Managing an organisation, Module 6: Securing accountability, impact

programme or project of your actions and taking responsibility

Students learn to: Students learn to:

• nurture a strong and positive understanding • nurture a strong and positive understanding
of managing a project or programme and of accountability as a leader and of how to
the importance of planning and reviewing develop a sense of collective responsibility
within the groups that they work with,
• develop an understanding of the key
taking into account any legal, financial or
differences between managing and leading
other relevant rules
• develop an understanding of how to
• develop an understanding of how different
identify clear and definable aims and
people are involved in projects or
objectives, the steps required to achieve
organisations and how to clarify who is
them and how to effectively monitor
responsible for what
progress and evaluate the end result
• develop a commitment to monitoring and
• develop an understanding of equal
reviewing their own roles.
opportunities and discrimination issues and
how to equally engage and motivate others
to contribute
• identify the role that student leaders can
take in leading a project or programme,
both setting up new ones and maintaining
existing ones

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 The Student Leadership Programme

Underlying principles for

the programme
We based the work on the beliefs that: During this process of development, we have
identified some of the conditions that we
• leadership skills are learnable
believe have contributed to its success and
• leadership is a far broader concept than effectiveness. These are:
may have been historically thought
• an intense experience – three to five
• development of meaningful voices and consecutive days
influence for young people requires a
• a challenge framework
common language between participants
and a shared starting point between school • facilitation and coaching rather than
and students teaching
• student voice and influence raises standards • a ratio of at least 1 facilitator to 15 young
people
• the raising of young people’s aspirations as
life-long learners leads to greater success • increasing responsibility is given to young
for them people over three days
• the outcomes of Every Child Matters will be • explicit learning processes
developed, especially for young people, and
• high support for individuals, coupled with
will make a positive contribution and build
increasing personal challenge activity
skills that will support them in achieving
economic well-being in the future • attention to the use of questions
• learning both inside and outside of the
school setting is transferable when the
process is made explicit
• working in partnership with agencies other
than schools is essential for raising
achievement and aspiration
• young people will become coaches and
facilitators for other students over time

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The Student Leadership Programme

How the course was developed

Design NCSL has also supported a training
programme for facilitators, with both adults
The module materials and resources were and students as peer facilitators. The long-
written initially by experienced adult term aim is to develop a student body who
facilitators from UFA. They were designed so experience the Student Leadership Programme
that they presented the subject content in a themselves first, and then learn how to
number of different learning models and facilitate the next student group, so creating a
review frames. The 3-day course was then run continuous and self-sustaining model of
with 30 students drawn from Key Stage 3 in 3 student leaders who are helping to develop
or 4 schools, often, though not always, from the next generation of student leaders.
the same borough. After experiencing the
course, these students then worked for a The boroughs and schools that took part
further two days to co-create new course
material and resources, still with the same key Foundation module 1: Understanding self
learning messages. These materials were then and others
given to commercial designers along with co-development: Haringey
design instructions from the students. The pilot: Hackney
resultant materials were then commercially
reproduced to form a box of games, resources, Module 2: Shaping the future
worksheets, posters and a set of facilitator co-development: Southwark
notes in order to test them out. The newly pilot: schools from Essex,
formed course and resources were then Camberwell and Lambeth
trialled with another group of Key Stage 3
students in different schools in different Module 3: Leading learning and teaching
boroughs in order to enable further co-development: Lambeth
refinement of the resources and programme, pilot: schools from Kent and Dulwich
where necessary.
Module 4: Building a community
Each module has been developed around and collaboration
a challenge framework so that students co- development: schools from Billericay,
themselves work at their potential and set Islington and Brockley
their own work level and commitment. pilot: schools from Camden
The framework sets out the challenge to be
Module 5: Managing an organisation,
achieved at the end of the course early on the
programme or project
first day of the course. There was also a series
co-development: schools from
of short-term mini-challenges, set throughout
Greenwich and Camden
the course, which helped participants to build
pilot: Bromley
towards the final challenge.
Module 6: Securing accountability, impact
Key Stage 3 of your actions and taking responsibility
co-development: Greenwich
The rationale for choosing students in Key pilot: Bromley
Stage 3 was in order to build capacity in
schools so that, after attending the course,
students would have a minimum of two years’
activity in this capacity in school before they
could leave at 16.

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 The Student Leadership Programme

Some examples of activity

since the course
The young people who came • Students have attended and run workshops
and given an opening keynote speech at
The participating schools recruited young NCSL’s national conference, and have
people from a range of ages and abilities. spoken at regional conferences.
Some brought a very homogenous group, ie,
same sex, same age, same ability level: others • One student has co-hosted an NCSL
took the opportunity to bring young people hotseat discussion.
from all three age groups in Key Stage 3. Some
brought young people who are often troubled • One student has written a diary of her
and challenged by school: they were often training experience and has had it
visited by their behaviour and learning published in Ldr, NCSL’s magazine.
support mentors. Some participants were
challenged by literacy and some were fairly • Twenty-two students have undertaken a
recent arrivals to the country, engaging with two-day training course to become peer
new concepts at the same time as gaining facilitators for the programme.
skills in the English language. We worked with
a cohort of young people from a special school • Eight students have helped so far to deliver
and other young people who had statements course sessions.
of special educational needs as well as young
• Peer facilitators from a school in Haringey
people who were on the gifted and talented
have run transition workshops for children
register. A range of faiths, cultures and
from five feeder primaries.
ethnicities was represented.
• Young people are cascading the learning
Each school brought two members of staff
from the course during lunchtime clubs to
to experience the course with the students.
Year 7 pupils.
These were often a teacher and a member
of the support staff. • Many of the students have been involved in
cascading their learning through key stage
There were end-of-course evaluations that
and year group assemblies.
showed some of the judgements and learning
on the course, together with some of the
aspirations that these enthusiastic and creative
young people had for activities when they
returned to their schools.

There was no formal long-term evaluation of

impact associated with the course, but schools
inform us of how they are continuing and
developing the work.

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The Student Leadership Programme

What we have learnt from

running the programme
We have learnt a number of valuable lessons • We discovered the importance of a good
and had some of our knowledge confirmed. metaphor for young people: leaders can
push from behind and thus model
Three key areas emerge from the evidence: leadership behaviour, as well as pull from
the front, enabling students to be
1) pedagogy: the processes of imparting comfortable with the concepts of leadership
knowledge and skills and helping them become more involved.
2) learning design: what we learnt from the
way the pedagogy was embodied into the 2) Learning design
structure and design of the learning
The messages for school leaders are as follows:
3) values and relationships: the values that
• Young people are interested in how they
brought the pedagogy and design into a
learn – and are interested to know that we
meaningful whole
are interested.
• Students specifically fed back the following.
1) Pedagogy
— Don’t stand in front of us and talk for
The messages for school leaders are as follows: any more than five minutes – we will
switch off after that.
• Students need time to question, link and
reflect: the programme is not a bolt-on to — Give us enough information to start
an overcrowded curriculum, but needs time a task, but let us find the learning for
and space to develop. ourselves – it’s more interesting
that way.
• Students can engage with complex ideas
using a range of delivery styles: young — Let us learn by doing it rather than
people enjoy being interactive and active. talking about it.
• There is a need to practice with a real or — I don’t like being out of my comfort
imaginary scenario. zone but I know I’ll learn new things
if I am.
• Students benefit from role play and
simulation activities when transferring — Do lots of physical things to help
learning. us to learn.
• The power of revealing the process, — Tell us why you do what you do.
undertaken through feedback, circle — Let us show off our talents.
discussion, conversation and drawing out
students’ understandings is an even more • It is worth investing time in building trust
powerful process when led by students and team skills in the design of initial
themselves. sessions.
• Participants need to be able to sit through • It is worth taking a risk to work across
silence: the 11-second principle. schools or age groups, for example with
• Adults need to model leadership behaviours vertical groupings, as it can be a powerful
explicitly throughout and constantly refer to way of developing leadership skills.
them: a meta-language.

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 The Student Leadership Programme

• A considered and appropriate learning • Young people respond and react positively
environment, physical and emotional and when being led by other young people.
including food, is important to the success
• A declared clean-slate policy is helpful to
of the first and, to a lesser extent,
most and particularly to those who often
subsequent days.
find school a challenging place to be.
• The development of individual
• The programme should be treated
conversations and relationships is
as a right, not a privilege, and the
important.
responsibilities that come through
• The learning circle debrief is powerful as a participation are encouraged through
means of making the learning process as coaching and asking young people to
explicit as the learning activity. reflect on the effects of their behaviours
upon others.
• The design of the programme needs to
reflect that students need to have time to • Openness and explicitness about
question, link and reflect on the leadership behaviours helps to reveal a
programme, which is not seen as a bolt-on hidden curriculum which is expected but
to an overcrowded curriculum, but needs often implicit in schools. We expect and also
time and space to develop to be an effective model leadership qualities and skills, and
tool for school improvement. then individually coach young people to be
able to show them.
• The students need real opportunities and
activities to work on to practise their skills
back at school in a climate where they are The students have learnt the following:
supported to experiment and take risks.
• The content of the course and could
translate concepts such as accountability
3) Values and relationships into practice.
• Leadership is much more than being about
The messages for school leaders are as follows:
someone called a leader and can be
• The high status accorded to the programme exercised by people who have a range of
was affirming for the young people, and the talents and strengths.
school needs to model the value of the
• It is possible to learn methods of working
programme in the way it supports it.
with people they do not know.
• The value of this affirmation in building
• Mistakes can be learnt from and that
self-efficacy in students should not be
this can be a good way of learning in
underestimated, but should be taken
some circumstances.
seriously, as it contributes to the whole
leadership issue. • Actions and manners are as important as
what is said.
• What you model as an adult will be
reflected in the students. • Leadership can take them out of their
comfort zone and this can be dealt
• Emotional intelligence and conversation are
with effectively.
important as these comprise an adult skill
set, and there is a positive response to • Working with others can be like designing
respect, honesty and openness from the and requires practice, testing and reflection.
facilitating teams.

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The Student Leadership Programme

How can school leaders be

supported by this learning
to achieve their objectives?
• It is hard to teach. • Create a framework that has the support
of the whole organisation in order to
• It is important to create their own develop leadership skills and opportunities
understandings, taking responsibility for for young people.
their role in a team and having pride in
• Create a wide range of opportunities
their work.
and choice for the range of abilities ages,
• They have a range of skills and strengths interests and strengths of the students.
which they can use to support their school
• Create opportunities for developing
in a variety of ways.
responsibility and teamwork in an
• Skills can be offered in a way that shows environment that supports young people
respect to the environment in which in acquiring skills and tools and allows the
they learn. students to practise safely.
• Roles and activities can be used by students • Create opportunities that develop
to contribute as leaders into their schools these leadership skills in meaningful
and communities. and real situations.
• They need to have belief in themselves • Create opportunities that allow progression
and confidence that their schools and for the young people involved as they
communities can offer them opportunities mature in skill and age.
to develop those skills further.
• Talk to young people about where they
can and already do exercise leadership.
Often young people can and are doing
leadership outside school more often than
in the school.
• Consider the body of research on voice
and participation and some of the models
developed for enabling progression
in participation.
• Consider the power that student leaders
should be able to exercise, on behalf of the
school, in order to make their experiences
meaningful rather than tokenistic and
manipulative (Hart, 1995).
• Create opportunities that allow for students
to make mistakes and reflect on them,
providing challenges and modelling the
dispositions that can meet the challenge.
• Trust young people to be able to
develop projects by stepping back from
over-controlling the students.
• Trust that opportunities for leadership in
school can be challenging and stretching,
but also very enjoyable at the same time.

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The Student Leadership Programme The Student Leadership Programme

Key Issues
To summarise, there are key issues that we 4 The creation of powerful learning
identified that must be considered if the vision communities is necessary so that student
of student leadership represented at the leadership can be learnt, developed
conference is to be realised. and applied in and beyond the
school community.
1 Barriers in the relationships between
students and teachers are perpetuated by 5 The creation of networks of learning
preconceptions about their roles in the communities will facilitate the training and
school. The breaking down of barriers may mentoring of students and teachers in the
lead to the renegotiation of roles within the development of student leadership, and
school, which will certainly require the encourage the sharing of experiences
commitment of all participants. and ideas.

2 The creation of a shared language Our evaluation of this work is that it seemed
of leadership is needed in the to inspire students, teachers and educational
school community. As discussed earlier leaders to carry the torch for student voice and
within the report, the creation of this student leadership as entitlements for all our
shared language is facilitated through young people. However, it is unlikely that
shared workshop and training sessions. many will be able to change the culture of
their schools and facilitate the development of
3 The issue of trust in student leadership student leadership without external training,
needs to be addressed, so that teachers support, facilitation and active advocacy as
have the confidence that students will act outlined above. The development of student
responsibly in their leadership roles and leadership in ways that are sustainable in
students have the confidence that their individual schools and across networks and
voices will be heard and that they will make communities is the next giant step if this
a difference. This issue could be addressed vision is to be realised.
through the preparation and training of
teachers and students together in
leadership and research skills.

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The Student Leadership Programme The Student Leadership Programme

Summary
This was an ambitious concept and The programme of six modules will continue
programme that has touched the lives of over to be available to schools in London,
400 young people who have experienced one supported in part by London Challenge. Grant
or more modules to date. Overwhelmingly, funding has however ended and the course
both students’ and teachers’ evaluations are will now be reconfigured to form one three-
very, very positive. day course, covering aspects of all the
modules. This will be rolled out nationally
Whilst the specific subject matter of the with an associated programme that trains
module was interesting to some, it has been adults and young people to deliver it in
the process experience that has had a schools, organisations and across local
motivating and confidence-building effect, and authorities and that will be available to buy.
which participants describe, some two years
on, as lasting and life-changing.
 The Student Leadership Programme

Staff comments Appendix: References

“[There was evidence of] improved confidence Alexander, E & Sandell, P, 2003, An Evaluation
and clear development for most of the pupils of the Student Voice Conference on Student
who took part in the course.” Leadership, Nottingham, NCSL
“[It was] an excellent opportunity for all pupils DfES, 2004, National Standards for
to engage positively for an extended period of Headteachers, Norwich, HMSO
time on a shared goal.”
DfES, 2002, Investments for Reform, Annesley,
“As an adult being involved, it was a pleasure.” DfES Hart, 1995,
“There [should] also be some self-reflection
sheets which could be reduced and scanned
into the booklet.”

National College for School Leadership | 19

National College for
School Leadership
Triumph Road
Nottingham NG8 1DH
T: 0870 001 1155
F: 0115 872 2001
E: [email protected]
W: www.ncsl.org.uk

© National College for School Leadership, October 2006 PB190