Benefits
Benefits to schools
Leading from the Middle (LftM) can enable the school to:
- develop distributed leadership capacity
- engage with coaching practices within the school
- increase the confidence of middle leaders to their leadership potential
- empower middle leaders to engage with the shared vision of the school
- encourage collaborative learning and working across the school, supporting coherence and developing stronger teams
- enhance middle leaders' awareness of their role and their ability to engage in professional dialogue
Benefits for school leaders
LftM can enable school leaders to:
- develop leadership skills within the context of their role and school and their own development needs
- increase ability to lead innovation and change in the context of their own school and the national agenda for education
- deepen knowledge and understanding of their role in leading learning and teaching
- improve self-confidence and competence as team leaders
- enhance building of team capacity through efficient use of staff and resources
- gain the opportunity to network locally in face-to-face sessions and through online learning
- gain the opportunity to access the Teacher Learning Academy for professional recognition
Benefits for leadership coaches
- Professional development primarily in areas of coaching and adult learning.
- Influencing the development of distributed leadership capacity throughout the school.
- Opportunity to access the Teacher Learning Academy for professional recognition.
Benefits to collaborative groups
A collaborative group is a group of schools who have chosen to come together with collective aims, working together to address a specific local focus through LftM.
Many collaborative groups will be already working together before starting the LftM programme. Examples of these groups include:
- primary strategy network
- LIG collaborative groups
- EAZ groups
- family of schools
- networked learning group
- small school network
- school federations
- faith school groups
Other groups of schools are also welcome to apply. There are various advantages to groups of schools, including:
- the opportunity to focus on local contextual needs identified by the collaborative group
- increased middle leadership capacity and stronger relationships between schools
- flexible dates for face-to-face delivery
- a tutor group exclusive to your collaborative group
- a local venue (where possible)
To apply as part of a collaborative group, you should have at least 18 middle leaders. The maximum group size is usually around 24 middle leaders. Should you wish to apply as part of a collaborative group, please contact your regional provider in the first instance.
NCSL's online communities
As a participant on Leading from the Middle, you automatically gain access to NCSL's online communities. You will gain access to a private community for your programme and to our public communities.
Our public communities allow you to connect with peers from across the education sector. They are a great place to engage in professional dialogue, to stimulate debate and to learn from the wisdom of others. Within them you have access to a confidential and extensive network of colleagues, experts and policy-makers with whom you can debate, discuss and share ideas.
Find out more about our online communities and watch an introduction to the benefits of online collaboration and discussion 
