Leading skills: exploring leadership in further education colleges: paper 1: the future of further education and the backgrounds of college leaders

This report focuses on general further education (FE) colleges in England and their principals and seeks to set out: (1) why FE and its leadership matter; (2) how the socio-economic and delivery context for FE leaders is changing; and (3) who leads FE colleges. The further education and skills sector fulfils a twin economic and social mission by providing educational opportunities to young people, adults and employers within a diverse range of settings. Central to success in these missions is effective leadership. There is a strong body of evidence showing that leadership matters to public service outcomes. Specifically, past research has shown that good leaders in FE drive improvements in teaching standards and student outcomes. Over the fence, school leadership has received considerable attention from policymakers and politicians. However, there has been much less analysis of who college leaders are, what skills they need in a fast-changing environment and how we can develop the leaders for the future. This project seeks to fill this gap.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less