School leaders leading curriculum inclusion: Re-culturing pedagogy, re-imagining the student experience

Abstract

There has been widespread discussion within and outside educational institutions on the relevance and suitability of the curriculum provided to students in the United Kingdom. In North London, at the beginning of the school year 2019/2020, 11 primary school leaders, representing nine primary schools’ came together as a group, to begin to identify and examine ways they could improve their schools’ curriculum offer and ultimately the experience of students in their schools. The research produced four main findings. First, school leaders need targeted continuing professional development (CPD) to provide the knowledge and skills required to lead whole school change involving this level of complexity. Second, school leaders need well organised CPD. Third, school leaders learning should support an entire school community. Fourth, leaders can take charge of their own learning. That participants formed the group and contacted the consultancy for the training is an important point of note. That is, school leaders can (and do) take charge of their own learning for they know what they ‘lack’ or what they do not know, and they (have demonstrated they) possess the agency to seek out support.