NPQH Cycle 1: Ethical Principles and Leadership Behaviours
Formative Assessment Task
Leadership
behaviours
Integrity
Effective leaders act with honesty, transparency and always in the interests of the school and its pupils. They can gain the respect of others by acting in line with their own values, as well as making decisions or choices with the best interests of education and pupils in mind.
Resilience
Effective leaders remain courageous and positive in challenging, adverse or uncertain circumstances. They can respond appropriately, manage uncertainty and bounce back even in the most trying of situations.
Leading by example
Effective leaders consistently demonstrate and communicate their vision, passion and commitment. They lead by example, have high levels of professional credibility, and demonstrate total commitment to school improvement through their own leadership behaviours.
Respect
Effective leaders respect the rights, views, beliefs and faiths of all pupils, colleagues and stakeholders.
Self-awareness
Effective leaders will know themselves and their teams, continually reflect on their own and othersā practices, and understand how best to approach difficult or sensitive issues. They are aware of their personal strengths and areas for future growth and understand how their own behaviour impacts on others.
Effective ethical leadership
The seven Nolan Principles for Public Life provide a good starting point for ethical conduct by leaders: accountability, honesty, integrity, leadership, objectivity, openness and selflessness.
The National Education Union have devised a framework to ensure that ethical leadership is at the heart of all that you do as a leader. It is designed to āensure your staff and students benefit from effective leadership that is driven by positive values from both heart and mind. The framework illustrates the kind of behaviours expected from leaders in education, even in challenging timesā (NEU Code of Ethical Practice in Leadership, p. 2).
The framework looks at dimensions which make up the LEADERSHIP approach.
L = Learning
E = Ethical
A = Aspiration
D = Diversity
E = Evidence
R = Responsibility
S = Support
H = Holistic
I = Integrity
P = Purpose
These dimensions are used as a tool to analyse the current ethical leadership practice in your organisation. It involves a range of staff and stakeholders to help you to ensure that effective, ethical leadership becomes embedded in your organisation.
The NEU recommend that having an āopen-to-learningā conversation will help you apply the Code of Ethical Practice in Leadership. āThe concept of open-to-learning conversations, developed by Professor Viviane Robinson, is a model for helping people prepare for difficult conversations. Open-to-learning conversations help leaders become more attuned to their perceptions of situations. Practising open-to-learning conversations helps build a culture and environment of professional and relational trust in educational settingsā (NEU Code of Ethical Practice in Leadership, p. 8).
The guiding values of an open-to-learning conversation are:
ļ§ Increase the validity of information (whether the information be thoughts, opinions, reasoning, inferences or feelings). Identifying the reasoning behind your views; giving examples and illustrations of your views; challenging assumptions of self and others; treating your views as hypotheses rather than taken for granted truths; seeking feedback.
ļ§ Increase respect for self and others. Listening deeply, especially when views differ from yours; expecting high standards and constantly checking how you are helping others to reach them; sharing control of the conversation.
ļ§ Increase commitment to decisions. Sharing the problems and the problem-solving process; requiring problem-solving for collective decisions; fostering public monitoring and review of decisions.
Note: Please ensure that any information provided here, or in communications with your leadership performance coach, is anonymised and that individuals cannot be identified.
Task: Ethical leadership analysis
For this task, you should:
1. Use the NEU audit tool below. Complete this yourself and ask up to five different members of your setting to also complete the audit. It would be beneficial if staff members asked had different roles and responsibilities across your organisation.
2. Compare the outcomes from each of the different audits completed. āThe goal is for you and your staff to reach agreement that leadership is typified as green and good practice, rather than red and bad practice.ā
3. Have an āopen-to-learningā conversation with the staff involved.
4. Identify any areas rated as amber or red and agree what actions need to be taken to ensure that these areas move towards green.
5. Use your responses to the proforma questions to write a 400-word (maximum) report titled āApplying Ethical Leadership in Practiceā. In writing your report you should use the following subheadings:
ļ§ Strengths in ethical leadership in the audit
ļ§ Areas for development in ethical leadership identified in the audit
ļ§ Actions to support the application of ethical leadership in practice across your school/ organisation and the intended outcomes of these actions
ļ§ My further development, for example, leadership behaviours you need to develop, ethical practices you need to become more secure with
When you have completed your report, upload it in Canvas to your leadership performance coach within the timeframe identified.
a r n i n g
LLearning is defined narrowly and confined to prescribed student achievements.
There is insufficient CPD to support individual learning for staff.
There is a lack of attention to collective learning across the organisation.
There is an inability to learn from mistakes.
There is a focus on teaching to the test and an over-reliance on academic results.
There is poor student behaviour and evidence of increasing mental health issues among students and staff.
There is an over-reliance on directive leadership ā telling staff what needs to be done or control and command and non-questioning of power.
There is no open-door policy. Some staff find themselves excluded and/or misled by dishonest practice.
There are overly hierarchical structures and practices, with expectation of privileged treatment or social isolation depending on rank or position.
There is āends justify the meansā behaviour, unfair treatment of some staff and unfair practices.
Rank terminology is used to demonstrate power or to block empowerment of those led or managed.
Leaders ensure many forms of learning and achievement are identified and celebrated.
Leaders ensure learning is at the heart of practice for all staff, as well as students, ensuring appropriate CPD/mentoring/coaching is in place.
A learning culture is fostered to ensure collective lessons are learned when plans fail.
The overall aim is to improve professional competence and ensure future success.
Leaders ensure that students receive a well-rounded education that has lasting value and engenders good mental health and well-being.
Leaders show empathy and, wherever possible, lead collectively and collaboratively.
Leaders demonstrate that they actively listen to staff and students by providing appropriate support.
Leaders build trust in their teams through an honest and inclusive approach by proactively listening to concerns.
Leaders welcome and facilitate dialogue with staff representatives.
The 3 Rs are paramount ārelationships, responsibility and resources ā and a belief that these will get results.
Leaders know that they are not the leader in every situation and trust others to lead at times.
s p i r a ti
AThere is a gulf between espoused and actual values within the workplace.
There is a limited and limiting vision for both students and staff, and a focus on only certain types of aspiration (e.g., academic goals) being worthy.
Fixed mindsets are accepted in staff and students.
A ācanāt doā culture is evident which discourages innovation and suggestions for change.
There is a tangible lack of diversity, with some staff and learners feeling unwelcome.
Offensive language or behaviours are tolerated or not challenged.
D i v e r s i t y
Diversity impact assessment is not evident in policy content and parameters of operations.
Leaders are inflexible to requests for adjustments on the grounds of protected characteristic or social disadvantage.
Leaders ensure they and their staff align internal values and beliefs with external actions and behaviours.
Leaders promote and demonstrate high aspirations for themselves and others.
Leaders support a culture of ambition based on growth mindsets to develop all students and staff.
Leaders allow and encourage innovation in the pursuit of positive learning outcomes as part of a ācan doā culture.
A culture exists in which all staff and learners feel welcome and valued and in which inappropriate behaviours are challenged.
Staff reflect the diversity of the local population at every level of the organisation.
Leaders respect othersā views and boundaries, have an open-door policy, and are seen to communicate with all members of the community.
Leaders take positive action to ensure equality of opportunity and address issues of diversity and social disadvantage.
Equality, diversity and inclusion are real factors in staff recruitment, retention, training and development.
v i d e n c e
Decisions appear to be made without due regard to evidence, or without a clear understanding of what a task involves.
Opportunities to participate in reviewing the success of strategies are limited.
Leaders ensure their decision making rests on firm, substantiated evidence and is sufficiently transparent for others to recognise a clear rationale.
Leaders consult on, and invite challenge on, their strategies with staff and union representatives.
Leaders seek evidence and feedback on the impact of strategies and initiatives.
e s p o n s i b i l i t y
Challenge is often met with an overly defensive or even vindictive response.
There is risk aversion to trying new ways of working and thinking.
Leaders are frightened to challenge those devising education policy and systems of measurement, e.g., government and Ofsted.
There are problem practices such as favouritism, covert or overt bullying, or delegation without knowledge.
Leaders accept responsibility to do their best for students and staff and actively invite challenge.
Leaders are strong enough to deliver appropriate challenge to others where practice and behaviour is not acceptable.
Leaders are prepared to be brave and challenge national policy where it is clearly damaging to students and staff.
Leaders are aware of their own core beliefs, social positioning and biases and how these things can influence the workplace and learning environments.
Leaders are receptive to challenge from others, including staff and governors, in seeking to improve their practice.
S u p p o r t
There is little ongoing support for staff or little demonstration that leaders care.
Well-being is addressed in a tokenistic way, if at all, with few policies identifying or addressing well-being issues or monitoring or reviewing matters such as sickness absence levels.
Policies addressing issues of workload, working time or access to flexible working are inadequate, and/or there is little evidence of implementation of policies which do exist.
l i s ti c
H
There is insufficient demonstration of duty of care for staff (e.g., student success is pursued at the expense of staff well-being).
There is micro-management, a distinct lack of trust, and a perception of covert agendas.
Leaders and staff have very different ideas of what is happening.
e g r i t y
There is a culture of blame when things go wrong, with leaders refusing to take responsibility while accepting any praise for success.
Gossip and hearsay are tolerated and never called out as being damaging.
Leaders understand staff are their most precious asset and maintain a duty of care for them.
Leaders take action to encourage a healthy work/life balance through adoption and implementation of well-being policies and practices.
Leaders engage with staff and union representatives on matters of workload, adopting and implementing policies which seek to limit workload and working time and promote flexible working.
Leaders take responsibility for doing the right things to deliver a good, well-rounded education.
Leaders trust and empower staff to take the right decisions.
Leaders make an effort to ensure that they and everyone else understand what all roles in the organisation encompass.
Leaders accept their responsibility for mistakes and congratulate those who have performed well, always acknowledging the contributions of others.
Leaders keep confidences and donāt engage in gossip or hearsay.
The school/college feels like a business, rather than an educational setting, in which finance drives decision making.
Staff feel generally unappreciated and praise is rarely given, if at all.
Demands on staff feel arbitrary and unclear and do not further the learning of students.
Staff and their representatives are not consulted or involved in decision making.
Often staff are looking for alternative opportunities in other schools/colleges or considering leaving education altogether.
Leaders never lose sight of the purpose of education and can distinguish between good financial management and the needs of the community.
Leaders make their staff and students feel appreciated and valued āpraising and acknowledging their contributions regularly.
Leaders ensure the purposes of tasks are well understood and agreed.
Leaders actively engage with staff and their representatives, ensuring reps are supported to carry out their role, recognising the benefits to the organisation.
The climate and culture are set by leaders and creating a positive working environment is paramount.
Adapted from NEU Code of Ethical Practice in Leadership.