How to develop your middle leaders

Last reviewed on 13 August 2021
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 7182

As a senior leader, you'll always be looking out for up-and-coming talent among your staff. Learn how to show your middle leaders that you recognise their potential and take action to grow it within your school, so you can develop the next generation of senior leaders.

Article tools

Contents

  1. Benefits of investing in your middle leaders 
  2. Give middle leaders the space to make their own decisions 
  3. Identify stretch projects from your SIP 
  4. Offer mentoring and coaching to accelerate progress 
  5. Encourage leaders to take part in networking opportunities 

Benefits of investing in your middle leaders 

Recognising and developing talent within your school can help you to:

  • Retain your aspirational leaders – it shows them they are appreciated and that your school is invested in their development
  • Reach your school development goals – with more distributed leadership, you'll be able to upskill your staff and limit the burden on your senior leadership team 

Give middle leaders the space to make their own decisions 

Before you give leaders additional projects to take on, make sure they have room to develop and gain experience within their existing role.  

Clearly communicate your leadership structures to all staff

For example, a teacher may take an issue directly to the deputy headteacher, rather than the head of department. This would mean the middle leader misses out on getting the experience

Read next

Also in 'Leadership CPD'