Collective Leadership
Great schools aren't built by brilliant middle leaders...
they're built by middle leaders who lead brilliantly together.
Collective Leadership helps middle leaders become one team, sharing responsibility, improving teaching together and building the collective efficacy that drives lasting school improvement.
2 Term
Programme
Cohorts of
5 or 10 Leaders
Cohesive
Middle Leadership
Scalable for
School Groups
- Developed by Stephen Cox and Mark Burns
- Full instructional materials included
- Supported by Scottish local authorities
— The Challenge Facing Middle Leaders
Middle Leaders aren't failing.
They're overloaded.
Middle leaders are no longer simply subject specialists. Today they’re expected to improve teaching, coach colleagues, lead curriculum, drive improvement, support wellbeing, develop future leaders, respond to accountability and deliver change, all at once.
Most programmes focus on individual leadership skills. Schools improve when leadership becomes collective.
- Improve teaching
- Coach colleagues
- Lead curriculum
- Drive improvement
- Support wellbeing
- Develop future leaders
- Respond to accountability
- Deliver change
Before Collective Leadership
- Departments work independently
- Improvement depends on individuals
- Good practice remains isolated
- Leadership is reactive
- Staff feel responsible for their own teams
After Collective Leadership
- Leaders improve together
- Improvement belongs to everyone
- Great practice spreads rapidly
- Leadership is proactive
- Leaders feel responsible for the whole school
— How Collective Leadership works
How Improvement Spreads
Schools rarely stop improving because teachers stop caring. Improvement slows when leadership becomes fragmented, every department solving similar problems separately, good ideas staying within teams, and momentum leaving whenever a leader does.
The schools making the greatest progress don’t simply develop leaders. They develop leaders who improve together.
— Why Schools Choose Collective Leadership
Why Schools Invest in Collective Leadership
Schools invest in CLP because they see it change how their leadership team works together, not just what individual leaders know. It’s grounded in what actually drives school improvement: Collective Teacher Efficacy, real trust, and practice that spreads.
— What's Included
What is the Collective Leadership Programme?
CLP is a two-term on-site programme that engages the whole leadership team. Built with the latest
understanding of adult learner development, it will not just transform leadership, but its impact will ripple
throughout teachers and learners too.
Delivered
in your school
Cohorts of 5 or 10
Middle Leaders
5 days with
expert consultants
2 term
programme
Scoping Day
- Discuss your school’s needs and expectations.
- Agree on a cohort details.
Module 1
Learning and Leading
- Needs analysis to unearth the block to adult learning.
- Identify strengths, unpick protocols and agree starting points.
Module 2
The Power of Shared Clarity
- Prioritisation to find time to focus on impact.
- Gain clarity in your objectives in the midst of a busy educational landscape.
Module 3
High Relational Trust
- How to create strong relationships at a leader, teacher and learner level.
- How these relationships affect learning
Module 4
Accurate Self-Perception
- How to close the bias gap between self-perception and reality.
- Recognise areas of improvement and “plus ones” to work on.
Module 5
Effective Learning Design
- Develop a Collective Leadership Programme for your school.
- Lead learning for teachers that reflects and embeds the leader learning journey
Lead as a Collective
- Deepen collaborative enquiry
- Boost attainment across the school
- Grow leadership capacity and empower leaders
- Create transparency and clarity around quality standards
Click here to book your free scoping session
— The Collective Leadership Consultants
Led by experts with real classroom experience.
Every programme is delivered by experienced school leaders and practitioners, not generic trainers.
Judy Pitt
An experienced senior leader in both Scotland and England, former Head Teacher Judy Pitt is an accredited Visible Learning plus and Osiris Teaching Intervention trainer. Judy is passionate about whole school improvement and staff wellbeing. She has significant first hand experience of leading schools through challenging circumstances. Her counselling, coaching and mentoring strengths enable her to quickly recognise and cultivate the potential in others and school organisations.
John Huddlestone
John Huddlestone, an expert trainer and former deputy headteacher, drives school improvement with over 25 years’ experience. Specialising in teaching, assessment, and leadership, John’s practical training raises standards and boosts teacher performance. An Osiris Teaching Intervention trainer, he supports schools in the UK and abroad with impactful, sustainable change.
Liz Henning
Liz has over 30 years’ experience in education including teaching, school improvement and mathematics training. She has worked with schools all over the country, consistently achieving excellent results. Her courses are inspiring, practical and full of ideas to take back to the classroom.
Nick Austin
Nick Austin is a seasoned Teaching and Learning expert and NLP specialist, passionate about elevating education. A former headteacher and current vice chair of governors, he delivers practical, engaging training nationally and internationally, focusing on NLP strategies, TA development, and leadership, helping educators provide exceptional learning experiences for all students.
Wendy Brown
Wendy Brown, a leading trainer for the Osiris Teaching Intervention, brings over 20 years’ teaching experience to her impactful, Ofsted-praised training. Known for practical, tailored INSET sessions, Wendy helps teachers become reflective, collaborative practitioners, driving measurable improvements in classroom practice across England and Scotland.
Carmel Bones
Carmel Bones is a team leader and trainer for the Osiris Teaching Intervention working internationally in schools helping teachers who are leading on teaching and learning. She is an author, consultant and examiner, with over 20 years teaching experience in education and recognised as an Honorary Fellow of the Historical Association.
— What changes?
From individual effort to collective impact
Most professional learning ends with enthusiasm, not evidence. This programme focuses on practice, coaching and reflection in your own school.
For the School
- Stronger, more consistent improvement across every department.
- Attainment boosted school-wide, not just in isolated pockets.
- A leadership team that's genuinely accountable for the whole school, not just their own patch.
For Leaders
- Real confidence, built through shared practice and trust.
- A proactive way of leading, not constantly reacting.
- Full instructional materials and a Learning Portfolio to keep the momentum going.
For Teachers
- Consistent coaching and shared practice, not one leader's individual style.
- Better teaching that spreads across the whole school, not just one department.
- Hundreds of improved learning experiences for pupils, driven by one connected leadership team.
— FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Thinking it through before you commit your leadership team? Here’s what we’re asked most often.
How much time does it take?
The programme is built directly around your existing school day to ensure minimum timetable disruption.
Will it work in our school context?
OTI is proven across primary, secondary, and special school settings, adapting fully to your specific priorities.
Who should take part?
We help you select suitable cohorts during your scoping session, from teachers needing a lift to future leaders building expertise.
Can we start small?
Yes. Schools can run cohorts of 5 or 10, or explore individual teacher pathways.
Imagine a school where every middle leader
isn't simply leading a department...
They're helping lead the whole school.
That’s the difference between leadership development and collective leadership.
If you’re ready to build a middle leadership team that improves teaching together, we’d love to show you how.