What is The Difference Leadership Programme?
Children who experience exclusion from school are more likely to experience vulnerability than than their peers, and go on to achieve less good outcomes.
Our pioneer cohort of Difference Leaders
Seeking to address this picture, The Difference Leadership Programme (DLP) launched with a Pioneer Cohort of ten teachers in the Spring of 2019. In a first program of its kind, these aspiring leaders from mainstream schools joined leadership teams in Alternative Provision (AP) for a two year programme of professional learning. By working with children who had been excluded, they gained understanding, developed their practice, and made a positive contribution to the work those schools were already doing.
The Difference Leadership Programme:
Delivers training in inclusion and Designated Safeguarding Lead certification
Fosters community through summer training residentials
Uses a supervision model based on compassionate minds practice
Provides Twilights to share good practice
One of these teachers, Ada, had previously held a junior leadership responsibility in a mainstream school. On The Difference Leadership Programme, Ada became an Associate Leader at WAC Arts College. Here, she learnt more about special educational needs of the pupils she worked with, whilst bringing her recent mainstream experience of teaching Maths, improving the GCSE outcomes. On completing the programme, Ada became an Assistant Headteacher and SENCO at Mulberry Academy Woodside, where she has improved the school experience of girls by raising awareness of neurodivergence, crediting this insight to her time on The Difference Leadership Programme.
The Covid pandemic saw some parts of the training move online for a time. But as schools remained open, the programme adapted and grew in size and geography. To accommodate a larger cohort, summer residentials moved from Jamie’s Farm to The Northern College in 2021.
In the years since its launch, The Difference Leadership Programme has worked with over 70 aspiring leaders, supporting their work development, and career progression. We’re fortunate to include Assistant Headteachers, Deputies, and Headteachers in our growing community.
Partnering schools have expanded in type, too, to include Special Schools and ‘internal alternative provision’ in mainstream schools.
Raising status and expertise
Difference Leaders have gained insight into less well known areas of school practice through this programme, and have shared their findings with wider audiences:
Mike Power has written about What makes for a successful reintegration from PRU to mainstream school?
Yasmin Omar has discussed the factors contributing to underachievement in Science and ways to overcome them at the IncludEd conference
Coshia Belvet has presented at The Festival of Education on the connections between communication needs and vulnerability