Context

Fortrose Academy has launched a bespoke Middle Leadership Development programme to strengthen leadership capacity and drive school improvement. The school has a roll of 621 young people and 12 Middle Leaders (eight curricular, three pastoral and one ASN). To date, 11 of our 12 Middle Leaders have opted into the Middle Leader Programme, which has been entirely voluntary. Significant investment has been made to enable participation during the school day, including budget allocation for supply cover reflecting the school’s commitment to leadership development. Days 1 and 2 took place on 17 and 18 November 2025 with the third day planned for the end of the academic year. 

Rationale

The initiative emerged from discussions within the Extended Leadership Team (ELT), where leadership-focused activities embedded in meetings received positive feedback. Recognising the need for deeper engagement, the Senior Leadership Team explored Education Scotland’s professional learning resources but concluded that full delivery during scheduled meetings was impractical due to Working Time Agreement constraints. 

To address this, the school designed a tailored, flexible programme centred around Leadership, aligning with priorities from the National Improvement Framework (NIF), and the emerging work around the Curriculum Improvement Cycle. 

Programme Structure - Day 1 and 2 – Focus Areas

• The Role of the Middle Leader
• Change Models
• Self-Evaluation for Middle Leaders (self-led, online)
• Curriculum Improvement Cycle 

The first two days were built around Education Scotland’s Professional Learning Activities (PLAs), with a particular emphasis on managing change as outlined in the Middle Leaders Leading Change programme. This was complemented with leadership-centred content from Education Scotland's Middle Leaders Leading Change programme, and a standalone PLA on Self-Evaluation for Middle Leaders. The final activity across these two days was centred on the Curriculum Improvement Cycle and the work already underway in our school.  

The programme was planned and facilitated by me (Depute Rector with curriculum and PRD and Professional Learning on my remit). Content was shared through presentations, and participants engaged in co-operative learning tasks designed to encourage professional dialogue and collaboration. The self-evaluation PLA was completed independently to allow colleagues dedicated space for personal reflection on their strengths and areas for development. 

Day 3 – planned content 

The final day, scheduled for the end of the academic year, will include:

• Presentation of progress on each participant’s planned change initiative
• PLAs on data literacy (including Insight)
• School-specific activities linked to learning and teaching
• Reflections and action plan linking to 360-review 

Investment in Leadership Development 

Fortrose Academy has partnered with Korn Ferry to implement a 360-degree feedback process for all leadership roles, focussing on emotional and social competencies. This approach reflects research by Daniel Goleman, whose Emotional Intelligence framework identifies self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management as key factors predicting leadership success. The 360 review is a key core component of the Into Headship programme further aligning our approach with leadership development in Scottish Education. Both the Rector and I (Depute Rector) will be trained to deliver feedback to support colleagues’ leadership growth.

Education Scotland support 

Following discussions with Lesley Walker (Lead Specialist – Middle Leadership), we were able to explore the best path forward. Lesley acted as a critical friend throughout the planning process and connected me with local authority professional learning leads who were happy to share resources which lessened planning demands. 

Early feedback 

Although the programme is ongoing and will conclude during the 2025/26 study leave period, initial responses from participants have been encouraging. Some unedited early testimonials: 

"This course offered me the opportunity to reflect on my 23 years as a middle leader, a role which has changed a lot since I first embarked upon it. I found the structure of the course very good as it fostered discussion amongst my peers and it also gave me time to focus on evaluating my own leadership and identify next steps."

Alison Stewart (Principal Teacher, Geography Modern Studies), 23 years in post.

"This has been an engaging and well-structured programme that provided a valuable opportunity to collaborate with colleagues in a meaningful and positive way. The experience has supported my own practice and will ultimately benefit our young people and the school as a whole. 

The delivery of the course was excellent, creating space for staff to collaborate, discuss, and support each other—something that does not happen often enough. The content was highly engaging, with a well-balanced mix of theory and group tasks, allowing plenty of time for meaningful discussion and forward planning. It felt like a safe and supportive environment, with everyone fully committed to the programme.