International Extended Placements for School Leaders   

General

The National College for School Leadership and Voluntary Service Overseas are partners in the International Extended Placements for School Leaders scheme. This will enable 14 school leaders to spend 12 weeks working alongside senior educationalists in Ghana, Nigeria, Namibia and Rwanda starting in January 2009.

There are 3 phases to the scheme: Preparing the schools for the School Leader secondment, the placement in Africa and building on the experience in the UK. Each participating school is eligible for a grant of £5000 towards school cover costs for the duration of their School Leaders secondment.

As part of a VSO overseas education programme senior educationalist, schools and children in developing countries benefit from the skills of UK School Leaders.

Who can apply?

The scheme is open to headteachers, deputy or assistant heads, with at least seven years management experience, who are members of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL). 

Commitment

Preparation for the visit, 12 weeks in Ghana, Nigeria, Namibia or Rwanda and building on the experience on your return.

Outcomes

The scheme strengthens heads and senior staff's professional skills, while improving the effectiveness of the African schools and the lives of the children there. It also aims to give pupils at their own home schools greater understanding of the wider world and a broader curriculum. 

Further information

http://www.vso.org.uk/partnerships/ncsl.asp

Last year this project was announced in July with a deadline for applications in September.

A governors guide to sabbaticals for teachers is available on the VSO website and may help present the case for taking part in this project. This can be found at:

http://www.vso.org.uk/volunteering/sabbaticals_education.asp