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The Leaders in International Development (LiID) programme is a joint project between VSO, the National College for Leadership of Schools and Children's Services (National College), the National Association of Head Teachers(NAHT) and the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL).

The scheme, sponsored by the National College, enables 12 school leaders to spend three months sharing their skills with senior education colleagues in one of VSO’s education programmes. Placements will start in mid-January 2011. Each school will receive £5,000 to help cover the costs incurred during their secondment.

The key aims of the project are to:

• enhance professional and personal leadership skills for English school leaders and develop wider system leadership thinking in a global setting.

• enable future UK school leaders to experience stepping up in the school leader’s absence, with the potential of encouraging them to aspire for more senior roles.

• allow senior educationalists, schools and children in developing countries to benefit from the skills of UK school leaders.

• encourage UK students’ understanding of the wider world as a result of the increased confidence and enthusiasm of the returning school leader, and to incorporate the global dimension into the curriculum, leading to improved UK social cohesion.

• provide current UK school leaders with an opportunity for personal and professional growth and renewal.

Benefits

The UK benefits of the pilot scheme were independently evaluated, and the full report can be downloaded below. Here are some quotes from the report that show how the project met its objectives.

“I returned to my UK school with renewed energy, enthusiasm and drive and a clearer sense of priorities, both personal and professional. I feel enormously privileged to have had this experience and would recommend other school leaders to take up any similar opportunity they may have.”
Acting head, page 52.

 “One very important outcome of the placement was that those school leaders who already had a strong global commitment have now strengthened this, and are even more determined to transform their school communities. And those whose ideas were initially limited have now made a start in developing their own understanding by reading and learning from others around them, and to embed the global dimension into the school curriculum.”
Evaluator, page 47.

How to Apply

If you would like to take part in the programme please download the LiID application pack. We advise you to read the application information document and CV guidelines before completing your application form and CV.

Please email application forms and CVs to liid@vso.org.uk

Applications must arrive at VSO by midday on the 14th May 2010

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