I've only just become an Assistant Head. Should I apply?
What if I've only ever worked in a small school?
Applications are now open for the second cohort of the West100. Read on to find out who this one year school leadership development programme is intended for and how it could support you into headship.
Who is the West100 for?
The West100 is for aspiring headteachers committed to eradicating educational inequality in the West Country.
The West100 is seeking people who want to lead a school of their own within the next 5 years where all children thrive. The aim, over time, is to support 100 school leaders into headship in the West Country, creating a highly effective network of support, particularly in underserved areas of the region.
What is the eligibility criteria?
We’re looking for people who:
✅ Aspire to lead a school of their own in the West Country within roughly the next 5 years;
✅ Want their school to improve outcomes for all children but especially those underserved presently;
✅ Can provide evidence of leading improved progress at their school/s (again, especially for children experiencing disadvantage);
✅ Possess the humility to learn from and alongside others by sharing their own learning honestly and fully;
✅ Are committed to developing strong relationships and playing an active role in a purpose-driven network of school leaders across the region;
✅ Believe that closing the ‘disadvantage gap’ in the West Country is achievable and are fired up by that mission!
So, Deputy Heads then?
No, not just Deputy Heads. Associate Heads, Deputy Heads, Assistant Heads, Subject Leaders, and Classroom Teachers are all actively encouraged to apply. The role you currently hold is not the most important thing.
We're not looking for ‘the (very nearly) complete article’ because we don’t believe that person exists. We’re looking to create a cohort which possesses a range of experiences, expertise and personalities within it.
For example, we recognise that if you’ve worked in a small, rural, primary school for a while, the school’s size naturally limits formal leadership responsibilities. Please don’t let that stop you from applying to join us! If anything, let it encourage you.
Maybe the smaller scale has enabled you to develop a deeper understanding of the specific assets and challenges within your school community—and the whole cohort’s experience will be richer for you bringing your insights and perspectives to proceedings.
How does the W100 prepare you for headship?
A core programme principle of ours is “less but better”.
This means that we’ve intentionally sacrificed breadth for depth in our programming to focus our collective energy on building a richer shared understanding of the challenges facing children experiencing disadvantage, while developing the specific knowledge and skills we know are required to run schools where all children thrive.
So, in terms of ‘content’, we focus on building capacity in three areas:
How does the West100 develop people?
We explore the three core domains outlined above through a range of stimuli, interactions and experiences which are detailed here:
How does the W100 differ from the NPQH?
The W100 is deliberately very different to the NPQH.
Not because we don’t like or value the NPQH (we do!), but we know that some aspiring leaders needed and wanted something different—sometimes to complement the NPQH offer, sometimes to do instead.
We believe that the W100 differs from the NPQH in four significant ways:
❌ The W100 is not a complete guide to headship.
The NPQH gets closer to this by covering a broader range of (10) ‘standards’ ranging from curriculum and assessment to governance and accountability. Instead, the W100 focuses on developing the three core headteacher competencies that we know make the biggest difference in improving outcomes for children experiencing disadvantage.
🌱 The W100 is a personal development programme.
Headteachers deal with complex challenges, uncertainty and constant change. We know that developing the knowledge and skills required to run a school is foundational—but it’s not enough. So we invest time and energy in ensuring that our participants develop the psychological readiness to fully embrace the opportunity of taking on headship for the first time and initiating change.
🧑🤝🧑 But the W100 is not just about developing individuals.
We know that networks improve our resilience and expand our capacity to do great work—but only when they're founded upon strong, trusting relationships. So while we’re deeply invested in accelerating individuals’ readiness for headship, the value of doing this in isolation is limited. This means that we invest significant time and energy into nurturing and sustaining the relationships within each W100 cohort.
⏳ The W100 is hard work—intellectually and logistically.
It’s only a year long but it’s an intensive programme. It requires significant investments of time and energy. That’s not to say that completing the NPQH doesn’t (it does!) but the W100 presents some additional challenges too. Not only is the programme stimulus challenging—intellectually and sometimes even emotionally—but there are elements of the programme that are logistically challenging too.
How much time does it take?
Over the course of the year, we require that participants spend 13 whole school days together, away from their schools, in different parts of the country. To be clear: this is one of the best things about the programme (i.e. visiting some of the best-performing schools in the country—and beyond!) but we acknowledge the challenge involved in this.
Additionally, each term, we have four compulsory evening webinars, participants need to work through roughly 4 hours of online bespoke video content (at a time that works for them), and complete a ‘headteacher task’ (to get practical experience on mission-critical, headteacher-only activities).
We recognise the challenges this presents to participants, their families and colleagues—and work hard to honour that by ensuring each experience is as rich as it can be.
What happens when?
We are currently recruiting for our second cohort.
Here’s what happens between now and July 2024.
Application phase:
Applications are open
We’re holding two virtual information events (Monday 11th & Wednesday 20th March, 07:30-08:30pm) to share more information about the programme and answer any queries you might have. Please register your interest for either event here.
Applications will close on Friday 24th May 2024 (at 5pm).
Assessment phases:
All applications will be assessed through April & May 2024.
All applicants will be notified as to whether they will be progressing to the final selection phase by Monday 3rd June 2024.
Selection phase:
Successful applicants will be invited to participate in our cohort Selection Day on Wednesday 19th June 2024 (~8:30am-3:30pm).
All candidates will be notified of the outcome of our Selection Day by Tuesday 2nd July 2024.
Onboarding phase:
We will hold a ‘Welcome Webinar’ one evening in July 2024 (7:30pm-8:30pm) to induct participants into the programme, and to set up an activity to be completed before our first in-person event in September 2024—a two-day opening residential.
How much does it cost?
The full cost is:
£1,500 for primary, special and AP leaders and
£3,500 for secondary leaders.
We are fully committed to ensuring that these costs do not prohibit any excellent candidates from either applying or participating—and have budgetary provisions in place to maximise participation.
If you’d like to hear more about the programme, we really want to talk to you. Please get in touch with us:
📧 Email us at: west100@reachfoundation.org.uk
📞 Book a call to discuss the programme here
📋 Apply now here!