Teaching schools and system leadership: December 2019
Updated 2 July 2021
Applies to England
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teaching-schools-and-system-leadership-monthly-report/teaching-schools-and-system-leadership-december-2019
1. Overview
The purpose of this publication is to provide updated figures on the number of system leaders currently working within the school system in England. There is variation between reports due to the natural churn of the system, including designation processes, changes to eligibility and staff turnover.
Designation rounds for national leaders of education (NLEs) and teaching schools closed in May 2018, and designation rounds for national leaders of governance (NLGs) closed in May 2017. The department is currently reviewing the current structure of system leadership to ensure the quality of system leadership remains as high as possible. The teaching school hubs test and learn phase, launched in May 2019, builds on the success of the teaching schools programme, and is the first part of the Department for Education (DfE)’s plans to review system leadership.
The number of system leaders who are currently designated is actively managed, and DfE keeps these matters under review.
This information is correct as of 1 December 2019.
As at 1 December 2019, across England there were:
- 618 teaching school alliances - stayed the same from 1 September 2019
- 755 teaching schools - an increase of 1 from 1 September 2019
- 1,065 national leaders of education - a decrease of 22 from 1 September 2019
- 350 national leaders of governance - a decrease of 13 from 1 September 2019
2. Teaching schools and teaching school alliances
As at 1 December 2019, there were 618 teaching school alliances across England and 755 teaching schools. The number of teaching school alliances stayed the same and the number of teaching schools increased by 1 from September 2019. Around 83% of teaching school alliances had one teaching school although a few had as many as 5 or 6.
Teaching schools were present in all 8 English RSC areas, and in 148 out of 150 local authorities: City of London and Isles of Scilly are excluded from the analysis, as each has only one maintained school. Although 2 local education authorities do not have a teaching school, this does not necessarily translate to zero coverage, as teaching schools can work across local authority boundaries.
Lancashire and West Yorkshire had the highest number of teaching schools with 126 (16.7%). The North had the fewest with 63 (8.3%).
3. Number of teaching schools by regional schools commissioner (RSC) area
| RSC area | Number of teaching schools | Change from September 2019 | Percentage of all teaching schools |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Midlands and Humber | 84 | -1 | 11.1% |
| East of England and North-East London | 98 | 0 | 13.0% |
| Lancashire and West Yorkshire | 126 | 0 | 16.7% |
| North | 63 | 1 | 8.3% |
| South Central and North-West London | 95 | 0 | 12.6% |
| South East and South London | 113 | 1 | 15.0% |
| South West | 82 | 0 | 10.9% |
| West Midlands | 94 | 0 | 12.4% |
| Total | 755 | 1 |
(Source: DfE management information)
4. National leaders of education (NLEs)
As at 1 December 2019, there were 1,065 NLEs, a decrease of 22 from September 2019.
The majority of NLEs belong to different schools, and only 33 schools have 2 or more NLEs. NLEs were present in 147 of 150 local authorities: City of London and Isles of Scilly are excluded from the analysis, as each has only one maintained school. Although 3 local education authorities do not have an NLE, this does not necessarily translate to zero coverage, as NLEs can work across local authority boundaries.
Lancashire and West Yorkshire have the highest number of NLEs with 196 (18.4%). The North has the fewest with 91 (8.5%).
5. Number of NLEs by RSC area
| RSC area | Number of NLEs | Change from June 2019 | Percentage of all NLEs |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Midlands and Humber | 153 | -4 | 14.4% |
| East of England and North-East London | 94 | -5 | 8.8% |
| Lancashire and West Yorkshire | 196 | -2 | 18.4% |
| North | 91 | -3 | 8.5% |
| South Central and North-West London | 116 | -3 | 10.9% |
| South East and South London | 167 | -2 | 15.7% |
| South West | 103 | -2 | 9.7% |
| West Midlands | 144 | -1 | 13.5% |
| Not applicable | 1 | 0 | 0.1% |
| Total | 1065 | -22 |
(Source: DfE management information)
6. National leaders of governance (NLGs)
There were 350 NLGs as at 1 December 2019. This was a decrease of 13 from September 2019. A total of 123 local authorities had at least one NLG.
Lancashire and West Yorkshire had the highest number of NLGs with 66 (18.9%). The North had the fewest with 27 (7.7%).
7. Number of NLGs by RSC area
| RSC area | Number of NLGs | Change from June 2019 | Percentage of all NLGs |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Midlands and Humber | 62 | -2 | 17.7% |
| East of England and North-East London | 33 | 1 | 9.4% |
| Lancashire and West Yorkshire | 66 | -3 | 18.9% |
| North | 27 | -4 | 7.7% |
| South Central and North West London | 44 | -2 | 12.6% |
| South East and South London | 54 | -1 | 15.4% |
| South West | 34 | -1 | 9.7% |
| West Midlands | 30 | -1 | 8.6% |
| Not applicable | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Total | 350 | -13 |
Not applicable refers to NLEs and NLGs who are currently in between schools or, alternatively, have a BFPO address.