ABSTRACT
The early consultations on the proposed National Standards for Head-teachers were based on a model which was already centrally determined. The five parts for this model were: core purpose of the headteacher; key outcomes of headship; professional knowledge and understanding; skills and attributes; and key areas of headship. Though there was a full consultation, the proposals for amendment largely accepted this predetermined framework, which remains in place. This five-part structure has been sustained throughout the further development and use of the headteacher Standards for five years, and has been subsequently extended and used for the other standards developed for serving teachers. These National Standards for Headteachers are now widely used not only for the training of aspirant headteachers, National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) and for the training and development programme for newly appointed headteachers (HEADLAMP), but also to provide essentially a job description for the selection of headteachers. There is some question, however, about the centrality of their significance in the Leadership Programme for Serving Headteachers (LPSH).
