Tag: Columba 1400

Leadership training to empower headteachers

Further funding for academies that have benefitted more than 2,000 so far

Training opportunities for school leaders will continue to be supported by the Scottish Government helping develop leadership skills, improve job satisfaction and benefit pupils and staff.

The Scottish Government is providing £395,000 to the Head Teachers’ Leadership Academies (HTLA), run by Columba 1400, which will be matched by the Hunter Foundation.

This brings total Scottish Government support for Columba 1400’s HTLAs to £790,000 since 2025-26, with this year’s funding expected to help up to 280 school leaders to develop their leadership skills.

Recent evaluation of the Leadership Academies revealed 2,000 headteachers and school leaders have already benefitted from the training, with participants reporting increased confidence and resilience, and improvements in their leadership abilities.

Education Secretary Màiri McAllan said: “Our support for Columba 1400’s leadership academies will ensure even more school leaders feel empowered to deliver excellence and equity in education, providing the opportunity to develop knowledge, confidence and skills.

“Education leaders are looking out for and caring for our children and young people everyday, and I recently met with graduates of the Head Teachers’ Leadership Academy who gave glowing feedback on the transformative experience of participating in the leadership academy and how it helped to reaffirm their leadership abilities.

“It is fantastic that 2,000 school leaders have already benefitted from the programme, returning to schools to deliver the progress we have seen, reflected in the rising attainment and narrowing of the poverty-related attainment gap in this year’s Qualification Scotland results. Hundreds more opportunities for development will be available through our continued support for the programme.”

Sir Tom Hunter said: “The Hunter Foundation has backed the Head Teachers’ Leadership Academy from day one because we know that leadership matters.

“We’re delighted that the Scottish Government has renewed its commitment to this partnership. If we want the best outcomes for Scotland’s young people, we need to invest in the people who lead our schools.

“Strong leadership creates opportunities, raises aspirations and makes a lasting difference in communities across the country.”

Marie Clare Tully, Chief Executive of Columba 1400, said: “I am delighted that the Scottish Government and The Hunter Foundation have reaffirmed their commitment to the Columba 1400 Head Teachers’ Leadership Academy.

“This continued investment reflects a shared belief in the importance of values-based leadership and will enable a further 280 school leaders to take part in our academies in 2027. The greatest outcome of these experiences is seeing school leaders reconnect with their values, rediscover their sense of purpose and remember why they went into teaching in the first place.

“Time and again, we see the impact of that ripple out into schools and communities across Scotland, creating the conditions for children and young people to thrive.”

Alison Rooney, headteacher at Langloan Primary School and Nursery Class in Coatbridge, who recently took part in a HTLA, said: “The Head Teachers’ Leadership Academy gave me the space to reconnect with what matters most as a leader.

“The impact has stayed with me long after the Academy ended, influencing how I lead, how we work together as a staff team and how we create opportunities for children and young people to thrive. I’m delighted that future school leaders will continue to have access to this incredible experience.”

Head Teacher Leadership Academies

Joint funding to help next generation flourish

Hundreds of school leaders will benefit from extra training opportunities to further develop their leadership skills, helping to improve job satisfaction and bring benefits to the schools where they work.

The Scottish Government is contributing £400,000 to the Head Teacher Leadership Academy (HTLA), run by Columba 1400, with the Hunter Foundation matching this with an additional £400,000.

The total investment will enable up to 280 school leaders to strengthen their own development and enhance outcomes for pupils, staff and communities. The HTLA focuses on how school heads see themselves as social leaders.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth met with head teachers and deputy head teachers who have taken part in the HTLA during a visit to Royal High School in Barnton, where she formerly taught.

Ms Gilruth said: “As a former teacher, I have seen first-hand the pivotal role that head teachers and deputy heads have at the heart of schools and across the wider community.  

“They help drive up standards in classrooms, and this has resulted in clear improvements in attainment nationally and better futures for children and young people. They also provide invaluable support to teachers and staff in their schools, improving the working environment and ensuring everyone feels valued and able to be at their best in the classroom.

“The Head Teacher Leadership Academies are a proven success and I know that participation will ensure heads and deputy heads will get the time and support to reflect on their values and strengthen leadership, enabling them to create lasting change in their schools and communities.

“This investment is part of the Scottish Government’s wider support for the teaching profession, which also includes the recently-launched ‘Teaching Makes People’ recruitment campaign.”

Sir Tom Hunter said: “School leaders are the secret sauce to Scotland’s future, enabling the next generation to flourish and that’s precisely why we should invest in their values based leadership.

“The results are phenomenal and that’s why I’d like to see every head and deputy head teacher in Scotland go through the Columba 1400 Head Teacher Leadership Academies.”

Marie Clare Tully, Chief Executive of Columba 1400, said: “This investment allows us to reach even more Head Teachers and Deputy Head Teachers across Scotland.

“It is a privilege to be alongside school leaders as they pause, reflect and reconnect with their values. We see each and every day how this experience contributes to creating the conditions for cultural change through values-based leadership. 

“We are grateful to the Scottish Government for their re-investment and to The Hunter Foundation for their continued support and their belief in what is possible.”

Columba 1400 is a Scottish charity founded in 1997 and opened in 2000, dedicated to helping young people, especially those from tough realities, and the key adults in their lives discover their leadership potential through values-based leadership academies.

The Head Teachers’ Leadership Academy equips senior professionals in education with the confidence, resilience, and skills they need to create lasting change in their school and communities. 

Mentor scheme to improve life chances for young people

A £19.4 million Scottish Government fund will support a six year mentoring programme to help young people reach their full potential.

MCR Pathways charity will roll out its successful Young Scottish Talent mentoring programme and social enterprise and charity Columba 1400 will expand its values-based Leadership Academy for Young People, working in partnership to improve education outcomes, career opportunities and life chances.

A network of volunteer mentors – drawn from business, civic society and the wider public – will offer tailored support to young people through schools as lockdown eases. They will be trained to develop strong relationships that are at the heart of the programme and key to helping young people achieve their full potential.

The programme will be delivered in partnership with local authorities that wish to participate and will be part of the Scottish Government’s Young Person’s Guarantee, to provide long term support where it is needed most.

Education Secretary John Swinney said: “Our young people have endured an extremely challenging 12 months coping with the disruption to school life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. For some young people, this period has impacted them disproportionality, which is why we have introduced the young person’s guarantee.

“Improving the education and life chances of all our children and young people is the defining mission of this government, which is why we are funding this mentoring support package that will enable young people to reach their full potential.”

Marie Clare Tully, Chief Executive of Columba 1400, said: ‘We are delighted that the Scottish Government is enabling Columba 1400 to deepen the reach and impact of our Leadership Academies.

“We can now welcome more of Scotland’s impressive young people on a shared journey to explore their own values, and values-based leadership.

“The core values of Scotland’s young people will be crucial in ensuring that our communities thrive post COVID-19. Columba 1400 is honoured to play a part in creating the conditions for change – enabling Scotland’s young people to transform their schools, their communities and the future of Scotland.”

Graeme McEwan, Chief Executive of MCR Pathways, said: “We are absolutely delighted that the Scottish Government is supporting the expansion of the Young Scottish Talent mentoring programme to thousands more inspiring young people across the country. This recognises the transformational impact of mentoring and the key role it will play in post-Covid recovery in our schools and local communities.

“We look forward to partnering with our local authorities and schools to work with volunteer mentors across the country to help our young people find, grow and use their talents and be all they can be.”

The ambition of the Young Person’s Guarantee is that, within two years, every person aged between 16 and 24 will have the opportunity to study; take up an apprenticeship, job or work experience; or participate in formal volunteering.

MCR Pathways is currently operating in 72 schools across 12 local authorities. Young Edinburgh Talent has been running in Craigroyston Community High School since 2019 and in 2020 the programme was extended to 9 schools across the capital.

This proposal would see it increase to potentially 300 schools over a 6 year period.