PROSPECTIVE headteachers from across Essex are equipped for the next step in their careers after graduating from a leadership development programme.

The group of 28 school leaders are the latest cohorts to complete Essex County Council’s Heads in Waiting course. Together with the council’s Virtual Leadership Academy, the project aims to assist schools in recruiting, developing and retaining the best school leaders in Essex.

The Heads in Waiting programme started in 2014 and has since seen three cohorts of the county’s deputy and assistant headteachers take part in various professional development activities across about eight months.

Led by education experts from across Essex and beyond, the scheme is geared at preparing them for future head of school or headteacher positions.

Having successfully completed the programme, the latest cohorts were today presented with their certificates by Essex County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, Cllr Ray Gooding, who thanked them for their commitment to the education of pupils in Essex.

Of the 28, 12 of the latest group have already secured substantive or interim promotion.

Cllr Gooding said: “Schools in Essex have made some fantastic strides forward in recent years, with more than four in five currently rated as good or outstanding by Ofsted and exam results also continuing to improve.

“Having strong school leaders is crucial if that progress is to continue and it’s very reassuring to see that we have such talented and committed teachers coming through the ranks.

“A number of the latest cohort have already secured promotions and I wish them all the best in their new roles.

“As a council, we will continue to support schools to ensure all pupils receive the best possible education.”

The next cohort of teachers will start on the Heads in Waiting programme in June.