Fast facts about NCSL

NCSL is a government funded, non departmental public body, which provides career-long learning and development opportunities, professional and practical support for England's existing and aspiring school leaders.

NCSL was established in November 2000 and was the first national leadership centre dedicated to the education sector in the world.

87 per cent of school leaders surveyed believe NCSL is helping raise standards in schools – an increase on 2006. [Source: survey of 640 heads, deputies and other school leaders in 2007 by independent research agency, EdComs.]

NCSL's four key goals are: to transform children's achievement and well-being through excellent school leadership; to develop leadership within and beyond the school; to identify and grow tomorrow's leaders, and to create a fit for purpose national college that is more strategic and offers school leaders even more leadership support.

NCSL's key work includes leading a national programme of work to ensure a better supply of high quality headteachers to lead English schools of the future. The programme is working with local authorities around England to develop local solutions to succession planning.

NCSL runs a wide range of programmes designed to meet the professional development needs of school leaders at all stages of their career. These include the flagship National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH). In 2007–08 more than 4,700 people graduated from NPQH. Almost 29,000 people have now graduated from the programme.

Over 5,000 school business managers, or bursars, have completed NCSL's national bursar training programmes. Almost 1,900 participants enrolled in the programmes in 2006–07. Building on the success of the programmes, NCSL is also exploring the potential of two new roles in primary schools – advanced school business managers (ASBMs) and school business directors (SBDs). It is believed these roles could save up to a third of headteachers' time freeing them up to focus on transforming teaching and learning.

NCSL has developed a range of provision for leaders of extended schools, including the National Professional Qualification in Integrated Centre Leadership, which has produced nearly 800 graduates in its first two years.

NCSL's commitment to develop leadership beyond the school gates has seen it accredit over 4,000 School Improvement Partners (SIPs) – experienced school leaders who support schools to improve – and develop the National Leaders of Education (NLE) programme in which experienced working heads and their schools (National Support Schools) draw alongside struggling schools and use their skills and experience to help bring them out of special measures. 124 headteachers and their schools have earned NLE/National Support School status since the programme launched in autumn 2006.

NCSL has set up a ground-breaking Leadership Network of over 5,500 school leaders to represent the profession in the drive for transformation. All members are headteachers engaged in innovation and reform in their schools and work together to stimulate national debate and inform policy development.

Committed to sustainability, NCSL is supporting school leaders to integrate sustainable development within and beyond their schools. The College has awarded £280,000 worth of grants to schools across England in recognition of progressive sustainable practice, and is forming networks of schools to share good practice in sustainable thinking.

NCSL is a key partner in City Challenge, an inner city project aimed at narrowing the attainment gap between children from advantaged and disadvantaged backgrounds, increasing the number of outstanding schools and decreasing the number of underperforming schools. Its success in London since 2003 has meant that the scheme is to be rolled out to Greater Manchester and the Black Country in 2008.

NCSL has an international reach. It has forged links with leadership experts from around the world, including experts from Australia, New Zealand, the United States, South Africa and Canada.

NCSL's virtual presence is significant and growing. Membership of talk2learn, the College's network of online communities, currently stands at over 120,000 and is open to all headteachers in England and all school leaders undertaking an NCSL programme with an online element.

NCSL has five offices – in Nottingham, Ruddington near Nottingham, London, Bolton and Wolverhampton. The College’s physical centre – the £28million Learning and Conference Centre in Nottingham – was opened by Tony Blair in October 2002.

For a detailed breakdown of the College's recent achievements and plans for 2008–09, please see Plans, policies and reports. There you will find a copy of the 2006-07 annual review, and the 2006-09 corporate plan.