We recognise that becoming a CEO of a school trust for the first time can be a significant step change, whatever your background. The mentoring support that we offer those preparing for trust leadership will help you to navigate that change across approximately six-months, from the time of your appointment to the end of your first term in post.
Our mentoring partnership matches you with an experienced system leader across this pivotal period, and is designed to accelerate all aspects of your new leadership from analysis to action, including establishing key relationships within your organisation and building trust with stakeholders in the communities that your schools serve. The opportunity to work with a highly-experienced and trusted sounding board will enable you to go further faster, helping you to settle into your new role with confidence and clarity.
Your mentoring focus in this period will be unique to you, reflecting whether you already belong to the trust that you are preparing to lead or stepping into it for the first time.
Topics you may choose to cover in this partnership could include:
- Becoming the accounting officer
- Understanding culture and building relational trust with staff
- Establishing an effective partnership with your chair
- Dialogue with your Department for Education Regional Director’s office
- Developing and testing your analysis of trust’s improvement journey
- Maximising your new leadership platform
- Expanding your professional network
How it works
This support is offered across four days, or 28 hours of elapsed time. The relationship starts with your mentor undertaking half a day of reading to familiarise themselves with your trust context and half a day’s reflection and planning meeting, ideally in person, to understand your journey into leadership, your values, and your aspirations and apprehensions about your new role. This is the foundation for the focused and well-informed conversations that follow. The remainder of your time is allocated according to your needs and preferences.
Should you want to continue working with your mentor beyond this initial period, you will have the opportunity to extend your partnership.
Trust and confidentiality
The relationship between mentor and mentee is clearly defined, professional and strategic. It’s underpinned by a mentoring agreement that sets out the expectations of each party and is characterised by open and honest exchange. The partnership, and any work created within it, is also highly confidential. Your mentor will not provide any feedback to your trust or contribute to the executive performance review process.
Match-making
Creating mentoring partnerships begins with a conversation with CST to explore how the service could meet your needs and expectations. If you’d like to explore further, we arrange a conversation with a mentor whose values and experience are potentially a good fit with yours. Some mentees like to work with someone who has local knowledge, others deliberately opt for someone completely independent of their locale. The choice is yours. This is an open, no-obligation conversation to explore fit and chemistry. If desired, several conversations can take place, each with a different mentor, before you make your decision.
Fees
Our fee for this service is £3,600+VAT for CST members and £3,975+VAT for non-members, plus travel expenses.
The partnership can be extended for a further six or 12 month term by agreement.
Getting started
Drop us a line at
mentoring@cstuk.org.uk to explore how a mentoring partnership could help you to prepare for trust leadership.
