About the Centre for Educational Leadership

The Centre for Educational Leadership aims to improve education across all learning institutions in the Liverpool City Region and beyond. We seek to work with our partners and stakeholders to focus on collaboration, innovation and excellence.

Based in the School of Education, within Liverpool John Moores University, CEL is supported by our academic practitioners, sector experts and strong and widespread partnerships.

The Centre seeks to complements LJMU’s existing partnerships and will be a focal point for connecting our theory and research practice. We hope to create an active platform where organisations and individuals can develop their leadership abilities.

Our mission is the impact we can have on children, and the communities they live in, by improving educational outcomes as a result of the very best educational institutions possible.

Underpinning the approach of the Centre will be a focus on delivering excellence in educational leadership. We will deliver this through research, improved practice and knowledge exchange based on:

  • Educational Leadership Principles
  • Educational Leadership Culture
  • Educational Leadership Practice

Our Aims

The Centre will use our partnerships to strengthen the university’s civic engagement and to progress excellence in educational leadership regionally, nationally and internationally.

Our CEL aims are:

  • to establish a collaborative, sector-leading Centre for Educational Leadership which promotes:
  • excellence in practice
  • evidence-based enquiry; and
  • professional development approaches
  • to identify, encourage and develop the next generation of educational leaders
  • to actively improve educational outcomes through policy development and implementation
  • to provide a vibrant hub for knowledge creation and exchange
  • to foster effective multi-agency and inter-disciplinary relationships with partners and across LJMU
  • to foster and develop local, regional, national and international partnerships to ensure the best possible expertise and knowledge is available
  • to promote excellence in research-informed educational leadership practice and offer Advanced Leadership development programmes and qualifications which have sector standing

Our Governance

The principal purpose of the Centre for Educational Leadership is to create and sustain a core for transformational and responsive educational leadership development in the region - and beyond. This requires continuous stakeholder engagement and an effective governance and management structure.

The Centre sits within the School of Education, within LJMU’s Faculty of Arts, Professional and Social Studies, but seeks to work across the University in relation to common work and creative developments. We have a strong relationship with our existing Centre for Educational Research, other centres at LJMU, the Teaching and Learning Academy, local HEIs, and wider stakeholders. The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority are key associates in the development of our Centre and work in partnership with us to develop and continually improve our region’s educational leaders.

Our Advisory and Operational Boards

Our CEL Advisory Board includes key stakeholders from across the sector who offer a true representation of our region and communities. The Advisory Board ensures that we maintain and prioritise listening and stakeholder engagement across our Centre strategies.

Aims

To create a balanced and diverse board of educational expertise that seeks to advocate for the region and inform the practices and delivery of the Centre for Educational Leadership.

To prioritise ambition for all education settings that improve experiences and outcomes for people and communities and aligns to LJMU values.

The board will also seek to address the key strategic priorities of the Centre. We will do this through an ethos of work collaboratively for the benefit of young people and leadership cross the region and beyond.

Rationale

The governance structure is informed by educational leaders and related stakeholders.

The role and ambition of the advisory panel is to create a voice for people and communities across our region and beyond.

Members must ensure that they are fully committed to the development of the centre and that they contribute by:

  • developing and supporting the Centre in its vision to create connection and knowledge with the broader educational community across the region that prioritise people and communities
  • advocating the position, work and ethos of the Centre and wider university
  • advising on the development of the Centre’s long-term strategy
  • ensuring that the School leadership team is kept informed of major developments in the education sector
  • serving as a channel of professional advice within the areas of expertise represented on the group/panel/board
  • offering insights and identifying new opportunities and trends
  • creating links between the centre and the communities within the education sector for whom our work has relevance.

The advisory board will meet regularly, usually face-to-face and inform the centre’s programme of networking and policy events throughout the year.

The Board is committed to LJMU’s EDI policy and seeks to best represent our region and partners.