BDAT Leader of Education (BDAT LE)

BDAT LE

The BDAT Leader of Education (BDAT LE) is an award designed to formally recognise, acknowledge and validate the expertise of staff within our schools. It was launched by BDAT as a pilot at secondary level in 2018.

The aim of the award is to recognises people who have/are contributing to the cross Trust agenda by going that extra mile above and beyond their core role. It recognises talent within the Trust, spots future leaders and can often be a precursor to the nationally recognised Specialist Leader in Education (SLE) award. The award looks to reward innovation, best practice and those specific individuals who are committed to driving high quality education practice across BDAT.

How does it work?

The BDAT LE is an unashamedly tough and rigorous programme designed to identify are most talented and committed staff members.

1. Applicants are nominated, once a year, by their Headteachers and must meet the following criteria:

• Holding a post with middle or senior leadership responsibility for at least two years
• Be a solidly good or better teacher on a day to day basis and able to evaluate quality of teaching accurately
• Data literate, with the ability to identify appropriate lines of enquiry arising from data analysis
• Emotionally intelligent and a team player
• Committed to and uphold the values of BDAT
• Committed to partnership working and committed to improving the outcomes for young people within the Trust and across Bradford

These skills are assessed by a range of activities including a formal application and an assessment centre.

2. Potential applicants are then invited to an information session which explains the rationale for the scheme, the process, the rigour and the possible outcomes.

3. Interested applicants must then complete an application form which is then assessed by the respective Director of Education and a panel of senior leaders.

4. Successful applicants then attend an assessment centre to undertake a range of activities including data analysis, interviews and other surprise tasks.

5. Both successful applicants and those who do not pass are given personalised feedback.

Who are our current BDAT LEs?

Nine successful applicants passed the BDAT LE pilot and have been awarded the BDAT LE award. They are:

From Buttershaw

• Emma Grey (for her contribution to ITT)
• Richard Horsfall (Performing Arts)
• Houria Lacene (MFL)

From Belle Vue Girls

• Ellie Hatch (ITT/ NQT)
• Katie Paine (Maths and maths challenge)
• Maria Hlabangana (ITT)

From Bradford Forster Academy

• Saara Davis (RE and subject network lead)

From Immanuel College

• Huma Ali (Arts and cross Trust support)
• Kat Briggs (ITT and NQT)

Well done to all involved.

How can I get involved?

The scheme was rolled out in Autumn 2019 to the primary phase and a second round of applications will be run in the secondary phase.
Whilst nominations will still come initially from Headteachers, if you are interested in becoming a BDAT LE or want to find out more, or if you know someone who could be a great BDAT LE, please do speak to your Headteacher or line manager.