Professional development leadership: the importance of middle leaders

As initial teacher training and development becomes increasingly school-based, a central piece of knowledge concerning teachers’ professional development is being overlooked. Middle leaders, who play an essential role in the development of other school teachers, are receiving little consideration or credit in the academic discourse. This article looks at how a group of experienced middle leaders working in three mainstream schools in England are making sense of their role in teachers’ professional development. The study reveals that the middle leaders feel their expertise is not being adequately recognised and that they are consequently struggling to take true ownership of their role in teacher development. We argue that for teachers’ professional development to be more meaningful and comprehensive, it is important to acknowledge and cultivate the expertise and potential of middle leaders. Achieving this will involve academics, school leaders, and middle leaders to collectively reimagine the role of middle leadership and its growing significance in teacher development.