Middle Leader Skills Audit Pack

A quick-and-easy pack to audit the skills of a school middle leader. This pack contains concise guidance to support you in effectively utilising the skills audit, whether you're line managing a middle leader or whether you're a middle leader yourself who's wanting to evaluate their strengths and areas for improvement. 

Included is a 12-page template covering the different areas of skills that a middle leader may need. These are split into handy sections, such as teaching, learning and assessment, line management and wider responsibilities, and leadership so they can be used flexibly. Questions include:

• What steps have I taken to encourage and support professional development opportunities for my team members?
• How do I provide guidance and resources to help staff enhance their feedback processes, leading to meaningful pupil progress?
• How do I continuously evaluate and enhance the curriculum to ensure it remains effective and relevant in meeting the needs of all learners?
• Do I feel confident in making decisions under pressure? Do I understand that some decisions lead to consequences?

The pack is tailored towards supporting roles such as head of department or faculty, head of year, key stage leader and phase leader - it's for those with more responsibility than a subject leader but they may not be part of the SLT yet. The pack can be used by anyone who line manages one, such as an assistant head, deputy head or a headteacher. This can help to inform appraisal and performance management processes, as well as identify CPD needs for the middle leader.

Whether staff members are new-to-role or have vast experience in their area, skills audits are a valuable self-evaluation tool. When a staff member reflects on their competencies and expertise, they’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of the strengths they bring to their role while identifying opportunities for growth or next steps. This self-awareness can boost confidence and self-belief, as well as enabling individuals to articulate their unique contributions to the team.

When skill gaps are identified, performance targets can include specific objectives aimed at addressing these gaps, allowing those with line management responsibilities to support the staff member through professional development and further training. Skills audits can also help school leaders to create balanced teams, prepare for change, support staff retention and assist in succession planning. 

Key questions answered:

• Why is it important for staff to utilise skills audits?
• How should a skills audit be conducted?
• How can skills audits inform performance management targets?
• How can leaders identify individual staff training needs?
• What other ways can skills audits be used?

Skills audits can be used as a valuable part of the induction process when a new staff member joins your team. Find out more about how to craft staff induction procedures that allow staff to get off to a flying start in your setting with the following pack:

• Staff Induction Pack

If you know that your staff have training and development needs, and are looking to enhance your CPD planning, this pack will support your thinking: 

• CPD Planning and Preparation Pack

If you're thinking about recruiting a middle leader, and want to use the skills audit as part of that process, then you'll find the following packs and pages useful too: 

• Head of Department Interview Pack
• Head of Year, Phase or Key Stage Interview Pack
• Recruitment, Interview and Employment Compliance Guidance Pack
• More information on our job interview packs for different roles
• More skills audits for different roles