Into Headship

    Into Headship

    Duration12 month(s)
    Next IntakeSeptember 19, 2026
    Into Headship

    About

    This professional programme is designed for aspiring school principals and school leaders in Scotland to enable them to attain the Standard for Headship (GTCS, 2012). Through professional pedagogies, it focuses specifically on enabling you to develop a strategic approach to educational change.

  • Accredited by the General Teaching Council Scotland, the programme aligns with the Framework for Educational Leadership and is part of the national programme for the specialist qualification for headship in Scotland.
  • The programme is designed to enable you to develop your personal capacity and capability to lead change for improvement and work with your school and its community to realise its strategic vision.
  • You will have opportunities to engage directly with policy makers through guest lectures by expert practitioners and leading researchers.
  • There is emphasis on the interrelationship between professional and academic perspectives, practice and theory, and between the different sites of learning/practice, in order that individual professional learning is interconnected with collective school improvement.
  • Requirements

    Entry Requirements

    To apply for this programme, you must have the following:

    A degree or equivalent qualification in Education or a related field.
    A teaching qualification and full GTCS registration.
    Experience in a senior leadership role.
    Successful outcome at interview with the local authority and university partners.
    A reference from your Headteacher or employer which endorses and supports your application and demonstrates that you have access to a suitable workplace environment.

    English Program Requirements

    For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level.

    International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic and Academic Online (not General Training)

    • 6.5 with no subtests under 6.0
    • IELTS One Skill Retake Accepted
    • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

    Common equivalent English language qualifications for entry to this programme

    TOEFL (ibt, mybest or athome)

    • 90 overall with Reading 20; Listening 19; Speaking 19; Writing 21
    • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements, this includes TOEFL mybest.

    Pearsons PTE Academic

    • 59 with minimum 59 in all subtests
    • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

    Cambridge Proficiency in English (CPE) and Cambridge Advanced English (CAE)

    • 176 overall, no subtest less than 169
    • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

    Oxford English Test

    • 7 overall with no subtest less than 6
    • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

    LanguageCert Academic SELT

    • 70 overall with no subtest less than 60
    • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

    Password Skills Plus

    • 6.5 overall with no subtest less than 6.0
    • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

    Trinity College Tests

    • Integrated Skills in English II & III & IV: ISEII Distinction with Distinction in all sub-tests
    • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

    University of Glasgow Pre-sessional courses

    • Tests are accepted for 2 years following date of successful completion.

    Alternatives to English Language qualification

    • Degree from majority-English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI including Canada if taught in English)
      • students must have studied for a minimum of 2 years at Undergraduate level, or 9 months at Master's level, and must have completed their degree in that majority-English speaking country within the last 6 years.
    • Undergraduate 2+2 degrees from majority-English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI including Canada if taught in English)
      • students must have completed their final two years study in that majority-English speaking country within the last 6 years.

    For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use these tests to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level programmes. The University is also able to accept UKVI approved Secure English Language Tests (SELT) but we do not require a specific UKVI SELT for degree level programmes. We therefore still accept any of the English tests listed for admission to this programme.

    Pre-sessional courses

    The University of Glasgow accepts evidence of the required language level from the English for Academic Study Unit Pre-sessional courses. We would strongly encourage you to consider the pre-sessional courses at the University of Glasgow's English for Academic Study (EAS) Unit. Our Pre-sessional courses are the best way to bring your English up to entry level for University study. Our courses give you:

    • direct entry to your University programme for successful students (no need to take IELTS)
    • essential academic skills to help you study effectively at University
    • flexible entry dates so you can join the right course for your level.

    For more detail on our pre-sessional courses please see:

    We can also consider the pre-sessional courses accredited by the below BALEAP approved institutions to meet the language requirements for admission to our postgraduate taught degrees:

    • Heriot Watt
    • Kingston Upon Thames
    • Middlesex University
    • Manchester University
    • Reading University
    • Edinburgh University
    • ST Andrews University
    • UCL
    • Durham.

    For further information about English language requirements, please contact the Recruitment and International Office using our enquiry form

    Career

    The programme aims to ensure aspirant head teachers are supported to develop and continue to build the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding required of senior leaders. The qualification is aimed at those teachers whose next post will be that of a head teacher, likely to be within two to three years.

    Fee Information

    Into Headship
    University of Glasgow
    University of Glasgow
    United Kingdom

    United Kingdom, Glasgow

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