THE Church of England Foundation for Educational Leadership is a crucial response to the country’s serious shortage of heads and senior teachers, the Archbishop of York, Dr Sentamu, said last weekend.

The Archbishop was speaking at the official launch of the foundation at a conference at Church House, Westminster. More than 300 people attended the conference. Most were church-school leaders and senior diocesan education staff, but the presence of many from community schools and national education organisations reflected the wider aims of the foundation, the Church’s chief education officer, the Revd Nigel Genders, said.

He told the conference that, as the largest non-governmental provider of education, the Church had a duty to respond to changes in the education system that made schools and multi-academy trusts (MATS) individually responsible for standards. Many MATS included a mix of church and community schools.

“The foundation’s programmes are open to any who share our vision of education,” Mr Genders said.

The Government’s own training plans for the growing responsibilities of school leadership, including the national qualification in school leadership, are still being discussed, but it is likely to be handed over to licensed providers. “If that happens, we will be ready to take on the role,” Mr Genders said.