SE1151 - Creating a Leadership Community

Description

Sport England is committed to 'creating a leadership community' with ‘a strong connection to tackling inequalities’. This programme aims to focus on how leadership development can support this ambition, by concentrating on diversity, equity and inclusion practices and evolving systems thinking. The consolidated offer will have four, interconnected, delivery elements: • Knowledge Hub & connecting networks • Coaching & Mentoring offer for individuals and/or teams • Place-based leadership programme aligned to place expansion • Impact, Evaluation & Learning partner The objectives for this work are: • champion leadership development and learning culture for all as a priority for tackling inequalities. • increase and retain the proportion of leaders from diverse backgrounds • leaders to feel better equipped to tackle inequalities in their work and the Sport and Physical Activity (SPA) system • leaders to work together to embed inclusive SPA in society/their system. Lot 1: Knowledge Hub Support Act as a central point of contact, communication and coordination for the programme. Connecting to other non-Sport England support and existing leadership networks. Foster 'leadership community' identity. Develop and share tools and resources to support the 'universal' element of the programme. Lot 2: Place Based Leadership Programme Aligned to Sport England’s place-based expansion programme, we’re seeking a provider to design, co-ordinate and deliver place-based leadership programmes for Sport England Place Partners. We’re seeking to build local leadership capacity, uniting partners in a place around a shared purpose, with shared outcomes in relation to sport and physical activity. The central requirement is based on each new Sport England Place Partner being supported with a local leadership programme in the early phase (development) of their work, in doing so undertaking what we see to be a valuable collective learning experience. Local programmes will need to bring together partners from across the public, third sector and beyond in a local place to learn more about systems leadership, new approaches to tackling inequality and co-design practical applications. This requirement has evolved from our national Leadership Essentials programme (created and delivered in collaboration with the Local Government Association), through which we’ve recently started to explore (via test & learns pilots), the impact of programmes when delivered to the collective leadership of a place. This will be further developed in 2024, as the first phase of new Sport England Place Partners become recipients of our newly created local leadership programmes. Learning from this work will inform the longer-term place-based leadership model, which will form a key component of ‘Leading the Movement’ from 2025 onwards. Lot 3: Coaching and Mentoring To deliver a bespoke offer to support individuals, teams or groups. Following successful Leading for Renewal offer (2021-2023), with coaching and mentoring sessions for some System Partner CEOs, senior leaders, or emerging leaders from diverse backgrounds. We will iterate during the programme and be designed with Sport England colleagues, the co-design groups and users. Balance of supporting current senior leaders and Board members as they work to tackle inequalities across the Sport and Physical Activity (SPA) system, and also emerging leaders from diverse backgrounds. The development and evidence about best practice for timely coaching interventions, for example for new CEOs or Chairs. Lot 4: Impact, Evaluation and Learning Working across all elements, the partner will develop a theory of change, design standard data-capture methods, collate evidence and evaluate the impact of the programme. This will build from Sport England's own Theory of Change and KPIs, existing Place evaluations and the System Partner Measurement, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) which includes measures on 'better organisations' including decision making, diverse leadership and good governance. Learnings from the programme will be shared regularly with Sport England, providers, co-design group and partners.