Dr Rob Higham

  • Qualifications and position:
    • Lecturer
  • Faculty:
    • Faculty of Policy and Society
  • Department:
    • London Centre for Leadership in Learning
  • Summary:
    • Rob leads a number of research projects on school improvement, collaboration and leadership in England. He also has interests in education in South Africa and is part of a British Academy funded UK South Asia Partnership with Dr Alpa Shah (Goldsmiths) and colleagues in India and Nepal. Before joining the Institute, Rob worked for four years in the UK Government's Department for Education (now DCSF).
  • Research Projects:
    • System leadership: a multi-stand research project on schools and leaders who take on wider system roles and the responsibility for students in other schools as well as their own. The project has including research with innovation and Leading Edge partnerships, Community leadership in the context of ECM, Federations, Executive Heads, Consultant Leaders and National Leaders of Education. It has been in collaboration with Prof. David Hopkins and Dr. Peter Matthews. A co-authored book will be published by OUP in August 2009. Collaboration and social justice: a new project that will commence in 2009 and focus on the effects of school collaboration for student and social equity in specific localities. Education and affirmative action in India and South Africa: again commencing in 2009 and concerned with the impact of education and affirmative action in poor communities.
  • Postgraduate Research:
    • School leadership, collaboration, networking and system leadership School improvement, including in challenging circumstances Education, affirmative action and social justice in South Africa and India
  • Professional Activities:
    • Reviewer for the Journals: School Leadership and Management; Journal of Educational Change.
  • Personal Country Knowledge:
    • England - education and social policy South Africa - education and post-apartheid transformation
  • Languages Spoken:
    • French - intermediate Hindi - basic
  • Languages Written:
    • French - basic
 

Contact details

Contact details

  • Email:

  • Address:
  • London Centre for Leadership in Learning
    Institute of Education University of London
    20 Bedford Way
    London
    WC1H 0AL

  • Office Location:
  • Room 660
    20 Bedford Way, WC1H 0AL

Publications

  • Higham, R. and Hopkins, D. (forthcoming) 'Leadership of sustained improvement in challenging contexts: developing system leaders' in Davies, B and Brundrett, M. (eds.), Developing Successful Leadership.
  • Hopkins, D., Higham, R. and Ahtaridou, E. (forthcoming) School Leadership in England: contemporary challenges, innovative responses and future trends. Nottingham: NCSL.
  • Higham, R., Hopkins, D. and Matthews, P. (2009) System Leadership in practice. Milton Keynes: Open University Press.
  • Higham, R. and Hopkins, D. (2007) 'System Leadership for Educational Renewal in England: the case of Federations and Executive Heads', Australian Journal of Education 51 (3), 299-314.
  • Hopkins, D. and Higham, R. (2007) 'System Leadership: mapping the landscape, ', School Leadership and Management 27 (2), 147-166.
  • Higham, R., Hopkins, D. and Ahtaridou, E. (2007) Improving School Leadership: Country Background Report for England. Paris: OECD.