Help us find the West Country’s next headteachers.
We think you might know someone who could lead a school in the next three to five years. We’d really appreciate it if you could tell them, and point them in the direction of the West100, before the 26th February 2027.
You see what an application form can’t.
You know how someone handles a hard day, wins round a sceptical parent and grows the people around them. Many of our strongest participants hadn’t considered applying until someone they respected told them they should.
What your school gets back, during the year
Headteacher tasks in your school, on your priorities
Participants complete three headteacher tasks in their own setting. Participants have used them to run a listening campaign with families and staff, introduce welcome evenings for each year group after hearing from their parent forum, and bring a local art collective into school for an artist-in-residence project.
Practice from some of the strongest schools in the country
Study tours within and beyond the region, with time to work out what would work in your school and what wouldn’t.
A network your whole school can draw on
Your colleague joins a cohort of leaders from across the West Country and a national family of programmes. Those connections come back into your school, not just to one person.
A sharper leader, this year
Someone who knows your community better and can lead more of your school, from the first term.
The programme in brief
West100 is The Reach Foundation’s year-long programme for deputy and assistant heads in the West Country who could lead a school in the next three to five years. Participants learn to lead well for children experiencing disadvantage, in this place, alongside a cohort of peers. It is one of a family of regional x100 programmes, built with a partner board of five trusts across the region.
The practicalities
- Applications close
- 26th February 2027
- Selection day
- Thursday 29th April 2027
- Programme starts
- September 2027
- In person
- Opening residential: September, usually Wednesday afternoon to Friday afternoon (2.5 days)Study tours: November in London (2 days) and March in Birmingham or Manchester (2 days)Conferences: early December (1 day) and March or April (1 day)Closing residential: June or July (2 days)Dates to be confirmed
- Time out of school
- 10.5 days across the year, plus three online sessions each term, 7:30 to 9pm
- Cost
- £3,500 for secondary leaders£2,500 for leaders in special and alternative provision£1,500 for primary leadersMost participants are sponsored by their school or trust.
Having the conversation
Who to look for
A deputy or assistant head, in your school or your wider network, who could lead a school in three to five years, cares about children experiencing disadvantage and is curious about their community. If you’re not sure they’re ready, that’s a reason to ask, not a reason to wait.
Where to send them
The West100 website has everything they need, including the application form. Copy the link into a message.
What happens next
They can apply directly, or get in touch with Mohamed first for a 15-minute conversation about whether it’s right for them.
Questions heads ask
What if they leave for a headship?
In time, they may, and that is what the programme is for. A leader who is ready for headship will move on eventually. Until then, the year means the time they spend with you is better connected and full of practice they bring back. In the South West, where the first x100 ran for five years, 42 of its 99 leaders are now headteachers, and all 99 are still working in education in the region.
Can I put forward more than one person?
Yes. Encourage as many people as you think are ready.
Can I suggest someone from another school?
Yes. If you know someone elsewhere who would make a great head, tell them, and point them to the West100 website.
What if they’re not successful?
Our selection process is designed to be developmental. Everyone who takes part receives detailed feedback from the assessors, whether or not they are offered a place, so the experience is useful wherever they go next.
Do I need to do anything formally as a sponsor?
Not at this stage. If your colleague is offered a place, we ask that you make sure they can take part fully in every aspect of the programme, and that you make space for them to share their findings, reflections and insights with your school community.
Talk to us
We’re happy to talk to you as well as to your colleague.
