The LYIS Principalship Qualification
LYIS-Q
A Level 7, QAA-aligned Principalship Qualification built for aspiring and serving principals in international schools. It prepares you for the boardroom, the staffroom and the community, and gives you the confidence and the evidence to take your next step.
- Level
- Level 7, QAA-aligned
- Year one
- 12 months of study, five modules
- Year two
- Implementation in your own school
- Format
- Hybrid: live online sessions, coaching and in-person
- Next intake
- To be confirmed. Register your interest and we will tell you first.
About the course
The LYIS-Q is for those who want to become an international school principal and for those already serving as one. It covers the roles that matter most in leading an international school, and it is designed to be culturally and contextually robust and practically relevant. Studied over twelve months around the realities of running a school, it is built on our values of ethical leadership, opportunity and sustainability.
The LYIS-Q challenges how leaders are developed, empowering you to design inclusive recruitment practices, dismantle bias, and create schools where everyone can thrive, irrespective of their background.
What LYIS-Q is, and what it is not
It is
- A twelve-month programme built around the real work of an international school principal
- Designed and led by people who have done the job
- Five modules, studied alongside your current role, online and in person
- A way to build the confidence and the evidence to move forward in your professional journey
It is not
- A degree or an academic award
- A licence or a registration to practise
- Letters after your name
If you need an accredited award for a visa or a specific employer, ask us before you apply and we will tell you honestly whether LYIS-Q fits.
How the programme runs
Year one: study
Five modules over twelve months, each rooted in the LYIS Leadership Framework and its three values. Weekly study alongside live online sessions, one-to-one coaching and Impact Reviews, in a cohort of leaders from different countries, school types and governance models.
The plans
A mid-term strategic plan, then a costed Personal Strategic Leadership Plan that you defend orally before a panel. You finish year one with a plan already tested under scrutiny.
Year two: implement
You put the plan into practice in your own school with a school-based mentor, and evidence your ongoing impact. The result is leadership credibility you have earned, not asserted.
Who it is for
Aspiring principals
Deputies, vice principals and senior leaders who want to be ready for headship, with a year of structured thinking and a network behind them.
New principals
Heads in their first years in post who want to test their judgement against people who have led international schools before.
Experienced principals
Leaders who want to sharpen their reflection, bring values to the front of their practice and give something back to the next generation.
What you will take away
- A sound awareness of the role of the international school principal
- The ability to build your school culture and develop your people with integrity
- Strategic, sustainable leadership with impact
- The judgement to navigate the right change at the right time, for the right reasons
- A sharper quality of professional reflection
Course modules
The international school principal
The multifaceted role of leading an international school in today’s complex educational landscape: the boardroom, the staffroom and the community.
Strategic and operational leadership
Setting direction and running the school well: strategy, operations, finance and governance, and the judgement to hold them together.
People leadership
Recruiting, growing and keeping good people fairly, and building a culture where every member of the school community can step up.
Leading innovation in learning
Leading teaching and learning across an international curriculum: what to protect, what to change, and how to know it is working.
Sustainable leadership practice
Leading in a way that lasts, for the school and for you, through environmental, social and governance practice.
Why invest in this course?
Practical and relevant
Insights and tools you can use in your own school the following week.
A global network
Learn alongside leaders from international schools across Asia and beyond.
Expert faculty
Taught by experienced international school leaders and specialists.
Enquire about LYIS-Q
Tell us a little about yourself and the course team will reply with dates, places and next steps.
Lead alongside people who get it.
Membership from £95 a year. Mentoring, member pricing on courses, first call on conference places, and a community that has your back.
