A new research project is looking at what skills and competencies middle leaders need to succeed in their line-management roles.

The project, led by a researcher from the School of Education and Childhood Studies at the University of Portsmouth, is looking for middle managers in further education to fill out an online survey, and will use the results to develop a competency framework to better support middle leaders.

Stephen Corbett (pictured), who is behind the project, said: “Middle management was an area I felt can be overlooked.

“We invest a huge amount of time in teacher training, but we don’t necessarily invest in the next stage of somebody’s career. We seem to bypass that and put a lot of effort into senior leadership training, but the middle is often missed.”

The anonymous survey will ask participants – who should be in a role with line-management responsibilities – about the training they received prior to starting in their positions, and what skills they felt they already had.

The survey will close at midnight on December 1 and can be accessed here.