From 2004-2006 Jean Lebrecht was seconded to the British Council (BC) to support Global School Leadership Development projects. Her post was funded jointly be the British Council and the NCSL. Her work at the BC includes working on International Placements for Headteachers – an advanced leader’s programme run by the BC on behalf of the NCSL. She was also involved in overseas training of school leaders and a variety of British Council activities, which included briefing of overseas visitors about the British education system, planning and contributing at conferences and supporting schools in undertaking the Department of Education and Skills’ International Strategy.

During the course of her secondment Jean has worked in China, Estonia, Germany, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Qatar and with Iraqi, mainly advising on school leadership and curriculum issues. In Estonia in partnership with British Council Estonia and the Ministry of Education, she worked with Andy Phillips developing and running a national training programme for school leaders which is now Estonian led and will be delivered to all Estonian school leaders. In all her work Jean provides support to ensure long term local sustainability.

She commissioned two British Council Seminars – ‘Diversity and Inclusion’, Belfast 2005 and ‘Educational Leadership in Schools – International Perspectives’. Stratford 2006. Both seminars involved participants from over 20 countries. She is continuing to work with the British Council on a new five-year programme with nine Latin American and Caribbean countries which will involve 200 school leaders from those countries and the UK.