There has been a lot of change in education over the last ten years, with many important developments helping transform the experience children and young people have from primary school onwards.

According to the Department for Education, against this backdrop, the standards that stakeholders expect of school leaders have not really evolved. This is something that needs to change, says education secretary Nicky Morgan, because "raising teaching standards lies at the heart of the government's plan for education".

Key to making this happen are headteachers, the kind that have a world-class level of expertise and authority, innovators with the skill to deliver excellence that is not just effective but meaningful.

Revised standards have been announced that will go a long way in making this happen. "Created by the profession for the profession", the document, entitled National Standards of Excellence for Headteachers, is described by the DfE as an empowering tool designed to "inspire heads, drive aspiration [and] promote excellence".

"At the heart of our plan for education - at the heart of all great education systems - are great teachers and great teaching," commented Ms Morgan. "But strong leadership in all our schools is absolutely crucial and a key part of securing the best outcomes for pupils.

"We already have many talented headteachers driving forward our programme of improvement and ensuring young people are prepared for life in modern Britain. That is why we want to champion these dedicated professionals who regularly go the extra mile for our children by providing them with aspirational standards of excellence."

The standards have been in place since 2004. It was thought sensible to review them after a ten-year tenure, with Dame Dana Ross-Wawrzynski, chief executive officer of the Bright Futures Educational Trust, heading up the project.

Out of this has emerged the new document, which is focused on setting out in detail the "skills, knowledge and behaviour" school leaders should aspire to. This includes "raising the bar" for all pupils, enhancing the quality of teaching and making an effort to identify talent.

Dame Dana said that the group behind the review was shaped by headteachers and leading members of the profession. As such, the newly established standards should be seen as a well-conceived and relevant document.

Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, stated: "It is important that headteachers and school leaders have a set of professional standards relevant to the modern state of the role.

"These highly aspirational standards will provide a solid foundation for professional development and dialogue. They also state proudly to the world what heads stand for and how they hold themselves to account."

The document is useful for headteachers – current and aspiring – and governing boards. It states that headteachers are "significant roles models within the communities they serve", which is why it is vital they invest in their development and abide by strict criterion.