The ACE programme is aimed at empowering school leaders to lead and manage schools effectively in a time of great change, challenge and opportunity. It is targeted at serving School Management Team members who aspire to principalship. The programme seeks to provide structured learning opportunities that promote quality education in South African schools through the development of a corps of education leaders who apply critical understanding, values, knowledge and skills to school leadership and management within the vision of democratic transformation. It seeks to empower/enable these educators to develop the skills, knowledge, and values needed to lead and manage schools effectively and to contribute to improving the delivery of education across the school system.