Northern Education

North East Association of Schools

Northern Education, following a competitive tendering process, was invited to address the proposal to provide a ‘Scoping exercise to engage with national education agencies and support the proposal for a north east association of schools’.

This scoping exercise reviewed the role and the network of national organisations in order to evaluate the potential linkages to the regional agenda. Using this information we established and developed a mechanism by which regional economic requirements may be linked to national strategies for education.

Our expertise knowledge and skills

The need to have a greater focus on the unique requirements of the North East means that Northern Education is ideally placed. We are a widely recognised, regionally focused education organisation with its headquarters in the North. We have worked directly with all the significant national and regional organisations and have one of the largest head teacher associate networks within the North. The majority of school improvement professionals working with schools in the northern region are employed by Northern Education.

We also have highly credible consultants, whose backgrounds include ‘leading edge head teachers’, HMI and Children’s Services Directors, Economic Development and Health Trust Executives. Our background established our credibility to lead this scoping exercise. Our expertise in local, regional and national education initiatives gives us the sensitivity to understand the complexities inherent in such a proposal.

We have a thorough understanding of regional economic development. We also provide advice to One NorthEast with regard to the Regional Economic Strategy.

Track record in mapping and evaluation

Our Research and Development Division has supported our work in many leading edge education developments. A list of our research projects is shown below.

Over the last seven years we have been involved in projects, which have been primarily concerned with developing the capacity of schools and education authorities to work in new strategic environments:

1996-1998 Supported the development of Code of Conduct for School’s Local Authorities

1998-2000 Developed the concept of the ‘New Relationship’ between local authorities and schools involving headteachers in the ‘support and challenge’ process

2000-2002 Funded by the DFES to support intervention in ‘failing local authorities’ including establishment of strategic planning boards and secondary support teams involving headteachers, LAs and external ‘critical friends’

2002-2004 Supported the procurement of the largest education contract ever issued (£360m)

2002-2004 Supported the pilot for the New Relationship with Schools in Newcastle and Blackburn. Supporting pilot and subsequent development in East Lincs and Liverpool

2004-2006 Providing coordination and support for LAs in the North East, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Humberside and Bristol 2006 Advising One/LSC/GONE on 14-19 strategy. Education Adviser to RES

Wide Ranging Research

Our research was wide ranging, involving national and regional leaders as well as surveying more than three hundred schools. We held ten seminars and conferences related to this commission, involving schools, regional agencies and regional experts in the legal, marketing, regeneration and educational aspects of the research.

The team proposed for this project included expertise in:

  • Children’s Services and Local Authority Strategy together with Schools and Academies Development (Phil Turner)
  • Research and development focused on collaboration (Nick Meagher)
  • Partnership and collaboration development (Les Walton)
  • Coaching and network development (Jan Portillo)
  • Web development (Ian Kershaw)
  • Economic Develop (Bob Lawrence)

Engagement with the national agencies

There are numerous national agencies linking with schools. We were able to facilitate regional links with the Chief Executives of these agencies, primarily because we have excellent and ongoing personal links with every one of the national leaders.

We were able to establish a much improved dialogue between the national agencies and our clients over a very short space of time and without doubt have laid the basis for a sustainable and productive long term relationship.

We applied using a number of research processes including ‘desk-top’ research, existing project records, structured face-to –face interviews with programme managers, structured face to face interviews with participants, carefully designed and targeted questionnaire, direct observation

Northern Education School Improvement Division together with one of our Senior Associates, who has a background in headship and as a Director of Education, sought to clarify the roles of significant national organisations through face to face interviews and the use of focus groups.

Establishing Schools North East

http://www.schoolsnortheast.com

By the end of the project we had

  • Identified and developed the most appropriate forms of collaboration between schools and the regional agencies
  • Mapped, assessed and developed new networks
  • Develop a regional strategy for schools to contribute to employment and regional development
  • Develop a more structured dialogue between schools and the national agencies.
  • Provided a legal and governance structure for the regional network of schools