Membership of the Harrogate and Rural Teaching School Alliance (HART Alliance)

First and foremost, the HART Alliance is committed to achieving the very best outcomes for all of our children and young people.

This is achieved by providing high quality CPD, Leadership and Management training and entrants to the teaching profession. Embracing a distributed leadership model we will ensure all strategic partners are actively involved in planning, delivering and quality-assuring our provision.

As a result of training in a culture that promotes reflective practice and joint practice development our member schools will become committed to continuous improvement and will be well prepared for the school led system.

Principles

• A collaborative approach to the school led system, which promotes a culture of joint practice development and the sharing of expertise, improves the quality of training and the quality of teaching and learning in schools across the partnership

• Networks and hubs within the HART Alliance encourage self-directed learning for all establishing a learning centered culture.

• Reflective practice promoted throughout the training programme and the partnership encourages innovation to bring continuous improvements to the training programmes and the partnership.

• An inclusive ethos in the partnership as a self-improving system increases responsibility, accountability and an aspirational approach to achieve the best outcomes and provision for all stakeholders and pupils across schools.

• Member schools are linked by a shared moral purpose which is demonstrated through professional generosity

• School Led delivery of all CPD creates distributed leadership and development opportunities for all colleagues at all levels across schools.

HART, a potted history

The Harrogate and Rural Teaching School Alliance started as a cluster of schools that began working together over 16 years ago. They trained their staff together one day each year, shared statutory training, and the headteachers were supportive of each other. The group became more concerned with school improvement and became intentional about their meetings and how the collaboration could affect outcomes for children.

About 8 years ago, the original cluster, plus a few extra schools who had been working together on projects formed the RSLL Group (Rural Schools Leading Learning). Leaders started to challenge the learning behaviour within their school and each other’s schools in challenge partnerships helping them to prepare better for OfSTED and giving support where needed. They continued to build a collaboration based on mutual trust and respect.

In 2009 they won a National College grant to explore ways to raise the profile of the School Business Management role. The group approached this by networking the school administrators and sharing out the SBM role amongst all member schools training the administrators and releasing headteachers from some administrative tasks. This deepened the collaboration work across all areas of the school.

In 2011, Askwith C P School, which holds an outstanding judgment, applied for teaching school status and was awarded that based on the proven work of the group. The group became known as the Harrogate and Rural Teaching School Alliance (HART Alliance).

The Teaching School needed to fulfill six areas in order to maintain teaching school status, these became known as the Big 6:

Initial Teacher Training Research and Development Continuing Professional Development Leadership and Management Succession Planning and Talent Management School to School Support

The HART Alliance schools are mostly based in North Yorkshire. We have one Special School and 52 primary schools.

Membership 2016:

Ackworth Howard Church of England (VC) Primary SchoolAll Saints Church of England (VA) Primary School, Kirkby Overblow*Askwith Community Primary School*Austwick Church of England (VA) Primary SchoolBeckwithshaw Community Primary School*Bilton Grange Community Primary School*Boyle and Petyt Church of England (VC) Primary SchoolBurnsall Church of England Primary SchoolChristchurch Church of England (VC) Primary SchoolCononley Community Primary SchoolCoppice Valley Community Primary School*Cowling Community Primary SchoolCracoe Rylstone Church of England (VC) Primary SchoolDarley Community Primary School*Embsay Church of England (VC) Primary SchoolErrington Primary SchoolFollifoot Church of England (VC) Primary SchoolThe Forest Special School*Gargrave Church of England (VC) Primary SchoolGlusburn Community Primary SchoolGoldsborough Church of England (VC) Primary School*Grassington Church of England (VC) Primary SchoolGreat Ouseburn Community Primary SchoolGrewelthorpe Church of England (VC) Primary SchoolGrove Road Community Primary SchoolHookstone Chase Community Primary School*Ings Community Primary SchoolKildwick Church of England (VC) Primary SchoolKillinghall Church of England (VC) Primary School*Kirkby Malzeard C E (VC) Primary SchoolLeyburn Community Primary SchoolLothersdale Community Primary School*North Rigton Church of England (VC) Primary School*Oatlands Infant SchoolPannal Community Primary School*Richard Taylor Church of England (VA) Primary School*Saltergate Infant School*Saltergate Junior School*Scotton Lingerfield Community Primary School*Sharow Church of England(VC) Primary Primary School Sicklinghall Community Primary School*Skelton Newby Hall Church of England Primary SchoolSpofforth Church of England (VC) Primary School*St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Primary School*St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary SchoolSt Robert’s Roman Catholic Primary SchoolSt Peter’s Church of England (VC) Primary School

Sutton in Craven Community Primary School*Sutton in Craven Church of England (VC) Primary SchoolWaterstreet Community Primary SchoolSt Nicholas C E (VC) Primary School, West TanfieldWillow Tree Community Primary SchoolWoodfield Community Primary School

* denotes Strategy Board schools

The Work of the HART AllianceThe HART Alliance believes that collaboration is key to every school’s success. All that we achieve is based on this collaborative approach.

Our work starts in the classroom, with reflective practice and research and development, and ends in the classroom with improved outcomes for children. Sharing good practice makes us stronger, and as such we look to share ideas, not just within our member schools, but on a regional and national level.

The work of the HART Alliance is constantly evolving and responsive to changes in national and local landscapes in education. The following gives a brief overview of the work of the HART Alliance.

The HART Alliance works with other teaching school alliances and Learning Partnerships in North Yorkshire and the wider Yorkshire and Humber region. We foster partnerships, equipping them to grow in strength and mentoring leaders of partnerships and developing teaching school alliances.

The HART Alliance has worked with Teaching Schools from across the country, participating on national committees to explore the introduction of the National Curriculum, Assessment after levels, business sustainability and research and development. We continue to work on research and development projects with teaching schools across the country including Spiral of Enquiry and Closing the Gap: Intervention.

We contribute towards National Qualification modular work for the MPQSL and NPQH. Our leaders facilitate and lead these programme with a local licensee and the HART Alliance sits on the board of the Carnegie Teaching Schools Alliance to oversee their business as a licensee.

We lead an aspiring leaders programme across North Yorkshire in 45 schools and have drawn together nearly 240 North Yorkshire schools in the Leading Curriculum Change conferences and networks.

We are commissioned by the National College to carry out projects in research and development, curriculum change, leadership, succession planning, and are involved in train the trainer and business sustainability projects for Teaching Schools.

We are deeply involved in training high quality teachers through a range of bespoke programmes working with the National.

Our whole school review model is now used in many school groups and we are often called upon to support school groups in taking on this powerful school improvement tool.

Our NQT programme has been highly successful through our region, with many school groups approaching us to train them to lead the same model in their group.

School to school support is a significant strength in our alliance. Sometimes this relationship is brokered by North Yorkshire Local Authority, but increasingly governing bodies of schools are directly approaching.

The Structure of the HART Alliance

A Strategy Board currently consisting of 21 schools who meet together to plan and decide on the direction of the HART Alliance, this embraces the finance committee, membership steering committee, governor committee and Strand Leaders and their work includes business plan, budget setting, strategic direction for SCITT and other management issues. Strategic Board members have voting rights as they agree to take on a higher level of responsibility than the general membership. From time to time Strategic Board Member schools will step down from the board and nominations will be opened up to the general membership.

The HART of Yorkshire SCITT is a school centered initial teacher training organisation which runs across HART Alliance schools to train new entrants into the profession. It draws upon good and outstanding practitioners to lead, challenge and support the two year-long training programme in Early Years and Primary. The vision is to recruit and train high quality reflective entrants into the profession for HART schools, who are equipped to teacher effectively, using up to evidence based practice.

The HART of Yorkshire SCITT finances are administered alongside the HART Alliance and overseen from a separate SCITT Strategy Board, consisting of Don Parker, two other headteachers from SCITT training schools, the SCITT Leader and the Business Manager. The SCITT lead school is Askwith. In addition, there is a Management and Quality Assurance board which meets each term to consider operational issues. The finances go through the HART Alliance Finance Committee, which is open to all school staff and governors.

Key Personnel

Strategic Lead Don Parker, NLE, NCTL Associate, Strategic Lead HART, Accounting Officer for SCITT,

Headteacher of Askwith Primary School, CEO YCAT.

HART Alliance Administration Staff Antonia Lowe, Teaching School Business Manager Jane O’Gara, Schools FMS Team,

SCITT Staff Elaine Nayler, Deputy Headteacher Askwith Primary School, Vicki Walsh, SLT Bilton Grange Primary School and SCITT Leader Antonia Lowe, Business Manager Amanda Foster, TA Bilton Grange Primary School, Administrator Patrick Organ, Teacher The Forest School, Academic Tutor Dr Sian James, Teacher Bilton Grange Primary School, Academic Tutor Judith Holliday, LLE, Link Tutor Elizabeth Watts, Headteacher North Stainley Primary School, Link Tutor Judith Ratcliffe, Headteacher Bilton Grange Primary School, Link Tutor

SLEs - We have designated Specialist Leaders in Education within our Alliance, or attached to us from other Learning Partnerships across North Yorkshire. This gives us a wealth of expertise for schools to draw upon should they need to. Their work is directed by our Local and National Leaders of Education and can sometimes be commissioned by the LA or by individual schools.

Name Surname Specialist Areas SchoolMark Colbourn Data Tracking Pannal C P SchoolKatie Elgie EYFS, Leadership of Curriculum and SEND Goldsborough C E Primary

SchoolMichelle Jackson Leadership of Curriculum, Maths, Support for

Most Able Pupils and ITT and NQT developmentSpofforth C E Primary School

Paul James SEND, Behaviour, Assessment The Forest SchoolKath Lupton ITT mentoring and Forest Schools Pannal C P SchoolElaine Nayler Leadership of Curriculum, Literacy, Maths, MFL,

AFL, Teaching and LearningAskwith Primary School

Patrick Organ SEND and Science The Forest SchoolSarah Rigg EYFS, Leading the Curriculum Askwith Primary SchoolRichard Street Maths, Teaching and Learning, Pupil Premium Bilton Grange Primary SchoolVicky Walsh English, Teaching and Learning Bilton Grange Primary School

LLEs - In addition, we have some Local Leaders in Education (LLEs) who allow their names to be associated with the HART Alliance. LLEs work with other schools in close relationship having drawn up action plans. They are deployed through the Teaching School, and this deployment may be requested by the Local Authority or directly from the Governing Body’s of individual schools.

Name Surname SchoolFiona Beetles Sutton in Craven C P SchoolElaine Dixon Boroughbridge High SchoolJudith Holliday Retired HeadteacherAndrea Peacock Kirkby Malzeard C E Primary School

National Leaders of Education have a more strategic role in supporting schools, looking at the bigger picture, sometimes working with individual schools over a longer period of time. We are very fortunate to have two NLEs in our alliance. Deployment of NLEs is ordered through the Teaching School from the National College for Teaching and Leadership, the Local Authority or an individual school’s governing body.

Name Surname SchoolJo Robinson Lothersdale Primary SchoolDon Parker Askwith Primary School

In addition, we have teachers who are leading networks and working beyond their own school to support schools in their specialist areas. These are Leading Teachers. The following are designated as Leading Teachers within our Teaching School Alliance

Rebecca Wolfe English Working Party, SCITT Tutor, Kirkby Malzeard C E School

Elouise Foster Year 3/4 Network, SLT, Maths, RE, SENCo Killinghall C E SchoolRebecca Simpson Year 1/2 Teacher, Phonics, SEND Spofforth C E SchoolAmy McIntosh Year 3/4 Teacher, English, PE Spofforth C E SchoolAngela Bishop Early Years, Questioning Skills Errington Primary SchoolStephen Bennett AFL, Questioning Skills, Behaviour

What is on offer for members?You are joining a successful collaboration

Access to Full HART meetings 5 times per year, Networks, hubs, Action Research Groups which run regularly and in the following areas:

a. EYFS Networkb. Keystage 1 hubc. Years 3/4 Networkd. English Working Partye. Maths Networkf. Assessment Networkg. Experienced headteacher research and development grouph. Research and development cohortsi. Pupil Premium and catch-up networkj. SEND and SENCo networkk. School Business Management and Administrators networkl. NQT cohort 6m. NQT plus one network

NQT programme at a lower price level. Can become SCITT schools if the SCITT Board agrees that their learning culture is in line

with HART Recommendations Will become a badged member of the HART Alliance Will have the ability to develop their staff into the Leading Teacher and SLE role Will receive advanced access to training programmes before they are open to all schools Will be able to access cross school CPD INSET days in HART Alliance schools led by HART

Alliance SLEs and School leaders Will be able to access most HART CPD programmes at a reduced rate Will have access to professional support from HART Alliance systems leaders should you

feel it necessary An information pack with the principles of collaboration on which the HART Alliance is

based A grace period of six months where they can start to access materials, training, hubs and

networks before the evaluation process starts to take effect Arts into HART is a paid option for the HART Alliance schools, this is funded mainly from a

grant from the DFE and matched funding from the Arts Council, but also asks for a contribution from participating schools. This group aims to grow the capacity of HART Alliance schools to support ourselves long term in all areas of ART and Design, growing our capacity to support other schools

What we ask of members?

1. Members schools will be expected to engage with the HART culture, this involves our staff becoming reflective in their practice through taking part in networks, hubs, working groups, research and development and programmes. Our desire is that every member of staff in every school become part of the new school led system, benefiting from reflective practice and becoming life-long learners.

This needn’t cost any money as most of our networks and research and development groups run in twilights or from 2.30pm to enable smaller schools to allow staff to attend. We are very much aware of the budget and time constraints on all of our schools and try to structure our events accordingly.

2. Members will be expected to prioritise Full HART meetings. There will be five a year and we would like members to attend each one so that updates and issues might be discussed. Networking takes place over lunch, which is provided on the day and can often result in pastoral solutions being put in place for member schools from other schools.

3. Member schools will be asked to sign the membership agreement and they will commit to:a. The agreement commits each school to contributing towards supporting the work of the

alliance for 3 days per term. This does include attending Full HART meetings and participating in R & D cohorts, networks, hubs and working groups, this is not expected to be about each school leading an area of work.

Again, this is structured to encourage schools to consider the commitment to the HART Alliance principles at the beginning of the document

b. Members agree to support the work of the HART Alliance in their words and actions through professional integrity and confidentiality. We are a collaboration of schools and are as good as our partnership and agreement. We commit to speaking well of the work of the HART Alliance and working through any problems and disagreements directly with the Strand Leaders, Teaching School Business Manager and Strategic Lead, Don Parker.

c. The membership agreement also asks for a financial contribution from each school to cover venue costs for some networks and hubs for which it is important that they are held out of school, but also for Full HART meetings which are held five times per year and include lunch. This amount is currently £300 for schools with less than 100 children on roll and £500 for schools with more than 100 children on roll.

d. The agreement commits each school to a shared financial liability should there ever be a situation where the HART Alliance cannot pay its liabilities, following a recommendation by North Yorkshire local authority CYPS Finance team. The amounts to £1000 per school.

The HART Alliance agrees to keep a balance in the bank account £45,000 from the end of 2015 going forwards to safeguard against this risk. In addition, the Strategic Board schools will form a finance committee to monitor the finances of the HART Alliance.

Falling in love with the “C” word

Becoming excited by an idea is a bit like falling in love: sometimes, it is an instant, head over heels moment but it can also come from the dawning realisation that a presence at the edge of your world has the potential to be at the centre of it.As an example of the latter, over the next couple of days I want to explain why I am becoming besotted with the concept of collaboration in the development and reform of school education.I have an old friend to thank for my new commitment; the three powers theory (derived from ‘Cultural Theory’ and the work of Mary Douglas). As regular readers will know, this theory argues, first, that change can be pursued using hierarchical, individualistic or solidaristic means; second, that often the most effective solutions find some way of combining these sources of power (if they are not combined they will often undermine good intentions); and third, that this is always difficult; such solutions are contextually contingent and ‘clumsy’ because the three forms of power are inherently in tension with each other (indeed their power partly derives from their critique of each other).My shaft of light was to see that ‘collaboration’ when done properly has enormous potential to achieve this clumsy mix of forms of power:- From an individualistic perspective, collaboration must be seen to be in the interests of those engaged.- From a solidaristic perspective, collaboration needs to be underpinned by trust based on sufficiently shared norms and values.- From a hierarchical perspective, system and organisation leaders – recognising how hard it is to establish and maintain – have to enable, incentivise and support collaborationHowever, each of these ways of valuing and pursuing collaboration could unbalance the whole endeavour:- If collaboration is too individualistic it becomes merely transactional, less creative and more prone to abuse and conflict- If collaboration relies too much on solidaristic values it will often lack clarity and strength and end up being more of a friendship (how often are you really challenging to your friends?)- If collaboration is too controlled and managed by hierarchy it can become bureaucratic and lifelessAt six distinct levels effective collaboration could enable a step change in the functioning of the schools system.- Relationships between the centre, localities and schools; which are too often characterised by suspicion, misunderstanding and resentment- Relationships between schools; which are rarely as robust and committed as they should be- Relationships between teachers; which are too often absent or shallow but could be the foundation for continuously improving professional practice- Relationships between schools and other local bodies; which tend to be weak or merely transactional- Relationships between teachers and pupils; learning is still too often seen as something that is done to pupils not with them- Relationships between pupils; even though team working is vital in the modern workplace, and children can powerfully support each other, we still see schooling primarily as a process of individual endeavour and ranking.In my next post I will offer some evidence of what ‘clumsy collaboration’ has achieved and might achieve at these levels.

Fortunately, given my lack of educational scholarship, members of the RSA education team have kindly agreed (as if I gave them any choice) to comment on my thoughts and add their own.

Matthew Taylor became Chief Executive of the RSA in November 2006. Prior to this appointment, he was Chief Adviser on Political Strategy to the Prime Minister

Matthew also writes for the TelegraphThis is an excerpt from his blog dated 3rd September 2013