Case study Key theme: collaborative leadership/sustainability Established cluster of schools seeks to formalise its collaborative relationship Aylsham cluster of schools explores trust status as a means of ensuring sustainability of leadership and extended services. Summary

Aylsham’s cluster of schools, whose history of collaboration goes back 10 years, took the opportunity of engagement in the National College’s Promoting Collaboration project. Participation was intended to assist the cluster in its exploration of ways to sustain leadership, management and governance of its extended services by strengthening and formalising its collaborative relationships.

Key learning/outcomes

Although the cluster was already well established at the start of the Promoting Collaboration project, some key learning took place; this included:

Reassurance that the cluster had developed a model that works for it and for its community: the high school’s commitment to its community and its future, together with collaborative leadership by all headteachers, has ensured its success.
Freedom to innovate outside the local authority model has been valuable: the exploration of trust status through the project has given the cluster a clear way forward.
Change cannot be rushed: time to consult all stakeholders over the trust proposals has been critical.
The need to continue to develop systems and protocols that contribute to sustainable collaboration: although the collaborative relationship has worked well to date, the cluster has not become complacent in its structures and systems, hence the exploration of trust status as a way forward.

Background

Aylsham cluster comprises a group of 10 schools, plus a pupil referral unit, in a geographically defined area centred on the market town of Aylsham in Norfolk. The schools have worked closely together on a number of projects over the last 10 years and have collaborated especially closely over the last three years to deliver the extended schools core offer. They have developed their own model for cluster working, with full support and recognition from the local authority, which views the cluster as successful.

In Aylsham, the collaborative leadership structure is centred on a collaborative group involving all heads in the cluster. The cluster pools its extended schools funding and the high school invests heavily in the cluster by funding a School Development Manager.

The manager is funded to lead the cluster’s strategy for extended schools as part of its specialist college community dimension commitment. The manager also plays a key liaison role between all the schools and headteachers.

Aylsham High School training funding is also used collaboratively to second one of the primary headteachers (one day per week) to act as cluster training co-ordinator. All heads have an equal role in the collaborative partnership, and leadership is distributed by rotating the role of cluster chair.

In addition, each headteacher takes the lead on different initiatives within the cluster. Leadership beyond heads’ own schools is valued and the collaborative nature of headteachers’ work helps to avoid the isolation that heads can sometimes experience.

Key challenges and issues

The cluster focused on one key area of development during the course of the Promoting Collaboration project:

how to ensure long-term sustainability of leadership, management and governance

An additional challenge arose around:

the proposal to incorporate a children’s centre into the cluster’s provision

Solution or approach

Measured approach taken to consultation with small, well-planned steps being taken towards formalisation with the likely outcome being the formation of a co-operative trust; shared vision and values underpin this.
Governor briefing resulting in calls from governors to set up a cluster governor network to share good practice, information on initiatives and training for governors.

Next steps

Build on its experience of collaboration on extended services to incorporate a children’s centre into its provision.
Explore the establishment of a trust.
Further strengthen the involvement of governors.
Consider mechanisms for further extending consultation with parents.

Further information

For further information contact Vanessa Scargill, Director of Community Strategy, Aylsham High School, vscargill@aylshamhigh.norfolk.sch.uk