Networking and collaboration in the North region

The following information provides an update on National College activity in the North East, North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber regions, and enables you to learn from and share good practice with other leaders.

National College briefing sessions

We will shortly be delivering termly regional briefing sessions for local authority and diocese colleagues. The purpose of the sessions is to:

provide an update on our work in your region
build and maintain strong relationships with local authorities and dioceses
share knowledge and information

A session will be held in Yorkshire and the Humber on 13 March. Dates for the North East and North West are to be confirmed.

For further information or to register your interest in attending a session, email northregion@nationalcollege.org.uk.

North East

Attend a 'visioning day'

College associates are planning a visioning day to be held on 20 April at Lord Lawson School in Beamish.

The day will provide an excellent opportunity to bring together teaching schools, national and local leaders of education, chairs of local authority headteacher groups, heads of school improvement, succession planning leads, and Department for Education and diocesan representatives to discuss how we can work together to address identified priorities.

National College Chief Executive Steve Munby will address the group, outlining how the College can support system-led improvement in the North East.

For further information about this event, contact your College associate.

Succession planning activities

This term sees the continuation of succession planning activities across the region.

The unique Northumberland Rural Schools programme enters its final phase during the spring term and will include school placement exchanges and work on applications and interviews, and leadership communication skills.

National College Lead Associate Janet Woods hosted a workshop on leading a self-improving school system with Hartlepool primary headteachers on 9 February and will host another to Redcar and Cleveland headteachers on 22 February.

For further information about these activities, email College Associate Andy Brown at andy.brown@nationalcollege.org.uk.

North West

New to headship?

Time has flown since the National New Heads 2011 event in Birmingham last November and we are keen to continue to support headteachers new to their role.

Last academic year, we provided some workshops for new headteachers in different locations around the North West. If you feel it would be beneficial to hold these workshops again, contact College Associate Jo Williams at jo.williams@nationalcollege.org.uk.

Support for school business managers

If you have an existing school business manager (SBM) network that you would like us to support, or if you would like us to provide input into the latest developments affecting SBMs, then please let us know. You can contact either College Associate Jo Williams at jo.williams@nationalcollege.org.uk or SBM Advocate Dawn Boyes at dawn.boyes@nationalcollege.org.uk.

Yorkshire and the Humber

Governance strategy

There is a new strategy to introduce a governor succession lead in each school, supported by local and regional peer networks. It has been planned jointly with governors and local authority governance leads, and will be launched first in Leeds and then in South Yorkshire in March.

The focus is on enhancing governors' strategic commitment to succession work across the whole school workforce, including senior leadership and in the governing body itself. We see this as an invaluable complement to our chairs of governors training and support programme, which includes a leadership development module and the National Leaders of Governance programme.

For further information, email College Associate David Light at david.light@nationalcollege.org.uk.

Your contacts in the North

View all contact details for lead, deputy lead and National College associates, independent schools advocates and school business manager advocates in the North region.