Funding boost for teaching collaborative

A partnership between councils in the north of Scotland has been awarded £385,000 from the Scottish Government to unlock the potential of schools in their area.

The Northern Alliance, which comprises seven northern and island local authorities, will receive the funding over two years to pool and strengthen resources that support learning and teaching.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney made the announcement days after setting out sweeping new powers for schools, which at their heart promote collaborative working at all levels of the education system.

The Scottish Government will now work with the Northern Alliance and other partners to establish new Regional Improvement Collaboratives to strengthen and build on the many examples of effective partnership working and respond to the support needs of schools.

The Deputy First Minister said:

“Where collaboration is already taking place we have seen a demonstrable and positive impact on young people. This funding will allow the Northern Alliance to build on and share best practice across the system.

“It is a brilliant example of working together, supporting networks and partnerships that are tailored to local needs. We will ensure the new Regional Improvement Collaboratives learn from the Northern Alliance and other initiatives that boost collaboration.

“This is part of our wider package of support to empower teachers and bring about real change. Let me be clear, we have excellent teachers across Scotland who are committed and working hard to raise attainment.

“The best decisions about a child’s education are taken by those who know that child best – their parents, teachers, school and young people themselves. By giving headteachers control over how schools are run and enhancing the role for parents we will ultimately improve the life chances of our children.”

The funding will allow the Northern Alliance to extend the number of schools involved in its literacy project and deliver school based training and peer to peer coaching for numeracy teaching and to address the poverty gap.

This extension of the Northern Alliance’s programme will provide a platform to support headteachers learn from best practice across our education system, and team up with other schools and partners to improve outcomes for all our children and young people.

Background

The £385,000 funding will add to the commitment and resource allocated by partner local authorities.

The Northern Alliance includes Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Highland, Moray, Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles regions.

 The Scottish Government funding will be broken down as below:

• Up to £115,000 for the Literacy Attainment Project
• Up to £100,000 for the Numeracy Attainment Project
• Up to £30,000 for the Change Project
• Up to £140,000 for further development of collaborative working infrastructure

New reforms and powers for schools were set out by Mr Swinney on 15 June.