What is going on in the alliances?
Choose the alliance you would like to explore:
The Aln Alliance:
Following the agreement for the shared alliance vision, ICE (Improve, Collaborate, Enrich), the schools have met on a half termly basis to plan the programme of shared training and events across the year.
Meetings are taking place in all member schools within the alliance and have so far taken place at Belford Primary School, Swarland Primary School and Felton CofE Primary School. Meetings are scheduled to take place at Hipsburn Primary School as well as a combined visit to Lowick CofE First School and Holy Island CofE First School.
Staff from all schools within the alliance came together at Hipsburn Primary. They worked in key stage phases in order to:
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Share aspects of their provision they are proud of
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Share current areas of development
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Share examples of best practice to share with colleagues in alliance schools
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Develop links with subject leaders and key stage partners
The schools are ensuring pupils are benefitting from the alliance with sporting tournaments already organised and a shared creative performance planned to take place later in the year.
Governors from all Aln Alliance schools held their first meeting in the autumn term. They have agreed to meet termly and combine these meetings with face to face training for governors as well as reviewing progress made with the alliance. This will also be an opportunity to share good practice and feedback from governor involvement in Ofsted inspections.
The Arcot Alliance:
The Arcot Alliance launched at the beginning of September. Alliance headteachers have decided to prioritise:
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Writing moderation session for year 1 and year 4
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Assessment within the curriculum
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Review and reflection meetings throughout the term.
Following the initial work in the autumn term, several schools came together on the 6th January to explore leadership, specifically linked to subject leadership. The session was led by Claire Williams in person at Beaconhill Community Primary, with three schools and streamed to other colleagues across the alliance. This was the first session of this type but hopefully a way forward for this larger than average alliance of schools.
Headteachers continue to meet regularly to reflect on alliance activities and plan next steps. In the diary for this term:
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Years 2, 3 and 5 mathematics moderation
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SENDCo network meetings
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Work with the early years team around disadvantaged children.
As always, schools are working together when the need arises, linking with other school leaders and staff to share best practice and visit settings to share ideas and work collaboratively. This has included support for pupils with SEND, THRIVE practice, mathematics teaching, learning and assessment, etc.
The Font Alliance:
Schools have agreed 4 priorities across the alliance to work on this year - staff have met to have initial
The Font Alliance was officially launched in September 2024 with an alliance wide training event.
The 8 schools have agreed 4 priorities to focus on this year; staff have worked together to plan ways forward.
Following the initial training day in September, other shared events have taken place with more planned for the year ahead. These include, but are not limited to:
- Focused writing moderation
- SEND training
- Business managers meetings
- Half-termly headteacher meetings.
Training days have been agreed and different ways to work collaboratively are being considered, for example using shared resources and arranging visits and visitors for different schools. A Font themed week in 2025-26 is being explored.
Also arranged are:
- Football tournaments
- Newcastle Eagles basketball event and coaching
- An inter-school cricket competition at Blagdon Park Cricket Club.
A Font Alliance logo is being created from designs produced by pupils.
The Hartford Alliance:
The Hartford Alliance launched at the beginning of September. Alliance headteachers have agreed to work together towards their shared priorities of:
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Improving outcomes in Maths for all pupils
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The continued development of EYFS provision to support all children to be school ready
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Attendance
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Transition
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SEND
In October, Alliance schools attended a shared training session led by Claire Williams, the LA lead on Maths. Subject leaders now meet regularly to share progress and best practice.
Headteachers continue to meet every half term to share successes, offer support and to agree on next steps. In the next few months activities will include:
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Continued shared working and CPD focussed on maths curriculum refinement
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Work to support transition both for EYFS and year 6 pupils
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Writing moderation
In addition, Hartford Alliance schools are all working hard in preparation for their planned 'B' Festival in May which will be hosted by Westend Primary and is designed to allow pupils of all ages to showcase their talents and love of music in a shared celebration.
The North Tyne Alliance:
After a very successful staff meeting in October at Greenhaugh Primary School, the North Tyne Alliance have set up a shared Google Drive for the teachers from Bellingham, Kielder, Greenhaugh and Otterburn. The purpose of the online area is to share practice, resources and provide opportunities for virtual moderation activities. Teachers in each school have been invited to upload examples of children's writing so that it becomes an online resource for staff to dip into and refer to when assessing the standard children are working at.
The Portland Alliance:
Alliance headteachers have seized the opportunity to work together in a unique alliance of schools from both the Coquet and Ashington partnerships within Northumberland.
As a collection of small schools, the schools have already focused on aspects of the curriculum and moderation as well as sharing administrative resources, planning and time saving practices within their schools.
All staff from the alliance schools came together to meet for the first time at Grange View CofE Primary School in Widdrington. Staff worked in 3 age phase groups sharing:
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Areas of strength
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Examples of good practice
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Current areas for further development
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Contact details with their year group and subject leadership counterparts.
The meeting also provided a valuable opportunity for those colleagues from primary schools to share their expertise and experiences with colleagues from newly formed primary settings.
The South Tyne Alliance:
Schools in the South Tyne Alliance first met in September 2024. Their priorities for the year ahead were identified as:
- Writing outcomes;
- Transition;
- EYFS;
- Attendance;
- SEND.
Headteachers from all schools meet termly alongside colleagues from the Hexham Partnership. A different member school hosts each time and so far meetings have taken place in Corbridge CofE First School and Humshaugh First School. In addition to this, termly network meetings are held for writing, EYFS and SEND as well as DSL supervision sessions, facilitated by the NCC Safeguarding Team.
Transition documents have been created to support the first/middle transition, including reading trackers for targeted children from Year 3 - Year 6. A Leave of Absence Policy has been agreed and shared with all schools and attendance figures from across the alliance have been discussed supportively.
In collaboration with Sporting Journeys NE, a football tournament open to all member schools took place in February with 120 children from KS2 across five first schools taking part. There are plans for a KS1 football tournament and a KS2 tag rugby tournament in March.
Staff from all schools within the alliance came together at Corbridge Middle School for a shared INSET day on Friday 21st February 2025, focusing on supporting SEND learners in Maths. Gail Van Schalkwyk presented to all staff who then had workshop time to explore her resources and see examples of work from across alliance schools. There was also a networking opportunity for business managers and administrators.
The next step will be to organise the first alliance meeting for governors.
The Tweed Alliance:
The schools within the Tweed Alliance were one of the first alliances to meet and plan their shared working in the summer of 2024.
All member schools within the alliance have agreed on a shared goal for their first year of working together:
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Ensuring that the curriculum planned for all pupils within the Alliance enables their success at all transition points whether that be from key stage to key stage within their current school or at points of transition to the next school.
Headteachers have met to agree the format for the curriculum plans and to ensure that shared curriculum end points are developed for every area of the curriculum. The first areas of curriculum discussion included RE and PSHE from the early years to A level. Future subjects for collaboration are being planned for the spring term.
Curriculum leaders have joined in these curriculum planning discussions and the schools have come together at the Berwick Workspace allowing senior leaders and their staff to meet outside their schools and have dedicated time for collaborative discussion.
