A challenge for many schools is to gain access to independent advice and guidance to support their school improvement activities. Local Education Authorities (LEAs) and local schools might be able to provide these services but such advice and support is not always independent and may not meet a school’s specific needs. In many cases, due to issues of capacity and the availability of staff with relevant expertise, LEAs might not be able to provide any support at all.

Often what schools want is to enter a dialogue with colleagues who are current practitioners, who work in schools in a similar context. Such schools might be in adjacent local authorities or may be some distance away. In such circumstances forming a relationship is difficult.

Cocentra’s approach:

With our extensive range of contacts with schools across the country Cocentra is able to bring together schools with similar needs and similar interests to form formal and informal networks. We see these networks as being fluid in character. Some might form quickly, achieve their purposes and be wound up, whilst others will be sustained in the longer term as they continue to provide an effective framework for a dialogue between schools.

Whilst the structure of these networks is flexible they generally take the form of 10-15 linked schools that meet every half term to receive two or three structured school improvement sessions (on topical or structural issues), with time for plenary and one to one discussion. We seek to make the network reinforcing through continuity in the sessions, a twice-termly newsletter and an e-mail help line.

If you would like to understand our Learning Clusters for school improvement further please contact jacqui@cocentra.com

Alternatively, please call 0845 009 4010 and ask to talk to Jacqui or order a Cocentra brochure.