Yorkshire’s Red Kite Alliance licensed to train education’s rising stars

The Red Kite Alliance, a partnership of Yorkshire schools, colleges and universities, is one of just 29 national centres licensed to deliver leadership training in schools from September.

The National College for School Leadership awarded the licence to the Red Kite Alliance as part of a shift towards school-centred leadership training with senior teachers delivering courses themselves, including programmes for aspiring head teachers. 

This new model is designed to put schools at the centre of training and professional development of teachers.  The Red Kite Alliance brings together primary, secondary and special schools as well as colleges and universities in Harrogate, Leeds, Bradford and York. 

Richard Sheriff, Headteacher of Harrogate Grammar School, said:  “Outstanding leadership is critical to creating outstanding schools.  Heads and senior teachers know and understand what is happening in our schools so who better to run leadership training?  As one of four licence holders in Yorkshire & the Humber the Red Kite Alliance will ensure that teachers at schools across the region get access to first class training.”

The Red Kite Alliance will work in partnership with GL Performance, a leading provider of education development programmes, to deliver recognised national leadership training courses, including the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) for aspiring head teachers.  Teachers accepted for this qualification can chose to do their training with the Alliance and register with them from mid July.

Alastair Durno, Head of Professional Development Services at GL Performance, said: “The new National College licences put our best leaders from our best schools in the driving seat of leadership development.  The courses have been designed and developed by the profession and are ranked among the best available.”

Richard Sheriff continued: “Within the Red Kite Alliance we have an enormous amount of expertise and specialist knowledge.  We will be able to tailor our training to meet the differing needs of primary, secondary and special schools, both in rural and urban contexts.”

Partners in the Red Kite Alliance include:  Harrogate Grammar School, Harrogate College, Ilkley Grammar School, Leeds Metropolitan University, Oatlands Infant School, Oatlands Junior School, Pannal Primary School, Prince Henry’s Grammar School, Rossett Acre Primary School, Rossett School, Roundhay School, Springwater School, St Peter’s C of E Primary School, University of Leeds, University of York, Western Primary School, York St John University.

The Red Kite Alliance is also partnered with other Teaching School Alliances across the region enabling quality leadership training and venues to be provided across the region; these include Ebor Teaching Schools Alliance in York, East SILC John Jamieson Teaching School Alliance in Leeds and Humber Teaching School Alliance.

 Further information on programmes offered by the Red Kite Alliance is online at www.redkitealliance.co.uk