Networks and working groups
Shared spaces where school leaders, teachers and support staff across the Harrogate and rural Alliance meet, compare practice and act together.
What a network is for
A network in the Alliance is a standing group of schools that agrees to work on a shared question over a sustained period. Members bring evidence from their own classrooms, test ideas in practice and report back, so that good work does not stay within a single site. Networks are open to schools in the partnership and are designed to be practical rather than ceremonial.
How working groups operate
A working group is smaller and more focused than a network. It is formed around a defined task, such as reviewing assessment across key stages, sharing approaches to early reading or agreeing a common framework for behaviour. Each group sets its own timetable, records its decisions and shares outputs with the wider Alliance.
Groups typically meet a small number of times during a school year. Their aim is to produce something usable, such as a shared resource, a review of a policy or a set of tested classroom routines.
Joining a network
Any member school can propose a network or ask to take part in one that is already running. The first step is to identify the question the group will answer and the colleagues who will contribute. A named lead from one of the schools keeps the work on track and is the point of contact for others.
Participation does not require a large commitment. Schools may send one colleague to a termly session, host a meeting or trial an approach in their own setting and report the results.
Across the Alliance
The groups below illustrate the range of work taking place. Each one is shaped by the schools that take part, so the pattern of activity changes as members join and leave.
Where to go next
Networks and working groups connect to several other parts of the Alliance. The pages below set out related programmes and ways to contribute.