Next Practice in System Leadership - Darlington

Operating innovative leadership and governance arrangements for a 0–19 'educational village', structured around the five ECM outcomes

Darlington Education Village, Darlington

Darlington's 'Education Village' is a PFI (private finance initiative) new build formed from a special school, a primary school and a community secondary school, which has a strong focus on community engagement. It has a single governing body with an innovative sub-structure linked directly to the five ECM outcomes. It is in the process of implementing a radically new 'whole village' leadership structure, supported by a national consultancy group. Darlington has already been a significant catalyst for other sites, including some in the NPSL programme, and is a strong indicator of the power of Next Practice sites to act as 'advance organisers' for wider system learning.

The effective implementation of this radically designed single leadership and governance model across the Village's three-school hard federation includes an emphasis on the creation of a unified leadership culture using joint purposes and shared professional learning as key levers. The Bridge Change Leadership Framework has been one element of this shared professional learning.