The enquiry based project arose following advice, prepared by the National College, to the Secretary of State about key issues facing primary leadership. The advice recommended that:

'…ministers consider incentivising greater formal collaboration between groups of schools, children’s centres and other agencies, including effective local cluster arrangements and federations, by funding, through the appropriate agencies, work in each region that exemplifies the principles of collaboration.

'In addition, extended services co-ordinator posts or the appointment of a family support worker in areas of significant deprivation might be funded through or complement the existing work of other agencies.'

The aims of the project were to promote greater collaboration between schools and other children’s services local to those schools in order to support the delivery of extended services. The project sought to consider the role of extended school cluster co-ordinators. In particular, it aimed to:

• Use the funding of joint posts as a catalyst to promote collaborative leadership and governance.
• Strengthen leadership and governance across the clusters of schools.
• Identify strategies for other groups of schools to use to move towards collaborative leadership and governance.
• Encourage a collective approach across groups of schools and centres to address the particular needs within their communities.
• Promote a sense of collective responsibility for children and young people within the local communities.
• Ensure that the resource for cluster co-ordinators is used more effectively through collaborative leadership.
• Reduce the burden on headteachers of managing and co-ordinating extended services.
• Focus collective attention on realising the outcomes for children and the 2020 goals of the Children’s Plan.

A number of enquiry questions were raised around these aims, which formed the framework for the project.

Fifteen clusters initially agreed to work with the College on the enquiry project. One of these, Havering, consisted of three clusters but became one for the purposes of the project - as did the two clusters of Cheadle and Westwood. The fifteenth cluster involved a group of cluster co-ordinators in Leeds, which elected to be part of the project as it had formed a collaborative steering group of cluster co-ordinators to look at issues and opportunities for cluster co-ordinators across its city.

The project began with a national initiative introductory day in July 2008. This national day served to set up the project, which was to begin in September 2008. Over the ensuing months, the clusters each worked with one of the College’s consultants to frame the focus of their own contributions to the enquiry. The case studies you will find in the toolkit highlight some of the key aspects of each of the clusters’ work during the project.

This toolkit is aimed primarily at:

• school leaders
• cluster co-ordinators
• governors
• local authorities
• children's centre leaders

It will also be of interest to anyone else involved in developing collaborative leadership of extended services provision.

Four key themes emerged as important during the project:

• collaborative leadership
• the role of the cluster co-ordinator
• governance
• sustainability of clusters

Contents of the toolkit include:

• key findings about the enquiry questions
• case studies
• 'Where are we now' – a self-audit tool for clusters
• resources

Throughout the toolkit you will find links to other National College resources and materials, as well as to a wider range of information and source material that you may find useful.

* The full title of this project was: Promoting Collaboration through the role of the Extended Services Cluster Co-ordinator