Primary DT Lead Network- New Date

Monday 15th May 2023, 1-4pm Hough End Centre/ GMP Sports Club, Mauldeth Rd West, M21 7SX During this afternoon session, Allan Torr (education consultant and current Ofsted inspector) will provide an overview of what it means to be an effective … Continued

Managing Parental Complaints Briefing

Wednesday 22nd March 2023, 8.30-10.30am Interacting with parents is fundamental for any school from day-to-day queries to formal complaints. Complaints are increasing in frequency and complexity with senior leaders devoting significant time to their resolution. This breakfast briefing will provide … Continued

Primary Science Lead Spring Network

Monday 6th March 2023, 1-4pm The MSA works in partnership with the University of Manchester Science and Engineering Education Research and Innovation Hub (SEERIH) that delivers these networks. This session will look at tackling the tricky bits & managing misconceptions: … Continued

Menopause Webinar

Tuesday 17th January 2023, 3.30-4.30pm, via Teams FREE to MSA members, this workshop offers sensitive, empathetic training in the issues around menopause. You’ll discover what the menopause actually is and how it affects the body and mind, common symptoms, the … Continued

‘Managing Complaints’ Governor Session

Wednesday 25th January 2023, 5.30-8pm via Zoom FREE to MSA Members, this session will explore the issue of school complaints including what the governing body’s responsibilities are, what a complaints procedure should include and what publishing it means,  how much … Continued

School Finance Governor Session

Wednesday 21st November 2022, 5.30-8pm By the end of the session governors/trustees will understand how school/academy budgets are generated and how they can effectively monitor the school’s finances. The session focuses on where the money comes from, different types of … Continued

FFT Update & Refresh Webinar

Wednesday 23rd November, 9.30-11.00am Aimed and SLT and school assessment leads this session is for those that are new to FFT as well as a refresh and introduction to new services for experienced users. Heidi Leung, Principal Adviser at FFT, … Continued

Stress Management Webinar

Thursday 17th November 2022, 3.30-4.30pm Though you need some pressure in your life, too much pressure can lead to stress. During this webinar you will discover how to recognise stress and triggers in yourself and others, look at how to … Continued

Primary Heads Residential

  We are pleased to announce our upcoming primary heads conference ‘Manchester Together’ on the   29th & 30th September 2022 at Cottons Hotel & Spa. Please see the attached flyer. This is the first city wide primary residential in over … Continued

Headteacher Wellbeing Session

 Friday 1st April 2022, 9.30am – 12.30pm, Hough End Centre. The aim of the session is to provide time and space for Manchester headteachers to consider their own wellbeing. During the morning there will be input from Ros McMullen. Ros has … Continued

Understanding the Curriculum for Governors

Thursday 25th November 2021, 6-8.15pm, via Zoom Book here. Places are currently limited to 2 governors per school By the end of the session governors/ trustees will have an understanding of curriculum requirements and the role of the board should … Continued

Primary FFT Update and Refresh

Wednesday 10th November 2021, 9.30-11.30am, via Zoom Book here Aimed and SLT and school assessment leads this session is for those that are new to FFT as well as a refresh and introduction to new services for experienced users. Stephen … Continued

Primary Science Subject Lead Network

Monday 8th November 2021, 2-4pm, via Zoom Book here This Network is for Science Subject Leaders of any experience level to enhance their practice, meet their peers and share ideas. If you have not attended a meeting before you can … Continued

Emotionally Healthy Schools for Governors

Wednesday 18th November 2020, 6-8.30pm, Virtual Session This FREE session is open to all MSA member schools governors. “Governors will leave the training with an overview of their roles and responsibilities in improving the mental health and emotional well being within the whole school community” and the aims … Continued

FFT Overview Session

Wednesday 21st October 2020, 9-11am, Virtual Session This FREE two-hour overview session will look at the FFT Aspire system in depth, focusing on; self-evaluation and school improvement implementing effective target setting and identifying gaps in performance by subject and pupil group Participants … Continued

Science Leads Network Autumn Meeting

Tuesday 10th November, 4-5.15pm, Virtual Session The SEERIH Networks are for Science Subject Leaders looking to build their network, keep up to date with the latest developments and improve their practice and impact. The Autumn term network will take place … Continued

History Leads’ Network

Thursday 2nd April 2020, 2-4pm, Hough End Centre This network has been created by the MSA in partnership with MCC specifically for primary, secondary and special school history subject leaders. Led by Debi Bailey (one of the LA’s quality assurance … Continued

Safeguarding for Governors 25th March 2020

Wednesday 25th March 2020, 6-8pm,  Gorton Monastery, M12 5WF This twilight session will support governors’/trustees’ understanding of their responsibilities for, and role in, keeping children safe. Over the 2 hours, governors will focus on the following key areas: the legal … Continued

Curriculum Design Session 12th February 2020

Wednesday 12th February 2020, 9am– 12.30pm  Holiday Inn Central Park, M40 2BS This half term, James Clements is returning to Manchester to deliver ‘Curriculum Design for Primary School English’ to MSA member schools. This half-day session will introduce some principles … Continued

Programme of Events 19/20

We have now finalised our Programme of Events for 2019/20. These include; FREE LGBT+ Inclusion Training FREE ‘Articulating a Good, Well-Centred Curriculum’ Conference FREE ‘Curriculum Design for Primary School English’ Conference FREE ‘FFT for Governors’ session FREE ‘Safeguarding for Governors’ … Continued

MSA Offer 2019/20

We have now finalised our Offer for 2019/20 and shared this with schools. Membership is available to ALL schools in Manchester and benefits of membership include; Full access to your school’s FFT Aspire data dashboard Access to an Employee Assistance … Continued

Summer Training Opportunities

We have 2 FREE development sessions coming up this term for members. Our Finance for Governors session is on Monday 17th June 2019 and FFT for Primaries on Friday 28th June 2019. For more information, click on the appropriate session.

FFT for Governors

Wednesday 28th November 2018 6-8pm, Chancellors Hotel, Fallowfield. The FFT Governor Dashboard helps governors hold their school to account, support and challenge the leadership team and make more informed strategic decisions. As all members of the MSA get full access … Continued

Working Together Conference

Wednesday 7th November 2018 9am – 12.30pm, Woodhouse Park Lifestyle Centre, Wythenshawe. HMI Anne Seneviratne will lead this half-day session which will link in to a number of current topics relevant to Manchester schools. The morning will also provide the … Continued

Finance for Governors

Wednesday 20th June 2018, 9am – 12pm Irish World Heritage Centre, Irish Town Way, Cheetham Hill, M8 0RY Chairs of finance committees are invited along with headteachers to attend ‘Finance for Governors.’ This session will focus on areas such as … Continued

Working towards Excellent Governance

Saturday 3rd March 2018 9.30am – 12.15pm Chancellors Hotel, Chancellors Way, Fallowfield, M14 6NN The aim of this Saturday morning session is to support governors in their role and help them to understand what they need to know when working … Continued

FFT for Governors- 10th January 2018

The FFT Governor Dashboard helps governors hold their school to account, support and challenge the leadership team and make more informed strategic decisions. It provides governors with an analysis of the main school performance indicators including attainment, achievement and a summary … Continued

Working towards Excellence 28th November 2018

On Tuesday 28th November the MSA, in partnership with Manchester City Council, ran a ‘Working towards Excellence’ conference attended by 50 senior leaders from primary, secondary and special schools. The conference was led by Allan Torr who was a headteacher … Continued

‘Working towards Excellence’

Tuesday 28th November 2017 9.30am – 3.30pm Chancellors Hotel, Chancellors Way, Fallowfield, M14 6NN Headteachers and senior leaders from Manchester primaries and secondaries are invited to attend this 4-part training which will enable leaders to reflect on best practice and how … Continued

2017/18 Events for Members

Some of the planned conferences and sessions for MSA member schools have now been published on our website. Please visit whats on for more information.

Summer 2017 Newsletter

Our summer 2017 newsletter highlighting upcoming opportunities and an overview of recent activity has been published and can be found here.

Resilient pupils…resilient parents…resilient schools

Wednesday 23rd January 2017, 9am-12.30pm Venue TBC In partnership with Oxford School Improvement, Jean Gross CBE will be delivering ‘Resilient pupils…resilient parents…resilient schools,’ at our spring conference. Jean’s career was as a teacher, an educational psychologist, author and adviser to … Continued

Outstanding EAL Practice

Monday 18th September 2017, 1-3.30pm Chancellors Hotel, Chancellor Way, Fallowfield, M14 6NN Kingsway Community Trust have 3 outstanding primary schools in Manchester. In each inspection report, the EAL practice has been praised. “Pupils who are new to English receive fantastic … Continued

National Literacy Trust M/cr Network

Wednesday 22nd June 2017 1.30-3.30pm, Irish World Heritage Centre There have been two Manchester networks so far this year and the NLT has fedback that they have been the most well attended city-specific networks they have attended! Feedback from both sessions was that it is … Continued

NEW MSA Offer 2017/18

We have finalised and circulated our new Offer for Manchester schools for 2017/18 which can be found here.

Teaching Writing: A Pathway to Success

Wednesday 14th June 2017, 9am- 3pm Woodhouse Park Lifestyle Centre, Wythenshawe, M22 1QW James Clements is an independent English Advisor supporting schools across the country to develop the teaching of reading, writing and drama. He is leading ‘Teaching Writing: A … Continued

Complaints Procedures

It was raised at the last Safeguarding Strategy Group meeting that some school’s Complaints Procedures needed to be updated as many still referred complaints to the Local Authority. In response to this, we have listed some recommended support on updating/ producing … Continued

New Governors ‘Gov Meet’

There are still some places left on the New Governors ‘Gov Meet’ on Tuesday 25th April 2017, 6-8pm at The Irish World Heritage Centre, Irish Town Way. For more information click here.

Outstanding EAL Practice

Kingsway Trust has 3 outstanding primary schools in Manchester (Ladybarn, Green End & Cringle Brook) During each Ofsted inspection, the effective EAL strategies and practices within the Trust have been commented on. In partnership, we ran a session in March … Continued

MSA Spring Conference- Assessment

In partnership with Oxford University Press, Stephen Anwyll was invited back to Manchester to give an update on assessment at our spring conference back in February. 42 heads and senior leaders attended to hear Stephen address the issue of assessment … Continued

Governor Events 2016/17

The programme of events for governors, organised in partnership with the Manchester Governors’ Association (MGA) and Manchester City Council, continues in 16/17. There are a number of sessions available to governors of Manchester schools that are members of the MSA. … Continued

National Leaders of Governance

Manchester is lucky to have several National Leaders of Governance already working within our schools. NLGs are highly effective chairs of governors who can support chairs in other schools. This can include coaching and mentoring, reviewing the responsibilities of the … Continued

Events & Conferences 2016/17

We have now finalised our programme of events and conferences for 2016/17. This is programme is constantly developing in response to member needs and so additional sessions and events will be added throughout the year. Click on the below for further … Continued

Quality Assurance ‘Gov Meet’

Wednesday 29th June 2016, 6-8pm Chorlton High School, Nell Lane, M21 7SL This ‘Gov Meet’ will provide governors with an opportunity to discuss how they quality assure and monitor outcomes to ensure that all pupils are making good progress. This will include … Continued

The Road Ahead: Academies and the School-Led System 10th June 2016

54 headteachers, senior leaders and governors attended the Irish World Heritage Centre to hear the Regional Schools Commissioner, Vicky Beer, present ‘The Road Ahead: Academies and the School-Led System’ followed by Director of Education & Skills, John Edwards, discussing what the content … Continued

Education White Paper

In a white paper launched on the 17th of March 2016, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has set out radical new proposals and changes for schools. Click here to view the full White Paper.

Manchester Governors’ Annual Conference

The Manchester Governors’ Annual Conference took place on Saturday 6th February at The Irish World Heritage Centre in Cheetham Hill. 53 governors attended the event at which HMI Julie Yarwood presented ‘Effective Governance and the Ofsted framework: being ready and … Continued

Safeguarding Strategy Group

The first Safeguarding Strategy Group took place on Monday 18th January 2016 at St Peter’s RC High School. The meeting was attended by 9 DPs and headteachers from across the city. There was discussion around Prevent Duty and CSE resources … Continued

Assessment Beyond Levels Conference

65 school leaders attended the MSA Spring 2016 conference on ‘Assessment Beyond Levels and Whole School Accountability’ presented by Stephen Anwyll at the Irish World Heritage Centre. During the session, Stephen took the delegates through  the implications of accountability measures, how new test … Continued

‘Working Successfully with your Governing Body’ session

The ‘Working Successfully with your Governing Body’ event took place on 13th January 2016 at Beswick Library. Ariana Yakas, Chair of Kingsway Community Trust and NLG, gave some valuable insight through her experience as a chair working with her headteacher and … Continued

Newsletter December 2015

Attached is the latest Manchester Schools’ Alliance (MSA) Newsletter detailing information about recent events and upcoming training & professional development opportunities available to MSA members. MSA Newsletter December 2015 If you would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Autumn Term Governor Events

The MSA, Manchester Governors’ Association and MCC School Governance Unit Partnership Programme of Events are well underway with four taking place during autumn term. The ‘Vulnerable Learners’ governors session took place on Monday 12th October and 25 governors attended. The session ran … Continued

MSA Autumn Conference 2015 and Annual General Meeting

The MSA Autumn Conference took place on the 30th September 2015 at Beswick library. Chris Beswick, a highly regarded education consultant, presented ‘Ofsted Changes September 2015 – The Future of Inspection.’ Chris’ presentation looked at what the new framework is designed to … Continued

Programme of Events for Manchester Governors 2015/16

The MSA, Manchester Governors’ Association (MGA) and Manchester City Council are continuing to work in partnership to bring a range of events and an annual conference to the city for governors. Last year 116 (67%) governing bodies were represented at … Continued

Manchester Governors’ Annual Conference

The Manchester governors’ annual conference will take place on Saturday 6th February 2016, 9.30am-2pm at the Irish Heritage Centre. The conference provides governors with the chance to network and debate current issues. A detailed programme will be provided nearer the … Continued

MAHSC Our Impact On Health Conference

The MSA joined forces with the Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre – a network of hospitals and universities in Manchester which carries out health research – to promote their free health research conference which took place on the 17th November. … Continued

Lunar Mission One

  Lunar Mission One is the first global crowd funded mission to the Moon. It is a new exploratory robotic mission that will use pioneering drilling technology to deliver extraordinary new insights into the origins of the Moon and Earth, … Continued

Youth Sports Trust 2015 Conference

4-5 February 2015, Telford International Centre The Youth Sport Trust 2015 Conference is the essential learning and networking event for PE and school sport professionals.  To mark the 20th anniversary of the Youth Sport Trust, the conference will examine the … Continued

Holocaust Memorial Day 2015

On 27 January, the world marks Holocaust Memorial Day and the theme for 2015, set by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, is Keep the Memory Alive. This day gives us the opportunity to learn lessons from the Holocaust, Nazi persecution … Continued

News Round-up – 22nd January

A brief summary of the recent education related headlines:   Revealed: cash bonanza for academy firms Taxpayer-funded academy chains have paid millions of pounds into the private businesses of directors, trustees and their relatives, documents obtained by the Guardian show. … Continued

News Round-Up – 8th January

A round-up of the past few days education related headlines Tempers flare as pushy parents turn school run into a rat race Three out of four parents have witnessed aggressive or reckless behaviour from drivers competing for a spot, a … Continued

News Round-up – 3rd January

The millennium babies ‘failed by education policies’ One in five children born at the turn of the millennium faces leaving school without a job or university place because of “flawed” education policies, according to research from Impetus – The Private … Continued

News Round-up 30th December

Labour sets sights on universal pre-school childcare Labour is to pursue the policy of universal childcare for all pre-school children in the run-up to the General Election, the Shadow Childcare Minister Lucy Powell has told the Guardian. She also praised … Continued

Daily News Headlines – 16th December

A round-up of the schools related headlines from over the weekend and this morning Immigrant influx ‘will put a strain on schools’ Sir Michael Wilshaw, the Chief Inspector of Schools, has warned that large numbers of migrants from Romania and … Continued

Daily News Headlines – 13th December

A round-up of education headlines from the days papers…. ‘Million more places needed as rising birth rate and migrants fill classrooms‘    The number of pupils in state schools is to grow by a million over the next decade, expected to … Continued

Ofsted Annual Report Published

Ofsted’s annual report is now available online at: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/about-us/annual-report A more detailed look at the report from the MSA perspective to follow.

MSA School Governor Sessions – ‘Gov Meets’

The MSA has arranged the first two in what will become a series of engagement and development sessions for Governors. The ‘Gov Meets’ will provide Governors across the City with the opportunity to network, discuss issues and increase their understanding of particular … Continued

Consultation: Local Authority School Governance Strategy

As many will know the City Council is currently undertaking a consultation on its strategy for School Governance. Members of the Schools’ Alliance have worked closely with Officers of the Council in preparing and refining the strategy and we would now … Continued

MSA Broadcast – July 2013

  With the school year rapidly coming to a close and a well-deserved break in the offing there are just a few things we wanted to highlight with you all:-   Manchester Schools Alliance Autumn Term Conference – 25th September … Continued

Presentations to the MSA School Direct Briefing

For those of you unfortunately unable to attend the session on Tuesday, here are the presentations given by our colleagues at the National College, the University of Manchester and the Manchester Metropolitan University.  Any questions please get in touch.   … Continued

School Direct Briefing Session – 11th June

MSA Briefing Session 11th June 2013 – ‘School Direct’ – Hough End Centre – 9.00am to 12.30pm Following interest from a number of Manchester primary headteachers, the Manchester Schools’ Alliance has arranged a morning briefing with our two universities. The … Continued

Manchester Teaching School Confirmed

The DfE have announced the third wave of teaching schools, which includes Manchester’s Chorlton Park Primary School. Chorlton Park will be one of a wave of 150 schools designated with additional responsibilities to lead a group of schools, working with … Continued