We have helped to establish and resource four regional hubs to encourage collaboration between Catholic dioceses, schools, academy trusts and higher education institutions.
Our new hub model rewires the Church’s traditional approach to education, encouraging cross-diocesan cooperation and pooling of resources to achieve common goals.
Our four regional hubs have worked to deliver Formatio’s national strategy locally, developing and widening access to bespoke training and formation programmes for Catholic school teachers, leaders and governors.
Each hub covers a geographical area spanning 5 to 7 Catholic dioceses. Each hub is chaired by a diocesan director and its work is supported by a Formatio Hub Development Officer. Details of the hubs can be found below.
North West Hub
Hub Development Officer: Alison Burrowes (pictured)
Chair: Damian Cunningham, Diocese of Shrewsbury
With a long history of collaboration as the North West Catholic Dioceses Training Partnership, the north west region has a developed portfolio of programmes to support teachers, leaders and governors of Catholic schools, and the hub development officer has supported the review and revitalisation of this offer. Over the past two years, the hub has supported the trial of innovative projects – including the rollout of a school leadership depth study by Liverpool Hope University and the implementation of a talent management matrix for use in schools – and the hub development officer is currently leading on a project to establish a National Catholic Syllabus for the development of teachers and leaders.
North East Hub
Hub Development Officer: Anita Bodurka (pictured)
Chair: Angela Cox, Director of Education, Diocese of Leeds
Summary: The north east region has a collaborative history, with a number of dioceses offering leadership development programmes to those teaching and leading over diocesan boundaries. This has continued over the past two years, and the hub development officer has supported efforts to make leadership programmes available and accessible to all in the NE hub. Backed by a grant from the Department for Education’s Equality and Diversity Fund, a bespoke Aspiring Secondary Headteacher Programme has been developed and rolled out, with excellent feedback. The north east has also pioneered the first national networking event for Catholic Senior Executive Leaders (CSELs) and continues to implement innovative projects after successful trials in the north west.
South East Hub
Hub Development Officer: Angela O’Hara (pictured)
Chair: Robert Simpson, Director of Education, Diocese of Brentwood
Summary: The south east region meets at least twice a term to monitor and develop a wide range of leadership opportunities in the six dioceses. Through close collaboration of all hub members, St Mary’s and the Teaching Schools, good practice is shared, and support and training opportunities at all levels is offered across the region. The hub development officer ensures that national training initiatives and projects beyond the region are also made known. The hub recognises the need to address training requirements in rapidly changing times and is looking to increase the availability of further online and blended learning using a variety of platforms.
South West Hub
Hub Development Officer: Lynn Bourne
Chair: Colleen Collett, Director of Education, Diocese of Clifton
Summary: The south west region recruited their hub development officer in October 2020. Lyn Bourne has quickly become involved with discussions surrounding a National Catholic Syllabus for the development of teachers and leaders, seeing such projects as an opportunity to establish a consistent approach to leadership development across the south west hub and across the country. In recent months, the Archdiocese of Birmingham has hosted a popular networking and training day for Catholic Senior Executive Leaders (CSELs); such input from the south west hub will be integral in the development of a national offer for new and aspiring leaders of multi academy trust companies.
Key training and formation opportunities taking place in each hub are shown on our Events page
