East Midlands South Hub – A Learning Organisation Fifteen Years in the Making – Part One

In these two articles Simon Renshaw,  Leicester & Leicestershire Teaching School Hub  describes the development of the East Midlands South Hub which is one of the founding Hubs in Challenge Partners and a Teaching School. 

When Challenge Partners was formed in 2011, one of its earliest ambitions was to develop deliberate and effective learning communities: groups of schools committed to improving outcomes not only for their own pupils, but for one another. The East Midlands South Hub has embodied that ambition from the outset.

Today, with 31 schools spanning primary and secondary phases—and a membership that includes both multi-academy trusts and local authority schools—it represents one of the partnership’s longest-standing collaborative communities.

In many ways, the Hub offers a rare sense of continuity. Our longest-standing school has now been part of Challenge Partners for sixteen years, and our collective work has evolved through national policy change, demographic shifts, and local reform.

“What has struck me over the years is not simply that the Hub has endured, but that its moral purpose has remained constant. The faces around the table may have evolved, policy frameworks have shifted, but the commitment to mutual improvement has never wavered. That continuity has created a depth of trust that simply cannot be manufactured quickly.”

Sarah Ridley, CEO, The Mead Educational Trust

This article traces the development of the East Midlands South Hub from its earliest roots to the collaborative learning organisation it is today. It is organised around five themes that have shaped its growth.

Origins

The East Midlands South Hub formally began in 2011–12 with six founding secondary schools. These early partners were motivated by a principle rooted in the London Challenge: that improvement should be mutual. Their decision to join Challenge Partners reflected a shared belief that the educational challenges facing the region required collective responsibility rather than isolated action.

Within a year, eight primary schools joined, transforming the Hub into a genuinely cross-phase learning community. By 2013–14, membership had grown to sixteen schools. This early expansion established a pattern that continues today: schools join because they believe in contribution, not consumption.

From the outset, the values of Challenge Partners provided a strong foundation. However, it was the shared understanding that membership required active participation that truly defined the Hub’s culture. While formal terms of reference offered structure, it was relationships, expectations, and moral purpose that brought the Hub to life.

Our test of effectiveness remains unchanged: are we helping schools and their leaders become demonstrably more effective next year than they are today?

The organisational architecture of the early Teaching School movement continues to shape our work. We have consciously sustained the leadership capacity required to support long-term, collaborative improvement.

Vision and Shared Purpose

The clarity of purpose established in those early years has endured. Schools continue to join because they see themselves as part of a wider moral endeavour—one grounded in both generosity and professional respect.

Our work operates on two levels. One is the transfer of knowledge and practice. The other is leadership development: ensuring that participation strengthens leaders’ confidence, capability, and sense of self-efficacy. Sustaining this dual focus has been central to our identity.

“The leadership opportunities created by the Hub provided a space in which it felt safe to question and to learn. The wide range of speakers and topics enabled me to understand not only different aspects of educational leadership, but also a range of perspectives. Alongside the inclusive culture, the discussions were invaluable. I feel like a more knowledgeable and reflective school leader as a consequence of being involved.”

Clare Harley, Vice Principal, Countesthorpe Academy

Over the years, we have welcomed leading voices from across the sector—including Rachel Johnson (PixL), Luke Sparkes (Dixons), Marc Rowland (Unity), and Steve Rollett (CST)—bringing not only expertise, but reflections on their own leadership journeys.

Trust and Relationships

Over fifteen years, we have invested deeply in understanding each school’s context and priorities. This has enabled both formal and informal networks to grow organically across the Hub.

Our meetings are intentionally designed as safe spaces for both challenge and support—places where leaders can bring real problems, share vulnerabilities, and receive constructive critique.

“Psychological safety is not something we declare; it is something we practise. It is built over time when leaders feel trusted enough to say, ‘I’m not sure,’ brave enough to share what isn’t working, and supported enough to be challenged with care and professional curiosity.”

Claire Beach, Principal, Heatherbrook Primary Academy

We encourage schools to host Hub events, distributing leadership and grounding discussions in real contexts. The end-of-meeting tour—where colleagues explore the host school—has become a particularly powerful source of shared learning.

“It was hugely rewarding to host a Hub meeting at Lancaster Academy, to share our journey of school improvement with like-minded colleagues. Being invited to present our ‘Area of Excellence’ at a subsequent meeting felt especially meaningful. The partnership is an invaluable source of ongoing professional learning and mutual support.”

Anna Fisher, Principal, Lancaster Academy

Our relationships extend beyond our immediate geography. Recent collaboration with a neighbouring Special School Hub—including a cross-Hub middle leader quality assurance project—has connected schools and trusts that might not otherwise have worked together. These partnerships strengthen both local and national capacity within the Challenge Partners network.

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We are grateful to Simon for his description of the development of the hub which concludes in the second article. Others contributing to this description are 

Claire Beach – Principal – Heatherbrook Primary Academy – Learning Without Limits Academy Trust

Dave Bennett MBE, Executive Headteacher – The Winstanley School – LiFE Multi Academy Trust

Anna Fisher, Principal – Lancaster Academy – Learning Without Limits Academy Trust

Beth Gregory – Assistant Principal – Chipping Campden School

Clare Harley, Vice Principal – Countesthorpe Academy – LiFE Multi Academy Trust

Sarah Ridley – CEO – The Mead Educational Trust

Carolyn Robson CBE

The second article will conclude with comments from Dame Sue John, Executive Director of Challenge Partners which will set the hub’s work within the wider education context of the development of Partnership within English education.

Take care and stay safe

George

George Berwick