Simon Leitch – Leading collaboration through uncertainty: Reflections from Scotland's South West Educational Improvement Collaborative 2023–25

Simon Leitch is an educational leader with over 15 years in senior leadership across diverse settings from rural to urban schools. He recently served as Quality Improvement Manager for the South West Educational Improvement Collaborative (SWEIC), coordinating strategic initiatives across East, North, and South Ayrshire, and Dumfries and Galloway. Simon has contributed to professional learning at local, national, and international levels, leading Scotland's first school to join the New Pedagogies for Deep Learning network and facilitating SWEIC's participation in the OECD Schools+ Network. His curriculum development work includes supporting @South-West Connects, a virtual learning program providing Advanced Higher courses across multiple authorities. He currently serves as Head Teacher of Dalrymple and Littlemill Primaries and Early Childhood Centres in East Ayrshire, Scotland.

How did you come to be involved in the South West Educational Improvement Collaborative (SWEIC)?

The Scottish Government introduced Regional Improvement Collaboratives (RICs) in 2017. The RICs aimed to promote collaborative working across Scotland's 32 local authorities organised in six regions (the Forth Valley and West Lothian Collaborative, Northern Alliance, South East Collaborative, South West Collaborative, Tayside Collaborative and the West Partnership) with support from Education Scotland (i.e. the Scottish Government executive agency responsible for quality improvement and school inspection). There are different compositions. All RICs aren't created equal. So, for example, the South West collaborative involves East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway Councils. There are five council areas in the West Partnership and eight in the Northern Alliance which has a far greater geographic spread. Each RIC was funded by a grant from the Scottish Government based on regional assessment of need.

In April 2023, I took on the role of quality improvement manager for the SWEIC while on secondment from my position as headteacher of two rural primary schools in East Ayrshire. My journey with SWEIC began through involvement in the Families of Schools Network, which successfully paired schools across local authorities based on demographics, deprivation indicators, attainment, and geography to foster communities of practice. These networks, established in 2018, continue to thrive through shared practice and professional learning opportunities.

A pivotal moment in my engagement came through participation in a Froebel in Childhood Practice course funded by SWEIC. This opportunity expanded my professional networks both regionally and nationally. My strong belief in collaborative work, and the tangible benefits I witnessed in my schools, led me to apply for the quality improvement manager position in late 2022. The role allows me to share my experience and learning across the RIC, which encompasses the four council areas. Initially, there was some hesitation from local authorities about the RIC's purpose, but the focus on value-added activities and cross-border collaboration to reduce regional variability has proven beneficial.

What were the near term and longer-term goals of the RIC?

The RICs initially faced scepticism from local authority Directors of Education and COSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities), who viewed them as potential government centralisation rather than collaboration. However, the SWEIC's core vision of improving learner outcomes through borderless peer-to-peer and school-to-school professional learning has remained consistent. While the National Improvement Framework initially drove focus areas including inclusion, equalities, and leadership in learning and teaching (age 3–18), the pandemic necessitated a shift towards recovery and addressing educational setbacks. Throughout these changes, the fundamental goal of fostering inter-school collaboration and mutual learning has persisted.

The pandemic paradoxically enhanced collaboration by accelerating digital connectivity across authorities, making meetings more accessible and reducing logistical barriers. A notable success was the earlier-than-planned launch of the South-West Connects Virtual Learning Campus, addressing an immediate need. While digital forums significantly improved cross-authority networking and communication, particularly through platforms like Teams, eventual screen fatigue led to the development of an effective hybrid model balancing virtual and in-person collaboration.

So, in the southwest, there is geographic dispersion. You don't have large urban localities with many schools within 5 miles of each other.

That's right, in Dumfries and Galloway it can take a couple of hours to drive from one end to other. In the Ayrshires, we can take that for granted. Okay, you've got North Ayrshire and the islands, Arran and Cumbrae, but in the south, Dumfries and Galloway benefited from connectedness at the regional level and still does.

How were the priorities for change decided within the RIC?

The priorities for change were driven by multiple data sources, aligned to the National Improvement Framework (NIF). The strategic direction was led by rotating Directors of Education, supported by Quality Improvement Managers. Key priorities were identified through analysis of insight benchmarking data, Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels (ACEL), and Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) examination results by a dedicated data analyst.

The data highlighted inequities in course access, particularly in secondary education, leading to the creation of South-West Connects, which provides online learning opportunities across the region. National trends, including post-pandemic attendance issues and recommendations from key national reviews (Muir, OECD, Hayward, Withers), also influenced priorities. Emerging challenges such as supporting Ukrainian asylum seekers through ESOL work (English for speakers of other languages) were also incorporated into the Collaborative's focus areas. The overall aim was to address educational inequities across the four local authorities through evidence-based decision-making.

What was the timeframe for the SWEIC to bring about positive change?

While there was no fixed long-term national or regional timeframe for the SWEIC, it operated through annual workstream delivery plans with measurable targets and year-end evaluations. Post-pandemic, the focus shifted to longer-term strategic priorities including curriculum innovation, equity and inclusion, and attendance improvement. We were looking at the pedagogical core. We were working to improve the wellbeing not only of young people and children but also our staff. We were focusing on The Promise Scotland (for care experienced children) and the Unicef Rights Respecting Schools agenda. These complex areas require sustained effort rather than quick fixes. Progress was monitored through specific milestones such as course participation rates, engagement levels, and evidence of wider collaboration. The collective impact was measured through aggregated ‘stretch aims’ across the four authorities, with particular attention to year-on-year progress in closing the attainment gap. The pandemic accelerated certain changes and highlighted systemic issues around curriculum relevance and student engagement that needed addressing over time.

How did changes in government policy and funding affect the SWEIC's ability to maintain collaborative momentum and capacity?

The SWEIC initially benefited from strong cross-authority collaboration, particularly enhanced during the pandemic, with full Directorate support and positive OECD feedback suggesting expansion. However, the Scottish Government announcement in November 2023 of funding cessation by April 2025, with a 50% reduction for 2024–2025, significantly disrupted this momentum. The Government decision was to remove the regional tier and re-centralise with a new body, a proposed National Centre of Teaching Excellence from 2025. Despite the SWEIC team's continued commitment and local authority support, the funding cuts forced staff reductions from ten to four members, with key roles like data analyst and digital officer returning to substantive posts. While the work's credibility remained intact among participating schools, the policy shift created a challenging narrative around its relevance. Local authorities’ fiscal constraints limited their ability to bridge the funding gap, ultimately reducing the SWEIC's capacity for influence and impact across the region.

What are the key elements needed to build and maintain effective cross-authority collaboration?

Effective cross-authority collaboration within the SWEIC was built on several key elements. First, leadership required resilience and innovative thinking to expand collaboration beyond traditional boundaries, including partnerships with Ayrshire College and the University of the West of Scotland. Resource sharing and mutual support among all six RICs, along with Education Scotland's involvement in professional learning proved valuable despite structural changes affecting these relationships. The adoption of the Northern Alliance's collaboration framework provided a structured approach to assess leadership, innovation, network connections, and information sharing. Success ultimately depended on building trust, particularly within the Quality Improvement team, and establishing clear collective purpose from Director level throughout the organisation. This trust-based approach strengthened collaboration across all four councils despite challenges in sharing sensitive information between authorities.

In your view, what are the principal achievements of the SWEIC?

The SWEIC's most significant achievement is South-West Connects, a cross-authority digital learning platform that has reached over 500 students across 37 of our 40 secondary schools, winning a UK digital transformation award. Its impact on equity and access, particularly for students from the most deprived areas (Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation data zones 1–4), represents the Collaborative's key success in addressing educational inequality. The establishment of sustained cross-Ayrshire collaboration frameworks has formally acknowledged the value of working together, leading to innovations such as the new 3–18 pedagogy network for deep learning and involvement in the OECD Schools+ Network, where twelve schools collaborated to create an effective pedagogy taxonomy. The partnership with the University of the West of Scotland has proven valuable. This includes SWEIC input into the reaccreditation of teacher education programs and initiating a ‘laboratory schools’ network through the Pedagogy, Policy and Place research group. This network enables researchers to collaborate directly with schools on context-specific research enquiries identified by the school communities themselves, ensuring investigations address authentic local educational priorities and challenges. While funding will cease, these networks and collaborative practices are expected to continue through institutional commitment and goodwill, supported by the strong collaborative structures and relationships developed during the SWEIC's operation.

Is there anything that you're concerned might be lost in terms of coordinative capacity?

There are concerns for regional educational collaboration. The reduction in personnel significantly dilutes the focused approach that made the SWEIC effective. Of particular concern is the broader message sent by discontinuing RIC funding, which seemingly devalues the importance of collaborative work in education. There are specific worries about whether the planned National Centre for Teaching Excellence might duplicate RIC work while losing the crucial local expertise and ground-level connections that made the RICs particularly effective. A key strength of the SWEIC team has been their proximity to practice and deep understanding of local school contexts, drawn from their direct experience in schools. This practical expertise and local relevance could be lost in the transition. The timing is particularly problematic, with a void expected between the RICs end in early 2025 and the National Centre's establishment later in 2025. However, efforts are being made to preserve the collaborative legacy through a national conference in March 2025, where the RICs will showcase successful practices and share learning about sustainable collaboration. This collective effort demonstrates a strong consensus about the value and success of large-scale educational collaboration, despite the funding decision.

How has your experience with the SWEIC influenced your understanding of educational leadership and system change?

My work with the SWEIC has enhanced my understanding of systems leadership, particularly through engaging with Fullan and Quinn's ‘right drivers’ focusing on collaborative cultures, deep learning, and accountability. While I've learned that the principles of creating change remain similar whether at school or regional level, system-wide transformation demands greater resilience and patience. The experience has taught me how to adapt when facing external constraints, using available resources, funding and innovation to influence positive change. My progression from influencing two schools to multiple schools across four authorities has required elevated expectations and also a pragmatic realism about what is achievable.

What insights have you gained about the broader Scottish education system through your SWEIC experience?

Through my SWEIC experience, I've discovered the intricate interconnectedness of the education system and recognised significant commonalities across different contexts. Despite some differences of opinion, I've found considerable consensus in Scottish Education about what is needed, though we haven't quite figured out the implementation methods. While the RICs may not have transformed the system completely, I believe we were instrumental in nudging it forward. Meaningful educational change requires sustained effort within political and economic constraints. I've been impressed with what I've heard at higher levels from government, from Directors of Education, from COSLA. Sometimes those messages don't always effectively reach classroom level. You need to see the bigger picture, the real passion and vision that leadership within the system has for our children and young people. They know what is right and what they want to do to achieve that. We find ourselves within a political and economic landscape that puts so many constraints on those who lead us. So, I return to school with that in mind, knowing that I have their support in what I'm trying to do.