TWO Huddersfield schools have joined forces to form a groundbreaking alliance.

Moor End Academy and Castle Hill School have set up The Pennine Teaching School Alliance and become the first schools in Kirklees to achieve the prestigious National Teaching School status.

It means they can help teachers from other schools.

The alliance has already signed up 32 partner schools throughout West Yorkshire who hope to benefit from the experience of staff at the two Huddersfield schools.

The teaching schools initiative began in 2011, marking a shift towards school-centred training. It gives outstanding schools the autonomy to lead a group of schools to deliver high quality training and support for teachers and leaders.

Moor End principal Jane Acklam said: “We are extremely proud to be designated as a National Teaching School and want to thank all our partners for supporting us in our application.

“ It is a recognition of the outstanding practice at Moor End Academy and provides us with real opportunities to move forward quickly doing our part to improve outcomes for children in Kirklees and wider areas.

“We look forward to working with Castle Hill School and the Pennine Teaching School Alliance, as well as supporting a range of colleagues at all stages of their careers.”

Moor End vice-principal Kim Walton, who has led the application, wrote to every school in West Yorkshire in February 2012 inviting them to join the alliance.

As a result, 32 partners signed up. They include primary, secondary, special schools and a pupil referral unit as well as Huddersfield and Bradford universities.

“A lot of work has been going on for a long time behind the scenes,” she said. “The National College For School Leadership said it was very impressed with the application.”

From September, staff from Moor End and Castle Hill will lead training programmes for teaching staff from the partner schools. Courses may be held at any one of the 32 member sites.

Schools will be charged a fee for attendance and this money will cover the teachers’ fees. The alliance will not make a profit.

Headteachers and schools need to meet stringent criteria to be considered for National Teaching School status. Schools must be graded outstanding in every area by Ofsted, with consistently high levels of pupil performance and a history of working with other schools.

Jane Acklam and Gill Robinson, headteacher at Castle Hill, will attend a two-day induction course at the end of April before the new alliance officially kicks off September.

There are only 350 National Teaching Schools in England.