ALMOST three years since it was set up to help train teachers in York and beyond one city-based teaching school alliance has it’s sights firmly set on the future.

The Pathfinder Teaching School Alliance was set up in April 2014 at Archbishop Holgate’s CE School in York as one of three teaching schools gradually taking on responsibility for teacher training from the council.

In February 2015 Pathfinder began a collaborative venture with City of York Council to become the preferred provider of CPD (continuing professional development) for the city - training teachers of every level at every stage in their careers.

The alliance’s deputy head, Kate Sowter, said: “Our training is open to all schools, but schools in York get a substantial discount.

“We are not a profit business and we’re working to provide the best CPD for the schools. We’re four terms in and we have had 2,500 delegates through the doors so far.

“Where you would have had consultants from the Local Authority training schools , now the schools have to pay us to plan and prepare that training. It’s more costly for the schools, but they still have access to basic expert training.

“We only have three full-time members of staff - head teacher Jake Capper, administrator Linsee Thompson and myself to keep costs down - it’s absolutely crucial to keep it affordable for schools. The prices we do things for are under half what you’d pay in a bigger authority like London, Birmingham or Manchester.”

“Another big element of what we do is looking at mental health. We worked with more than 70 schools on this last year.”

The group is hosting a conference to help teachers recognise issues surrounding mental health in schools on April 24.

Keynote speakers will include Dr Pooky Knightsmith, a mental health ambassador and educator, and Ben Smith, a ultra marathon runner who completed 401 consecutive marathons last year and raised thousands of pounds for anti-bullying charities.

Mr Smith’s challenge saw him run the length and breadth of the country. He twice started from York primary schools where he spoke to pupils about the impact of bullying.

The conference takes place at Archbishop Holgate’s and has been funded entirely by the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust, which was set up in 1998 after a 28-year-old man killed himself while suffering depression. Organisers were keen to make the event cost-free to prevent it from hitting already overstretched school budgets. The next big project they are working with the council on is the head teacher’s conference at Leeds Marriot Hotel on March 16 and 17.