---
title: "School Leadership Development"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06e275"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06e275"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e275.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e275.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "North East Combined Authority"
published: "2026-08-12"
---

# School Leadership Development

Buyer: North East Combined Authority  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06e275

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## Summary

North East Combined Authority commissioned a school leadership development service for schools across Northumberland, Newcastle, North Tyneside, County Durham, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland. The appointed partner is expected to design and deliver a programme supporting at least 110 school leaders, covering strategic leadership competencies, primary-school leadership, middle leadership, early years leadership and support for special educational needs and disabilities coordinators. The service includes access to current education research, methods for sharing best practice, leadership networking, ongoing one-to-one support and activities addressing teacher wellbeing, professional development and retention. It must be distinct from existing provision such as National Professional Qualifications. Delivery includes an introductory session and further in-person events, an impact study and participation in the authority’s evaluation of its Excellence in Education programme.

The procurement is complete and the contract has been awarded through a below-threshold direct award without competition. NEAT Academy Trust was selected to deliver the single completed lot. The award value is £95,000 gross, in GBP. The contract period runs from 1 September 2026 to 30 July 2027, with a maximum extent date of 30 July 2028. The arrangement includes one 12-month extension option. The service is classified as education and training services and is below the applicable threshold. The award identifies a scheduled signature milestone due on 1 September 2026. The evaluation basis is therefore reflected in the direct-award route rather than a competitive scoring process. The contracting authority is North East Combined Authority.

This award indicates demand for a substantial, region-wide education leadership service combining programme design with practical delivery. A credible future provider would need experience developing school leaders across primary, middle-leadership, early-years and SEND settings, with the capacity to support a large cohort consistently across the North East. Relevant capability includes evidence-led professional development, access to current education research, structured communities of practice, best-practice sharing and sustained one-to-one coaching. Providers should also be able to organise in-person launch and networking activity, measure programme impact and contribute to a wider public-sector evaluation. Strong knowledge of teacher wellbeing, professional development and retention priorities would be important, as would the ability to complement rather than duplicate national qualifications and other established leadership provision.

## Notice

The North East MSA seeks to appoint a partner to design and deliver a leadership programme to support a minimum of 110 school leaders from across Northumberland, Newcastle, North Tyneside, County Durham, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland. This will include a dedicated approach to leadership development and additional support specially designed to meet local priorities and provide networking and best practice sharing opportunities. The work we intend to commission will support the professional development of school leaders across the North East, including the provision of access to the latest education research, and high-quality methodologies to facilitate the sharing of best practice. This service should be distinct from, and not duplicate, existing provision e.g. National Professional Qualifications. This proposed work should therefore include activities that meet Priority 3 within the Excellence in Education Programme, which focus on improving teacher wellbeing, professional development and teacher retention. Delivery partners will be expected to: * Deliver a strategic approach to leadership development across a range of key competencies. * Provide professional development for school leadership staff in primary schools. * Provide professional development for middle leadership staff in primary schools. * Provide professional development for early years leaders. * Provide professional development for SENDCos * Provide opportunities for leaders to engage in communities of research and best practice. * Provide ongoing 1:1 support for each participating leader. * Have capacity to deliver to a minimum of 110 school leaders across the North East over a one-year period. * Provide an in-person introductory session to bring together leaders from participating schools to launch the initiative, and subsequent additional in-person events. * Provide an impact study to evaluate the effectiveness of the programme. * Participate in North East MSA's ongoing evaluation of the Excellence in Education programme as required.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/076687-2026 |
| Notice type | UK5 - Transparency Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - without competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 12 Aug 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 12 Aug 2026 |
| Contract period | 1 Sep 2026 - 30 Jul 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £95,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Pending |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | North East Combined Authority |
| Locality | NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE |
| Postcode area | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Postcode | NE4 5BZ |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLC North East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear |
| ITL 3 | TLC43 Tyneside |
| Local authority | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Electoral ward | Arthur's Hill |
| Westminster constituency | Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | NEAT Academy Trust |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 80 - Education and training services

### Codes

- 80000000 - Education and training services

## Release History

- 12 Aug 2026 at 12:07 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/076687-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/076687-2026
  12th August 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06e275. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e275.json.