Granada Learning Acquires Kirkland Rowell to Enhance its Evaluation Services for Schools13 April 2010 Granada Learning Group announces today that it has acquired the trade and assets of Kirkland Rowell, the market leader in providing tailored parent, pupil and staff surveys for schools. The acquisition will complement Granada Learning’s school self-evaluation, leadership training and assessment offerings. Adrian Eaglestone, managing director at Granada Learning Group, said: "The acquisition of Kirkland Rowell will ensure we can complete the picture in terms of offering schools a total self-evaluation service. Under the school inspection regime, schools must set development goals each year and measure how they are performing against them in accordance with departmental guidelines; this is what our schoolcentre.net product helps with. They also need to consider the views of parents and pupils in this equation to pinpoint areas of concern and highlight where these stakeholders want improvements to be made. This aspect is Kirkland Rowell’s area of expertise. There is a natural synergy in being able to offer our customers services which address both aspects of this self evaluation process". “Beyond this, teacher surveys can highlight any training needs within a school which Granada Learning Professional Development can fulfil, and pupil surveys, combined with the results of GL Assessment products, will provide teachers invaluable insight into the abilities and attitudes of the pupils.” Kirkland Rowell surveys have been adopted by more than 2000 schools in the UK, making it the largest independent supplier of stakeholder surveys. The company has amassed data on over 2 million stakeholders over the last 10 years and so findings from each school can be weighted against the measured perceptions and attitudes of similar schools, in terms of intake and other relevant factors. This allows schools to get an accurate measure of how well they are fulfilling their stakeholders’ needs when assessed against other comparable schools. The company will continue to work in partnership with influential bodies such as the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL). Ian Rowe, Kirkland Rowell’s general manager, who will remain in post to drive the business forward, said: “The requirement for self-evaluation of parental and pupil attitudes is now the corner-stone of the inspection process. By combining our expertise with Granada Learning’s, we will have a unique proposition for schools. We can also take advantage of a larger team behind us to enable more schools to benefit from our products.” Kirkland Rowell and its 25 members of staff will continue to operate out of the company’s Tyneside office. ENDS Issue date: 13 April 2010 Notes to the editor: For further information, please contact: About Granada Learning Group The Group consists of four divisions – GL Assessment, Granada Learning Professional Development, Kirkland Rowell and The Skills Factory.
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