Current trends towards greater collaboration between schools to support training and staff development at a local level together with the linking of the needs of trainees, the wider workforce and experienced staff to this agenda has created a need for "neighbourhood" support. This support can be effectively developed by Training Schools, acting as a broker for schools, local education authorities and initial teacher training providers. The development of Teacher Training Academies, based on the foundations of high-quality standards and networks, is being piloted in the Eastern Region.