The year-long course covers decision making, leadership styles, performance management, change management and dealing with conflict.

Participants also have to submit a school improvement project that would bring about measureable changes at the Academy.

Staff had to apply to take part in the first Talent Development Programme and it proved to be popular, with more applicants than places.

The group (pictured) selected to take part was made up predominately of non-teaching staff, with Principal Martin Campbell keen to offer development opportunities for all staff at the Academy.

The course finished this month when each project had to be presented to Mr Campbell, Vice Principal Justine Mitchell-Bunce and el:consulting, the company which led the course.

Cover Manager Mel Grove's project helped KSA to make substantial savings in the provision of cover after she explored the different options available.

She said: "We looked at the alternatives to using agency staff to cover lessons which led to a team of cover supervisors being set up.

"The course was very interesting because it looked at the different ways of managing people in the correct manner. It was done through discussions so you bounced ideas off each other."

Mr Campbell said: "Sometimes support staff can feel like the poor relation in a school when in fact they are integral to the running of a school. It's about creating a cohesive workforce that has a shared vision of where we want to go.

"The tangible benefit was that staff feel valued and that they came up with real improvement plans for the Academy."

Other projects undertaken by staff included improving assessment of art students, developing strategies for teachers to further help students with autism and the introduction of a more efficient HR process.