Scaling the Heights began as a co-operative venture between four GPs living and working in the Burton on Trent area, in the West Midlands of the UK, in 1992. Their purpose in coming together was to explore the territory of Medical Education in which they all worked, to learn more about educational theory and practice, and improve the quality of the educational experience they were providing for their learners.

One of the fundamental factors which bound the original four together was a shared set of values and beliefs. They all wanted to place the learner at the centre of the educational process, and saw learning as being about personal development, and creating meaning in people's lives.

Another shared belief was that the best way to learn something was to get involved, and active. To this end, they decided to run a course for other doctors which would be about medical education, and personal development. They chose a gorgeous location, not far from where they all lived and worked. This course was Scaling the Heights.

The West Midlands Postgraduate Deanery GP Unit saw quality and potential in what they were doing, and so provided funding for participants to come on the course. Those that came on the course found that it changed them, and strengthened them in their educational work. They also found that their clinical work, relationships with colleagues, friends and family were also helped by coming on the course.

The course ran once a year, and still does.

In 1998 one of the original quartet approached two GP Tutors with a view to organising a course for other GP Tutors. The West Midlands GP Tutors group had identified that there was a need for a course to provide some essential grounding in educational theory and practice for newly appointed educationists. Together, these three created a 4-day residential course, spread over 2 modules. The course drew from the experience and materials gathered and developed for the Scaling the Heights course, and added some new material of its own. Once again, the West Midlands GP Unit were supportive, and provided funding for participants to attend the course. This course was Springboard. It is still running, although the remit has now expanded to include all NHS educationists.

In the Spring of 2004, there was a meeting of educationists, in Burton on Trent in Staffordshire. Those present included three of the original Scaling the Heights quartet, the organisers of the Springboard course, and other educationist colleagues invited by each of them. In total, there were 13 present, and several more who wanted to be there, but had other commitments.

All of those involved shared a desire to offer and receive support, to continue learning about themselves and about education, and to work creatively with other like-minded educationists.

A productive day and a half of discussion resulted in the establishment of a new, broader Scaling the Heights organisation. This website is one of the outcomes of that coming together.

Since that time the Scaling New Heights family continues to grow, stretching as far South as Devon, and as far North as Inverness, and including a core in the West Midlands, and South Yorkshire.