Issue - meetings

The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Children and Enterprise on the newly developed Learning and Achievement Strategy.

The Board was advised that the framework for the inspection of Local Authority arrangements for supporting School Improvement was published in May 2013. Inspection reports had identified strengths where local authorities had intervened successfully in schools at risk of being judged ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted. It was reported that Halton had used good and outstanding schools to support under-performing schools, through the use of National Leaders in Education, Local Leaders in Education and Headteachers of good and outstanding schools. As some of the processes in place were based on relationships and local intelligence, it was reported that this process needed to be formalised.

Teaching Schools were introduced by the Government in 2011, with a remit to provide school improvement services within and outside of their local authority area. They had a key role to play in school improvement and it was reported that the local authority would work with Teaching Schools at a strategic level to increase its capacity for school improvement and secure and sustain school capacity across the local area. This would be achieved in the following areas:

·       Developing school leadership and succession planning;

·       School to school support; and

·       Professional development for teachers and leaders.

Reason(s) For Decision

Since the grant funding for school improvement advisers and consultants under the National Strategies was withdrawn at the end of the 2010/11 financial year, the core school improvement team was significantly reduced. Their capacity to offer a wide range of school improvement services to all schools was significantly reduced.

Working in partnership with Teaching Schools would increase Halton’s school improvement capacity and ensure a sustainable model for the future. School to school support underpinned the Learning and Achievement Strategy.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

The alternative was not to offer any school improvement services to schools; schools would have to buy these services on the open market. This would lead to a lack of coordination and loss of intelligence on schools. Local priorities, such as Closing the Attainment Gap would be left to individual schools to tackle isolation This would leave the local authority and its schools in a very vulnerable position, given that school improvement services could now be inspected and the role of the local authority in enabling school to school support would be scrutinised.

Implementation Date

April 2014.

RESOLVED: That the Learning and Achievement Strategy be endorsed and its implementation be approved.

          The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Children Young People and Families, which informed Members of the newly developed Learning and Achievement Strategy, and sought comments prior to implementation.  In addition the report outlined which actions were being taken to ensure the School Improvement Service was prepared in the event of an Ofsted Inspection.

          It was reported that the framework for the inspection of Local Authority arrangements for supporting school improvement was published in May 2013 and since the publication of the framework, several local authority school improvement services had been inspected.

          The inspection reports identified strengths, particularly where local authorities had intervened successfully in schools as risk of being judged inadequate by Ofsted.  The key themes identified in areas for development in most inspection reports had been the lack of a well understood, strategic approach to building a sustainable model for school improvement, and within it a coherent approach for school to school support.

          It was reported that the strategy did not apply to Academies or Free Schools, however should concerns arise about those schools, consideration would be given about notifying the Regulator, Ofsted.

          The report further set out details of School Improvement Capacity, which set out information regarding Teaching Schools.  In Halton the first teaching school (The Heath) had mostly outstanding schools and Wade Deacon would be approved soon.  Members were advised in both Teaching Schools the local authority was a named strategic partner.

          Appended to the report for information was the Learning and Achievement Strategy and Halton School Improvement survey.  Members were further advised of the next steps and the financial implications.  

          The Board discussed the recent rating at Sandymoor Free School which was rated “good” and queried whether lessons could be learned from that school.  In response it was noted that Halton could look at the inspectors report’s to ascertain if there were any good practices in that school.  There were also secondary Headteacher meetings where all Headteachers from the Borough were invited and could discuss ways of good practice.  Members requested that Headteacher’s from Academies and the Free School be invited to the School Development Panel.

          RESOLVED: That the Learning and Achievement Strategy for Halton be noted and presented to the Executive Board for approval.