Primary Heads Meeting
Summer Term 2013
Open Schools East
Annual Agenda Framework
• Provide a common agenda
• maintain a balance of LA input, sharing best
practice and discussion
• Allow for Heads to input into future agendas
Priorities 2013-14
Performance
• Increase % of good and outstanding schools
• Maintain a high focus on monitoring of levels
of attainment for all schools and settings in all
key stages in Suffolk
• Continuing with the DFE Academisation
programme for schools below floor thresholds
and in Ofsted categories where appropriate
Partnership
• Identify and share best practice
• Encourage and facilitate school to school CPD models
• Use research and development approaches that
draw on best practice locally, nationally,
internationally and share through Suffolk Learning
• Continue to work with other LAs to share and
develop best practice across a range of school
improvement activities
Equality and Achievement
• Increase registration for, and uptake of, free
school meals and pupil premium
• Ensure Pupil Premium is used effectively to
maximise achievement and to demonstrably
impact on attainment
• Support and challenge schools in line with
Narrowing the Gap strategy
System Leadership
• To further develop the comprehensive programme of
CPD for the schools’ workforce
• Building capacity to support system leadership in
schools through the challenge partner programme
• Develop Suffolk School Improvement Groups (SSIGS)
to pilot approaches based on national research, visits
to other LAs and feedback from Suffolk
• Continue to develop the Federation and Partnership
working
Primary Academy Update
5 converters
1 sponsored
2 applications for sponsored academies
approved by DFE
Ofsted Outcomes
Primary Inspections from January to end of May
• 24 schools inspected
• 1 Outstanding – Hopton CEVC Primary
• 15 Good
• 8 Requires Improvement
• No schools have gone into a category during
this period
(We have 6 schools in an ofsted category)
Since January
• 12 out of 24 schools inspected have improved
the overall effectiveness grading
• 11 have stayed the same
• 1 has moved down a grade
Current Ofsted – all primary schools
•
•
•
•
15.7% Outstanding
57.5% Good
24% RI / satisfactory
2.8% Category
Suffolk: 73.2% Good or better
National average (data view) 74%
Most Common Key Issues
• Marking – mentioned in 15 out of 24 reports
• Nursery or Reception issues - 7 reports
• Sharing good practice within school and with
other schools – 6
• Subject leaders monitoring – 5
• Matching work to ability levels and more able
challenge – 5
• Governor challenge - 3
Role of HMI in RI Schools
• Initial monitoring 4-6 weeks after inspection
• HMI will recommend whether or not further
monitoring visits and/or other activity should occur
to encourage the school’s improvement
• RI schools invited to a regional Getting to Good
seminar with HMIs leading
• LA invited to attend
• HMI seeking to join up with LA support for RI schools
School Bands for Support 2013
Why do we band schools in this way?
• Local Authority have a statutory duty to
monitor the performance of all schools
including academies.
• LA required to have a SI strategy. The banding
system is part of the SI strategy.
• Banding allows LIS to target support
appropriately.
Why Change?
• simplify the system
• align more closely with government policy –
increase % pupils attending good school
• Closer alignment with Ofsted
Proposed Bands for Support
1. Outstanding at last Ofsted
2. Good at last Ofsted and standards maintained or
improved
3. Good at last Ofsted but declining standards and
vulnerable to RI
4. Satisfactory or require improvement at last Ofsted
5. Below floor standard
6. Ofsted category
Your views
• Does this banding feel equitable and fair?
• Is it easily understood?
• Can you foresee any possible tensions? What
are they?
• How should improving /declining trends be
defined, bearing in mind we haven’t got
published progress data for reading and
writing?
Families of Suffolk Schools
'Working together for Suffolk Children'
Since its inception this ‘solution group’ has:
• Consulted widely & researched new ways
for groups of schools to work together
• Promoted School Improvement Case
Studies
• Reported on LIS study visit to Merseyside
• Established first phase of ‘Suffolk School
Improvement Groups’.
Suffolk School Improvement Groups
• Typically 3-6 schools work together on
progress and attainment issues
• Emphasis on improvement in English and
Mathematics
• Funding is available for up to 40 groups
this school year
• Groups may be organised around existing
cluster arrangements or they may be more
widely based
Suffolk School Improvement Groups
• They can involve partner schools e.g. from
outside the LA, academies, free schools
• Each group is led by a coordinator
headteacher (with funding)
• More details on our website including full
guidance document
• Contact [email protected]
Web site:
http://www.suffolklearning.co.uk/content.asp?did=6729
http://www.suffolklearning.co.uk/content.asp?did=6783
LA Study Visit to North West
Liverpool and Knowsley
• A team from the Learning and
Improvement Service made a two day
research visit to Liverpool and Knowsley in
February
• A follow up report with recommendations
was made to the LA
Why Liverpool and Knowsley?
Background Information
Schools
Learners
KS2 Level
4 (2012)
Number of
Schools(all)
School
Population
English &
Maths
Suffolk
344
99, 126
Liverpool
173
Knowsley
63
Local
Authority
* Official Ofsted figures to July 2012.
Ofsted
Outcomes
Area
Free
School
Meals
% Primary
schools Good
or Outstanding
Square
miles
74%
13.6%
61%*
1489
67, 266
79%
32.4%
77%*
43
21, 283
82%
33.0%
89%
33
Liverpool & Knowsley- Improvement Over 5 years
85
80
75
Suffolk
70
Liverpool
Knowsley
65
National
60
55
50
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Research Findings - Liverpool
• Local Authority has the capacity to
monitor and be involved with all schools
• High level of top slicing to fund School
Improvement Service. Transparent
business case made to schools
• Strong School Improvement Partner (SIP)
role maintained for all schools (5 days)
• SIP role key in their improvement
Research Findings - Liverpool
• Strong action to support and challenge
underachievement
• No schools in a ‘category’ (last 2 years)
• Strong level of support / challenge for
Ofsted grade 3 schools
• Aim to push on and support good schools
to become outstanding
Research Findings - Liverpool
• Very strong Relationships LA
Schools
• Strong ethos of collective responsibility for
‘Liverpool Children’
• Ambition, confidence and pride in
progress made
• Networking with other nearby LAs,
teaching schools, ITT - pooling of ideas and
good practice
Research Findings - Knowsley
• ‘School Improving School System’
Improvement led by a system of
collaboratives and clusters with
Headteachers leading challenge
• Clusters focus on teaching, learning,
outcomes and priorities are identified
from data at each milestone – EYFS, KS1,
KS2, Ofsted, attendance
Research Findings - Knowsley
• Clusters organise CPD & focused visits to
meet professional development needs.
• Strong exchange of effective practice
• Strong networking with other nearby LAs,
teaching schools, ITT
• Improvement due to ‘many small marginal
gains’
• May lack capacity to support vulnerable
schools
Key Recommendations arising
1. Introduce ‘CHALLENGE PARTNERS’ for
schools, involving LIS team and LLEs with
strong track record of school improvement.
Three main themes: data analysis, quality of
teaching and learning and leadership.
2. SUFFOLK SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT GROUPS
Building on existing good practice, establish
groups of schools working together to raise
standards and progress.
Key Recommendations arising
3. ‘ONE SUFFOLK’ Build
an ethos of working
together in the interests of ‘Suffolk Children’
Break down any ‘them and us’ perceptions
between the LA and Schools
Promote ‘good news stories’ about
collaboration
4. MARGINAL GAINS Investigate ‘marginal
gains’ referred to by Knowsley headteachers.
Study Visits - Future Study Visit?
Case Study – Effective Feedback
The Importance of Feedback
• Strong research evidence that effective
feedback makes a real difference to
progress
• Children and adults can be strongly
influenced by the feedback they receive
• Scores highly in Educational Research of
classroom effectiveness
.
Case Study – Effective Feedback
•
•
•
•
.
The Importance of Feedback
A key aspect of ‘Assessment for Learning’
Ofsted – strong focus on feedback in
school inspection
It should be meaningful and useful to the
child, relating to the success criteria and
next steps for learning
Children should give their feedback and
responses
School Organisation Review
Update
June 2013
Programme Timetable
2013 - Sudbury and Great Cornard
2014 – Thurston
2015 - Stowmarket and Stowupland
2016 - Bury St Edmunds
Present position
Sudbury
Middle schools closure process in place
Phased transition of Yrs 7,8,9 into secondary
schools this term
Yrs 5/6 in primaries Sep 2013
Building projects complete
Independent school taking over Stoke by
Nayland MS
Thurston
Yr 5s stay on in primaries in Sep 2013
Middle schools close 2014
Free school on Ixworth MS site agreed
TCC 6th form at Beyton MS
Pupil transition arrangements agreed
Tailored CPD support for staff in middle schools
to encourage redeployment
Stowmarket/Stowupland
Year 5s stay on in primary schools Sep 2014
Middle schools close 2015
Building projects planned
New 315 place VA primary at Combs Ford
Bury St Edmunds
• New team formed to support the reorganisation
process in Bury
• Working closely with Bury Partnership and Catholic
pyramid
• Planning for public consultation in autumn this year
(October-December) with Cabinet decision in April
2014
• Finalising options for individual schools now and we
will be seeking expressions of interest to establish a
new 11-16 x 600 place Academy later this term
Contacts
Joy Stodart: Project Lead ([email protected]; 01284
758829/07575190911)
Lisa Grove: Project Coordinator ([email protected]; 01284
758917/07702958722)
Sonia Docherty: HR Manager ([email protected]; 01473
260819/07887832975)
Debbie de Cova: Resource Manager ([email protected]; 01284
758834/07872676941)
Paul Calver: School Organisation Review Adviser (Secondary)
([email protected]; 01473 263985/ 07557 536 957)
Alex Bedford: School Organisation Review Adviser (Primary)
([email protected]; 01473 263961/ 07545 422 445)