Target Setting
School Improvement Partners will monitor the school's target setting processes and challenge the outcomes where there is evidence that the targets are not presenting sufficient challenge.
Target setting and progress for vulnerable pupils forms a critical part of the monitoring process, particularly children in care and pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities.
Support for the Appointment of Headteachers
The LA will assign a Senior Officer to every appointment of a Headteacher along with a senior officer from the School's section. The appointment of deputies can be supported through the SLA or at additional cost.
Support for Leadership and Management
New Headteachers are able to participate in a two year induction programme into the work of the LA and national initiatives. They are assigned a mentor, in addition to being able to access the NCSL Early Headship Programme. Link Officers form the first point of contact and support for Heads. Additional Support for all levels of leadership is purchased via the SLA for Leadership and Management. Information exchange takes place via the termly Headteacher consortium meetings and a variety of consultation groups involve Headteacher representatives. Close working partnerships with unions enable effective intervention and support, stress monitoring and negotiation about new initiatives. A Deputy/Assistant Headteacher Group meets termly to support the development of colleagues and promote succession planning.
Support for Continued Professional Development (CPD)
Within the Learning Services core function lies the responsibility to facilitate Professional Development at all levels and keep records of activities undertaken by schools and individuals. Schools who wish to purchase the LA's support through the SLA fund the bulk of the provision for CPD. A small amount of training is fully funded by the government strategies and dedicated grants. The LA has to publish a strategy for CPD. The Education Development Centre is part of the purchased provision.
Support for Governors
The statutory support for governors takes the form of induction training for new governors, the supply of information for governors in the form of a ring binder and the regular information supplied to governors via the North Lincolnshire newsletter. Any other support and training for governors is purchased by the school either through the SLA or from external providers.
Support for Early Years Education and the Foundation Stage
The monitoring of provision for children under five is the statutory duty of the LA. Advice for the administration of the Foundation Stage Profile is also a core LA function. The majority of support for Early Years Education is provided by the Community Services Younger Children team led by Sandra Simmons.
Schools of Concern
When a school becomes of concern to the LA as a result of internal monitoring strategies or Ofsted inspection a programme of intervention takes place in line with the DCSF Guidance on Schools Causing Concern. The school and the Chair of Governors are notified of the LA's concerns and asked to produce an action plan to address the concerns. The LA provides support for the formation of the action plan if required. The school then embarks on a programme of urgent intervention. The LA may be part of this through the purchased function. The school is given a Senior Officer to oversee support and progress. The Officer meets with the Head and Governors regularly and performs regular monitoring activities and reports back to the Head of Learning Services & School Improvement and the Chief Education Officer on the school's progress. Regular Summary review meetings with the Head of School Improvement take place. When the LA is satisfied that the concerns have been addressed the school is notified that it is no longer of concern to the LA. (See Schools Causing Concern Policy)
Schools in Ofsted categories
The LA follows the guidance published by DCSF and works to its own and the school's action plan to bring about improvement within a rapid timescale.
Promotion and Sharing of Best Practice
The Learning Services electronic Teacher Zone provides a network for the sharing of a wealth of information and good practice. Networks, clusters and federations present opportunities for sharing expertise. The EDC also hosts a wide range of displays of high quality work and a large screen for more animated displays of school events.
Delivery of Government Strategies
The Government Strategies, funded via Standards Fund Grants, pay for only a portion of salaries for members of the Learning Services team. A proportion of the Strategy support driven by the outcomes of monitoring activities is free of charge to schools, but other support requested by schools comes under the SLA or is costed per day. The LA's duty is to implement the Strategies under the monitoring and guidance of the DCSF. Many initiatives delivered by staff funded from Area Based Grant (former Standards Fund) and other targeted grants are planned centrally, but tailor-made packages are also delivered to schools to meet identified needs and priorities.
National Strategies we deliver include:
- Primary Strategy
- Secondary Strategy
- Workforce reform and CPD
- Healthy Schools
- National Inclusion Strategy
- ICT transformation
DCSF National Challenge Initiative
The government in June 2008 launched the National Challenge. It is a programme of support to secure higher standards in all secondary schools. The principal objective is that by 2011, at least 30 per cent of pupils in every school will achieve five or more GCSEs at A*-C, including both English and mathematics by the end of Year 11. In 2007, there were 638 secondary schools in England below the 'floor target' of 30 per cent.
North Lincolnshire does not have any secondary schools achieving less than 30 per cent 5 A* to C GCSE grades including English and mathematics.
The authority has been successful in securing funding via the National Challenge to support development in two secondary schools in North Lincolnshire: Sir John Nelthorpe and Baysgarth. As explained above, all schools across the country have five days support from a school improvement partner (SIP). In both these schools the SIP is now a specially appointed National Challenge Adviser (NCA) who will have an additional five days per year allocated to work with the school. The aim of the initiative is to support the schools' plans to raise attainment, particularly in English and mathematics, by improving teaching and learning and strengthening leadership and management. £78,000 has been allocated to the authority to deliver the initiative in North Lincolnshire, as well as funding for the additional NCA days.
Sir John Nelthorpe School - type of support being provided
(The school has a restructured leadership team and changes in English and mathematics leadership)
- 10 days support from a National Challenge Adviser
- Consultancy to strengthen management systems for senior and middle leaders
- English consultant's support to raise attainment further
- Mathematics consultant's support to raise attainment further
- Consultancy support to strengthen assessment for learning and line management across all departments
Baysgarth School - type of support being provided
(There have been significant changes in staffing and departmental leadership in recent years in English and mathematics).
- 10 days support from a National Challenge Adviser
- Consultancy to strengthen line management systems for middle leaders
- Specialist English support from consultants and an Advanced Skills Teacher appointed to enhance subject leadership and raise attainment further
- Specialist mathematics consultant's support to raise attainment further. Mentoring to enhance departmental leadership
- Consultancy to support target setting processes and tracking of pupils' progress
- Teaching assistant to support the intervention strategies in English and mathematics.
Initiatives delivered as the result of successful bids and innovation
Where the Learning Services team is successful in gaining funding due to central bidding processes, schools benefit from the initiatives and are charged to cover venue costs etc.
- Graduate Teacher Programme
- China Linking Programme
- 14-19 transformation
- Arts initiatives
- BSF Change management
- Primary Capital programme
Other information