CEO report on the strategic plan: 2015-2017
Background
The strategic plan was written with full consultation with the two strategic groups: All learners and Learners who need more; the Executive Board and key partner agencies. It was presented for comment at all Managerial Associations. At each subsequent Exec Board, the CEO report has focussed on the plan and reported on key milestones. Now, as the time for a new plan is imminent, this report seeks to capture the work of the Liverpool Learning Partnership over the last two years. It is hoped it will then act as a springboard for priorities moving forward. What follows is written in the same format as the priorities and actions of the current strategic plan.
All Learners
Pupil Tracker: This system allows schools the opportunity to interrogate data on individual pupils including their past schooling, contact with social care, attendance and exclusion data, previous home addresses, etc. All schools who are LLP members have access to the Tracker. The quality of the Tracker data in Capita has improved greatly over the last eighteen months and having two Data Cleansers in post has dramatically reduced the conflicts and improved the records held on the system. Each school has been contacted regarding access needs and three training sessions have been run this year to support staff in using Tracker. Four training sessions were also held in 2015-6. Operating Tracker is not straightforward: changes in, for example, SEN stages resulted in many pupils’ information being wrongly coded. The B2B file transfer process has stopped working for some schools at points in time, meaning the team has to contact schools to re-establish connection. The incorporating of health information into Tracker has not been possible to date due to information data governance issues. Schools have recently been asked about their usage of Pupil Tracker. Colleagues in mainstream are indicating that pastoral staff use the system but may need further training. Colleagues in special schools do not, in general terms, use Tracker as their own information via EHC Plans is more detailed. If LLP wishes to continue to invest in Tracker, a new portal will be needed as Capita are decommissioning PRIME in the summer of 2018.
City of Readers: Reading for pleasure has been a city wide priority since theFrom Better to Best Mayoral Commission. LLP has invested significantly in City of Readers to deliver a range of programmes including: Reading Revolutionaries Roadshows (RRR), Readers in Residence (RiR) and supporting LAC children and EYFS settings. The City of Readers website gives details of their work. RiR has been delivered in 47 schools: 30 primary, 12 secondary, and 5 special. RRR has been undertaken in 72 schools: 53 primary, 17 secondary and 2 special schools. 106 schools have now completed the Reading for Pleasure Quality Mark which LLP has been supporting SIL to deliver across all phases. 87% of all LLP schools have actively engaged in one or more of these reading for pleasure initiatives, with 14% doing all of them and 44% doing at least two. The EY Quality Mark was trialled and proved very popular in nursery settings. This, however, has not been so readily taken up once settings have had to pay for the award. The Building a Bridge of Books project was very successful and early years settings found this really beneficial, as did parents from feedback received. Significant work has also been undertaken to support LAC children in Reading for Pleasure. Funded by the Families Programme, LLP has engaged The Reader in working with LAC children in kinship care, identified by the LACES team. Part of the money available from the Families Programme also allows us to set up after school reading clubs in schools for vulnerable children.
In April of 2017, the formal relationship with City of Readers came to an end and thanks are due to Jane Davis and Mary Hind Portley for all their support with the initiative. The Executive Board chose to appoint a Reading Co-ordinator into LLP to build on the initiative and ensure sustainability. Jenny Holder was appointed to this post and began her work in April. To date, Jenny has begun to set up the reading clubs for vulnerable pupils; met with colleagues in SIL to discuss the reaccreditation for the Reading Quality Mark and a diary writing activity; met with several heads and literacy leads in schools to look at support for reading for pleasure. She is working on a city wide Readathon for October and an offer for schools using the Storybarn in the autumn term at discounted rates. All schools are invited to Tweet any Reading for Pleasure activity on #lpoolschoolsread.
Liverpool Counts: A director for Liverpool Counts, our Numeracy strand, was appointed in September 2015. Dr Graham Lawler was in post for a year and worked with schools and businesses to promote numeracy in school, at home and in work. A steering group was set up to oversee this work and has met termly to assess need and prioritise actions. The Liverpool Counts Quality Mark was trialled with 27 schools last year, evaluated and then rolled out. A further 20 schools have now completed the LCQM with 31 currently undertaking cohort 3. The Quality Mark is run for LLP by Dave Carden and Judith Lang, with some support from SIL officers for assessment visits. Schools are now registering for Cohort 4 which will run in the autumn term. We are also trading the LCQM in neighbouring authorities. Maths Champions in schools are using the quality mark as useful CPD and, in one case, a secondary Maths Champion has now become an SLE and is supporting other schools. A Numeracy poster competition has been running and the winning designs shown here are currently being produced for schools and city distribution.
Last year, LLP established a Maths Party day as a city wide event. This was extremely successful across all phases, trending across the city. Actual and virtual party bags were provided and families were engaged in many schools. This year’s party will be held on the 7th July and posters are already out in schools. Jenny Holder is working on more resources for the virtual party bags which will be emailed out to schools. There will also be cross curricular ideas for schools to use. Many businesses are coming on board this year, with commitments from Liverpool One, from cafes and libraries. Arts organisations are also being asked to take part as this was a welcomed offer last year. Last year, we also worked with SIL to run a successful Dragon’s Den event for schools. The teams had to design a Maths Game/App and present it to the Dragons as part of the judging. It was a very successful day and is being repeated this year, with 38 schools registering to take part.
Culture Hub: The Liverpool Cultural Education Partnership (LCEP) has been established and the co-ordinator, Alice Demba, has been in post for over a year now. This is a two year funded post (half funded by Curious Minds, half by LLP) and is proving invaluable in bridging education and the Arts. Consideration needs to be given to the future of this role. Alice is working with a range of partners to deliver the LCEP strategic plan. A regular newsletter has been established, highlighting what is on offer to pupils and schools from a wide range of cultural partners. Half of the schools have identified a Cultural Champion which is useful for the sharing of information. 44 schools are currently involved in Artsmark, with 21 having claimed £500 of funding from LLP to support them in working with a cultural partner. Five secondary schools have been working on Cultural Citizens with Curious Minds. This has engaged children from disadvantaged backgrounds in designing and participating in arts and cultural activities. It has been warmly received by the schools and the young people involved and will culminate in a celebration event at FACT on 13th July. The LCEP is also funding 10 schools currently that are partnering with arts organisations to enhance their creative curriculum and producing lesson plans and activities which can be shared across all schools. This work is being supported by a successful bid to the Arts Council. More schools will be able to take part in this financial year. Consideration is being given as to the best way to capture the arts/cultural experience a young person has throughout their schooling. An informative brochure has recently been produced by Liverpool John Moores University detailing careers in the creative industries.
Employment and skills: It has not been feasible to set up an Employment and Skills group, though there have been some preliminary meetings. The thought of combining this with the group currently chaired by Lesley Chadwick was mooted but has not materialised. The mayor has been asked to connect schools more with business and this has featured in discussions around Liverpool Promise. The Chamber of Commerce has been involved in discussions and is keen to work further with schools on apprenticeship. The accredited teacher programme ran in 2015-6 for Schools Direct trainees but has not been repeated this year. This was principally because the schools involved felt the programme did not add significantly to the participants’ training. We have, however, supported the NQT Training offered by SIL, facilitating a Culture Day and being involved at the Primary Steering Group level.
Learners who need more
Looked after children: As well as the information contained above, there have been specific moves to engage LAC children. LLP has engaged Young Advisors who are consulting with 75 Looked After Children about their needs in accessing art and culture. We are also consulting professionals working with these children to learn from their experience and to share that good practice. A training session for arts organisations will then be offered in conjunction with the LSCB. 5 LAC young people will be given the opportunity to work with Anne Frank House in a filming project linked to the Liverpool Schools’ Parliament.
SEND: LLP has worked with the heads from ALSSH to ensure programmes are suitable for the children in special schools. There has been good engagement of special schools in the Quality Marks for Reading and Maths and some are engaged in the pilot for the Attendance Quality Mark. Concerns about school nursing for those with physical and health needs have been discussed and raised with colleagues in Public Health. The CEO has been part of a group considering SEND sufficiency in the city and seeking to ensure the needs of learners are prioritised. 3 special schools are currently funded to develop arts learning resources for mainstream schools, raising awareness of disability.
Child mental health: LLP working alongside the CCG, Families Programme and CAMHS providers commissioned a report on Whole School approaches to Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing. Undertaken by two researchers - Sonia Cross and Sarah Hopkins - the report showcases good practice in Liverpool Schools as well as highlights what could and should improve. The report has been well received by managerial associations and Liverpool Governors’ Forum as well as further afield. As a result of the report’s findings, an action plan has been drawn up to address the recommendations. Training needs have been identified and the first tranche of Mental Health First Aid training is shortly due to take place. A whole school policy for mental health and emotional wellbeing has been developed by the partnership. A city wide bereavement programme will be rolled out with funding LLP has secured from the Families Programme. The Seedlings Programme has resulted in many more counsellors being available to offer therapeutic support in primary schools. However, given the nature of funding cuts levied against the voluntary sector for CAMHS type services, further consideration needs to be given to providing the much needed and appreciated support to schools. Work has been done and is ongoing with Alder Hey CAMHS and Fresh CAMHS to deliver training for pupils in schools on mental health. This has been trialled in a secondary school and in one primary consortium.
The CAMHS local transformation plan is being updated over this summer. The CEO has been very involved in a range of meetings considering this. Meetings have also taken place with the organisers of the NOW Festival, an arts based showcase event for schools and youth organisations which considers mental health and promotes awareness of it. Next year’s event is focussing on mental health and education.
Attendance: this has been a major focus of the city facing work of LLP in this last year. There is recognition that attendance is everyone’s business and a strategic group has been working on an action plan to address concerns. In March, the Mayor launched the city’s Attendance Strategy from the business sector. The strategy includes a Charter for all Organisations to sign up to, highlighting the need for a cohesive approach to tackling this city wide issue. Clear strides have been made with some key partners to drive forward this agenda. For example, strategic meetings with health colleagues have resulted in open communications with GPs and schools, named contacts for schools in all GP surgeries, an acknowledgement that ‘sick notes’ should not be issued for school aged pupils, etc. A wider, city facing media campaign is now being finalised to reinforce the message of the strategy.
Alongside this partnership working, LLP has worked with colleagues in SIL to pilot a quality mark for attendance. Having been inundated with 67 requests to participate, 24 schools are part of the pilot, which is due to end at the close of this term. Once evaluated, this can be rolled out to other schools. In November 2016, we hosted a celebration event in the Town Hall for pupils who had 100% attendance for the whole school phase. The individuals were presented with medals, a certificate and a Kindle for their achievement. One pupil had attended every day from Reception to the end of year 11. He received an iPad in recognition of this great achievement. This will become an annual event and this year will include awards for the most improved attendance. LLP is grateful to the Families Programme for funding work on the attendance action plan and awards.
Social Care: The Early Help agenda is clearly having an impact in the city with the number of children on Child Protection Plans and Child in Need plans reducing markedly. Nevertheless, the number of children who are LAC continues to rise. Partners are engaged in looking at this and seeing what can be done to address it. Work is also being done to make changes to Careline and the CEO has joined the Careline Governance Group, representing schools. There have been several multi-disciplinary meetings to discuss systems and protocols and the strengths model approach to Child Protection Case Conferences. The Pupil tracker includes relevant Social Care information on all pupils.
Early Years: As well as programmes detailed above, there has been ongoing work with partners to successfully secure the future of Children’s Centres across the city. Our strategic groups have representation from the Children Centre team as well as Early Help and Early Years colleagues. The Early Years Chartered Educator and Chartered Leader programmes have been well received across nursery and PVI settings and Liverpool Hope are discussing ways for participants to gain degree/master’s credits through taking part in the training.The impact on the PVI settings has been measurable and seen clearly in improved Ofsted inspection grades. Work has been ongoing in seeking to develop an Early Learning Strategy for the city.
Strategic Links with the Families Programme: A fruitful and productive relationship exists between LLP and the Families Programme. We have worked together on many strategic boards and partnered together on specific programmes including Restorative thinking in schools, work on behaviour and exclusions and prioritising the early help agenda. Presentations have been made to the Families Programme Board on Mental Health and on the Attendance Strategy. We have successfully secured funding for these programmes and also for a significant investment in Reading for Pleasure. In a small focussed group, we worked with colleagues from the Families Programme on redesigning the Family Support Service. Being a ‘voice for education’ on the Families Programme Board has been useful in two respects: it ensures the needs and views of schools are clearly articulated around the table and it enables schools to receive timely information pertinent to them which has been discussed at Board. Members of the Families Programme team attend LLP strategic groups which is useful in terms of participation and future planning.
Structure and Delivery
CEO Appointment and organisational structure: The current CEO took up post part time in Sept 2015 and full time from January 2016. Archbishop Beck agreed to operate a payroll function for the CEO with the contract issued from the LLP Executive Board. A performance management group was established to oversee the CEO’s performance. The Charitable Status for LLP was granted in September 2016, following much work by Malik Killen at SIL. Accommodation for the partnership was initially based in Holly Lodge Girls’ College until April 2017 when the office base moved to Liverpool College. The new office accommodates the LLP team and has space for some meetings to take place. Admin has been arranged with SIL but does not work in practice. The Exec Board has agreed to employ a part time admin officer, but this has yet to be advertised.