APPENDIX A

DRAFT

Local Authority Policy

For

Monitoring and Intervention

For Schools

Introduction by Janet Walton

The Borough of Poole is committed to ensuring that our children and young people have access to the best possible education and therefore to supporting our schools as they strive to achieve that aim. We fully accept the challenge of ensuring that all schools in Poole are good or better because all children deserve the chance to succeed especially the most vulnerable.

This local authority wholeheartedly embraces the role that the Secretary of State and OfSTED have defined for us in leading a collective approach to school improvement. This is for all schools within the local authority however diverse the governance might be. Despite this collective drive, it is clear that schools are responsible for their own improvement and the strength of school to school support in driving that improvement has been evident both locally and nationally.

The local authority is no longer here to instruct schools in how to improve but we do have an important role in monitoring the performance of schools and intervening when necessary to prevent failure. This policy is intended to clarify that role and set out in detail the processes that will be employed to put it into practice.

The policy sets out a new approach to monitoring school performance that will rigorous for schools and for the local authority. This is a challenge but we will ensure that there is sufficient capacity to implement this important policy.

The policy rests on partnership with the community of schools in Poole. It requires the active participation of schools because it is based on the effective exchange of information and views within and between schools and the local authority. For that reason I am extremely grateful to the Headteachers and borough officers who attended the working group to develop this policy and to those Headteachers who are able to respond to the consultation on this draft of the policy.

Cllr Janet Walton

Portfolio Holder with responsibility for Families and Young People – the Future of Poole

  1. National Context - The role of the local authority in school improvement

1.1The local authority’s role in school improvement has changed in recent years. The local authority is no longer directly responsible for the implementation of strategies to raise the quality of teaching and learning nor do we now employ staff to implement such programmes. Instead responsibility for school improvement resides in the schools. Furthermore the funding to improve the quality of education is now in schools and not in the local authority. This does not mean that schools should only be interested in improving their own performance, instead the government expects schools to work together to bring about improvements in the whole system of education. If schools wish to be deemed outstanding they must demonstrate support for other schools to improve the system as a whole.

1.2The government with OfSTED has defined the role of the local authority in school improvement through reference to the Education and Inspection Acts of 1995, 2005 and 2006. Drawing on this legislation OfSTED recently published the framework for the Inspection of Local Authority Arrangements for School Improvement in which is stressed the local authority’s duty to ‘promote high standards and the fulfilment of potential’ in all schools.

1.3At the heart of the local authority’s role is to be a champion for children and young people especially the most vulnerable. This can only be done if the local authority has reliable knowledge of the effectiveness of schools and the quality of provision for all children and young people. Following this strand OfSTED has identified a core area for inspection of local authorities as..’ the clarity and transparency of policy and strategy for supporting schools’ and other providers’ improvement and how clearly the local authority has defined its monitoring, challenge, support and intervention roles’*.

1.4Pressure on schools is also growing. Since September 2012 the revised OfSTED framework has placed clear expectations on schools to provide a good standard of education for all pupils and by implication to demonstrate that for inspectors. OfSTED has also introduced the ‘requires improvement’ judgement to replace ‘satisfactory’ and the attendant expectation that the school must become good within three years. Where sponsors fail to achieve improvement in academies deemed failing or in need of improvement their funding agreement ends and another sponsor is sought. The onus is on the schools, the local authorities and the academy governors or sponsors to take early action when a school is showing signs of difficulty in meeting these standards.

1.5Solace, the association for local authority chief executives has challenged the view that local authorities can be responsible in any way for improvement in academies. In reply OfSTED reiterated the requirements of legislation that local authorities must promote high standards in all schools+. This policy is therefore intended for partnership with all schools regardless of their governance arrangements.

1.6The stakes are high for local authorities, schools and sponsors.

*The Framework for the Inspection of Local Authority Arrangements for School Improvement. – OfSTED 2013.

+A Good Education For All: Inspection of Local Authority Services - OfSTED 2013

  1. Local context

2.1Poole has resident population of approximately 142,100 of whom approximately 28,400 are children and young people aged 0 to 18 years representing 20% of the total population in the area. The population profile is changing with a significant increase in birth rates in recent years and with increased migration a growing proportion of children and young people from ethnic minority backgrounds. In January 2011, 8.23% of the school population was classified as belonging to an ethnic minority other than White British, 0.3% of pupils are of Black African background and 5% of pupils speak English as an additional language. Polish and Malayalam are the most recorded commonly spoken community languages in the area.

2.2This is a relatively small local authority with 40 schools within its boundaries. It is the third worst funded authority in the country with only Leicestershire and South Gloucestershire receiving less funding per pupil. Despite its size Poole has a variety of structures with differing ages of transfer as well as selection at secondary level. At primary level the three tier structure remains in Broadstone while the legacy of the three tier structure in the rest of the borough is a mixture of infant, junior and 4-11 primary schools. Governance is also varied with converter, sponsored, foundation and voluntary aided at secondary level. At primary there are no academies to date but some schools are planning to join multi academy trusts while others have formed a co-operative trust. The local authority welcomes the formation of the Poole Schools Association as a way of sustaining the community of schools in Poole and as a collective voice for schools.

2.3Schools in Poole are doing well. 85% of primary schools have achieved good or better for their overall effectiveness at OfSTED inspection. This is a marked improvement from 69% in 2012. However, many schools have not been inspected for some time and others have only had desk top reviews of their data by OfSTED rather than full inspections. During the last year there have been radical changes to the OfSTED inspection framework and no school can now be judged outstanding if the teaching grade is not outstanding. In only 15% of schools nationally has teaching been judged outstanding under the new framework. Schools will need to work hard to retain inspection grades achieved only a few years ago.

2.4Performance in national assessments is also strong in Poole schools with 59% of students gaining 5 A*-C grade GCSEs including English and mathematics against the south west average of 58% and the national average of 59%. At Key Stage 2 schools in Poole are close to the national average of 80% of pupils gaining level 4 in both English and mathematics with 78%. Although below average this score represents rapid improvement during the last three years rising from 71% in 2010. Poole is the highest performing authority in the South West for the attainment of children eligible for free school meals at GCSE.

2.5Only one secondary school and one primary are achieving test and exam results below national floor targets. However, those targets are set to rise and only two primary schools scored above the floor target at Key Stage 2 in all three areas of measured performance.

2.6The immediate tasks for school improvement are to:

  • ensure all schools are at least good including sustaining high performance
  • raise attainment above national averages and floor targets.
  • ensure that all children are well served by the education system in Poole.

  1. Purpose of the Policy

3.1This policy has been drafted with the support of a representative group of Headteachers in order to ensure that it can be used in partnership with schools. It is based on the assumption that schools and the local authority will work together to raise standards for all children.

3.2The Policy is intended to be a clear statement of the local authority’s policy for:

  • monitoring school performance and prospects of improvement
  • collecting and sharing of data and information
  • challenging schools to succeed for all children and young people
  • brokering or providing support to schools either collectively or individually
  • intervening where management is at risk of failing to raise standards.
  • reporting to Headteachers, governors, and elected councillors on the strengths and weaknesses of educational provision in the borough area
  • assuring thequality of the monitoring and intervention process.

3.3The advantage of a small authority such as Poole is that all schools can reach agreement relatively easily as to policy and practice for school improvement. They can also co-operate in developing practice. The development of the School Improvement Support Group (SISG) has enabled a range of collaborative projects to develop under the direction of schools with the support of the local authority. Mutual support and collaboration with the local authority of that kind will ensure the success of this policy. Each of the process set out above requires the active participation and support of schools in order to ensure that they are effective.

3.4Where membership of a small authority can be challenging is that all of the expertise required for school improvement may not reside in schools in the borough. Therefore on occasions support must be sought from elsewhere.

  1. Principles Underpinning the policy

The policy is intended to lead to a collaborative approach between schools and with the local authority. The following principles should guide that approach:

  • all discussions of school performance should include the school concerned
  • the data set should be regularly updated to form a live profile
  • data is the basis for discussion and not the sole source of judgements
  • both data and judgements should be confidential unless otherwise agreed
  • those privy to data and information should act with discretion and respect the confidentiality of the discussions
  • the monitoring process will be managed in an open and transparent way
  • information beyond data should be gathered in the school

As well as principles there are expectations that all parties will cooperate in managing a process that is designed for the benefit of the children and should be of value to all schools.

  1. Academies

The local authority is required to promote high standards in all schools including academies. However, there is no right of entry for local authority officers to academies. To sustain the spirit of the principles all academies will be invited to share data with the local authority and offered at least one visit to discuss the local authority profile for the school.

  1. Powers of the Local Authority to Intervene in Schools

6.1These differ in relation to academies and free schools but are very clear for all other schools. The local authority role is to promote the highest possible standards of attainment for all pupils and students. The OfSTED interpretation of that role for local authorities is set out in the National Context above. However, there are stronger powers in relation to schools causing concern set out in statutory guidance from the DfE*.

6.2The guidance sets out very clear processes for local authorities to intervene where t there are serious causes for concern in relation to any of:

  • standards of attainment,
  • serious breakdown in management of the school likely to prejudice standards,
  • risk to the safety of pupils in the school.

6.3The definition of what constitutes low standards relate to:

  • what the students might, in all circumstances reasonably be expected to attain
  • where relevant, standards previously attained by them (progress)
  • the standards attained by pupils at comparable schools

6.4The local authority should pre-empt a formal intervention by issuing a warning notice. As well as the above reasons the local authority may issue a warning notice if a school is consistently (for three years or more below or downward trend towards floor) below floor targets or there has been a serious drop in standards. A warning notice sets out:

  • a detailed and evidence based account of the authority’s cause(s) for concern;
  • the actions the governing body are expected to take;
  • the timescale for those actions (normally 15 days); and
  • any actions the local authority may take should the school fail to comply.

6.5A copy of the warning notice should be sent to OfSTED.The school has the right to appeal to OfSTED if it believes the notice to be unfair.If the school fails to implement the required changes it is deemed to be ‘eligible for intervention’ in which case:

  • Additional governors may be appointed
  • The Governing body may be replaced by an Interim Executive Board
  • Delegation of the school’s budget may be withdrawn.

6.6Schools that are placed in a category of concern by OfSTED immediately become ‘eligible for intervention’. There is an expectation that this will be followed by the move to a sponsored academy.

6.7Nationally and locally very few formal warning notices are issued. However, in his annual report (2012) the Chief Inspector of Schools urged local authorities to use this process more often to reduce the number of schools moving to special measures.

6.8These powers do not apply to academies which are directly responsible to the Secretary of State. Where a local authority has concerns about standards at an academy these can be brought to the attention of the governing body or the sponsor. The local authority can also request an OfSTED inspection where it has concerns.

*Schools Causing Concern – Guidance for Local Authorities – DfE October 2012

Also reference tot he Framework for LA inspection.

  1. Monitoring Process

7.1The monitoring process is intended to be relatively undemanding for schools other than to provide and discuss information and data that most if not all will hold as a matter of course. There is no intention that schools should undertake extensive work to provide data or information to inform the process beyond handing over material that is already compiled.

7.2All schools will be visited for approximately half a day. Prior to the visit local authority officers will analyse data that is publicly available and/or that is held by the local authority as well as data and documents provided by the school. Schools may also wish to provide copies of their school development / improvement plans and their prospectus.

7.3Data profiles for the performance of special schools and alternative provision will be agreed with each school. This will reflect the variety children and young people for which each caters.

  1. Data:

8.1Data held by the Local Authority:

This will comprise:

  1. Key stage outcomes in tests and examinations
  2. Contextual data:
  3. IDACI and school deprivation indicator
  4. free school meal percentage
  5. pupil premium
  6. number on roll
  7. pupil mobility
  8. minority ethnic groups
  9. gender outcomes
  10. SEN numbers and level
  11. number of statements
  12. looked after children

3.Other outcomes and factors:

  • overall attendance
  • persistent absence profile for 15% or more sessions
  • exclusions
  • safeguarding compliance
  • budget outturn and projection
  • staff turnover and profile
  • AMPS – building projects
  • complaints

8.2Data requested from schools

It is likely that the data profile will change as government practice in testing changes especially in relation to levels. However, for the purposes of Key Stage 1 progress measurement the expected level for 5 year old is 1c. A child is exceeding expectations with 1c and above.

Grid for schools to complete:

Reading / Year 1 / Year 2
APS of cohort at start of year
Predicted APS of cohort at end of current year
Reading / Year 1 / Year 2
Predicted APS of cohort at end of Key stage in Reading
Writing
APS of cohort at start of year
Predicted APS of cohort at end of current year
Predicted APS of cohort at end of Key stage in Writing
Maths
APS of cohort at start of year
Predicted APS of cohort at end of current year
Predicted APS of cohort at end of Key stage in Maths

For each year group in Key Stage 2 the authority will request that the school provides:

Reading / Year 3 / Year 4 / Year 5 / Year 6
APS of cohort at KS1
APS of cohort at start of year
Predicted APS of cohort at end of current year
Predicted APS of cohort at end of Key stage in Reading
% of cohort predicted 2L of progress at end of Key stage in Reading
% of cohort predicted 3L of progress at end of Key stage in Reading
Writing
APS of cohort at KS1
APS of cohort at start of year
Predicted APS of cohort at end of current year
Predicted APS of cohort at end of Key stage in Writing
% of cohort predicted 2L of progress at end of Key stage in Writing
% of cohort predicted 3L of progress at end of Key stage in Writing
Maths
APS of cohort at KS1
APS of cohort at start of year
Predicted APS of cohort at end of current year
Predicted APS of cohort at end of Key stage in Maths
% of cohort predicted 2L of progress at end of Key stage in Maths
% of cohort predicted 3L of progress at end of Key stage in Maths
Combined / Year 3 / Year 4 / Year 6
% of cohort predicted L4+ at end of Key stage in R, W and M
% of cohort predicted L5+ at end of Key stage in R, W and M
% of cohort predicted L6+ at end of Key stage in R, W and M

For each year group in Key Stage 3 the authority will request that the school provides: