Feedback from the East Region Peer Review Team for Essex CC

Introduction:

Essex County Council commissioned the peer review of school improvement from colleagues in Hertfordshire,Cambridgeshire, Luton and Bedford Borough.Two key questions underpinned the review:

  1. How effectively are schools identified who are at risk of declining standards or dropping an Ofsted grade?
  1. How effective is the support for schools to ensure accelerated improvement towards the Essex target of every school a good school?

This feedback document aims to outline

  1. The current performance context for Essex
  2. The strengths and areas for development linked to the two key questions
  3. Development points for improving communication with stakeholders
  4. The follow up offers of support from peer LAs

1.Context

Outcomes at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage have improved significantly in 2014 to 61% and are slightly above national, matching the East of England but below statistical neighbours (63%)

Significant improvements at KS2 have been made both in attainment and progress over the last two years. Attainment in Reading, Writing and Maths at Level 4 is above national, above statistical neighbours and above the East of England with the LA ranking 2nd in statistical neighbours on this measure. Progress between KS1 and KS2 in reading and maths matches the national average and is above statistical neighbours and the East of England. Progress between KS1 and KS2 in writing is just below national and matching statistical neighbour and east of England averages

KS4 attainment (5 GCSEs including English and Maths) at 55.7% illustrates a significant fall since 2013, however this fall is mirrored nationally. Attainment at end of KS4 on this measure is slightly below national (56.1%) and slightly below statistical neighbours (56.2%).This is for recorded first outcomes and it is recognized that some schools had significantly higher ‘best’ outcomes. It is further acknowledged there have been many concerns over the validity of data at school level this year in all LAs nevertheless the fall in first outcomes in Essex is greater than some LAs and needs close investigation and analysis

The proportion of primary schools judged good or outstanding is rising (74%); having improved by 12% in the last two years, but against the national picture of 81%(summer 2014) the LA was below national. The proportion of secondary schools judged good or outstanding has risen by 16% over 2 years to 71.2%, which is above the national average 70.8%. The proportion of special schools judged good or outstanding has remained at 88.9% over the last two years broadly matching the national average

The LA has completed a detailed and accurate self-evaluation and set clear priorities for continued improvement.

2.The strengths and areas for development against the Peer Review questions

How effectively are schools identified who are at risk of declining standards or dropping an Ofsted grade?

Strengths

  1. An improving picture of outcomes in EYFS and KS2, improving quality of schools and fewer surprises at LA level of schools slipping
  2. Data systems work effectively to support identification and are recognized by schools as a strength particularly through the LA-ASHE partnership
  3. A political will that the LA has ultimate responsibility for all schools, including Academies and Free schools with a clear monitoring role of all schools

Areas for development.

  1. Improve clarity for schools of the RAG system and the support available to schools
  2. Ensure Narrowing The Gap (NTG) data is used to set RAG criteria as part of the NTG strategy
  3. Schools indicate that LA is not using the full range of possible early alerts/soft intelligence sufficiently to identify slippage: Develop triggers that identify slippage drawing on advice from IEB members
  4. Implement a system to monitor the quality of governing bodies
  5. Enhance the role of LA governors to challenge on behalf of the LA

How effective is the support for schools to ensure accelerated improvement towards the Essex target of every school a good school

Strengths

  1. School based school improvement support from SECs is valued by schools in both primary and secondary
  2. Governor Services and HR support is highly valued by schools
  3. Highly valued support from Teaching Schools underpinned by a culture of mutual respect. Schools do acknowledge that TSAs are at an early stage of development
  4. Evidence of outcomes based support projects having significant impact e.g. large cohort project KS2
  5. Clear and robust programme for accelerated progress in target schools (schools judged inadequate or requiring improvement)

Areas for development

  1. Clarify the distinction between Standards and Effectiveness Commissioners and Essex Education Service support advisers(commissioner and provider roles) and their responsibilities in challenging and supporting schools
  2. Develop a quality assurance framework for ensuring consistently good support to schools
  3. Provide a route map for schools to access appropriate support (single page)
  4. Further develop the LA strategic role to co-construct a school to school support strategy which challenges all schools to accelerate improvement
  5. Fully develop a commissioning model based on outcomes for all providers EES, Teaching School Alliances, Special Schools Trust

3.Development points for improving communication with stakeholders

  1. Ensure a shared understanding of the vision for schools and LA priorities across all stakeholders
  2. Stream line the communication of keymessages, drawn from the SEF, including the areas for development- internally and externally (1 side A4)

4.The follow up offers of support from peer LAs

The context of a Peer Review is that colleagues from other LAs are able to offer additional support through sharing their own developing and effective practice. The following offers have been made:

  1. Examples of RAG criteria and support offers from Luton, Bedford Borough, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire
  2. Support from Hertfordshire modelling an approach to outcomes based commissioning
  3. Support from Hertfordshire for a route map to offers of support
  4. Support from Luton and Cambridgeshire for a collaborative project developing a quality assurance framework

Finally the review team would like to thank colleagues in Essex for their engagement in the process of the peer review and their openness to share documentation and developing practice.

Sally Rundell (Education Consultant) on behalf of the Peer Review team

Gillian Cawley (Hertfordshire) Alan Radford and John Wrigglesworth (Luton), Carrie Trail (Bedford Borough), Rosemarie Sadler and Guy Dickens (Cambridgeshire)

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