SLOUGH
School Improvement Strategy
2012 - 2014
Revision May 2013
Introduction
Slough is an urban area, comprising densely populated and richly diverse communities. It has a strong business sector including the headquarters of several key multi-national companies and a 21st century profile of innovative and creative industries. There are, however, significant pockets of disadvantage and many vulnerable children, with high numbers of new migrants and asylum seekers from more than 70 different countries, unaccompanied minors and transient families. There are also large variations in terms of affluence and deprivation among neighbourhoods across Slough.
Over 140 different languages are spoken across Slough and more than 50 different languages are spoken as a first language by children in Slough schools. Within Slough there are well-established ethnic communities. As well as Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities, one third of the population was born outside of the UK and one fifth from outside the European Union. In 2010 children from an Eastern European background made up 10 per cent of the school roll. Slough is reported by the Department for Education as having the tenth highest rate of pupil growth in the country with many schools experiencing a high level of pupil turbulence. It is not uncommon for mobility levels to be in excess of 20 per cent in one academic year.
Slough Children and Young People’s Plan 2011- 2014 is specific in its vision for children and young people in the Borough:
‘We want all our children and young people growing up in Slough to enjoy life, achieve through learning, be proud of where they live and be valuable members of the community’.
Priority four is to ‘help families by ensuring that children and young people have access to high quality and effective education, leading to rapid and sustainable progress with high levels of achievement’ and priority five also focusses on young people, as it aims to ‘offer them opportunities to access high quality education, future employment and training, lead healthy lifestyles and become responsible citizens as they move into adult life’.
Slough takes its responsibilities under the Education and Inspections Act 2006 very seriously. The changing role of local authorities in a more autonomous and diverse school system is a challenge, but the LA recognises that there are expectations on local authorities to support and challenge non-maintained schools, academies and free schools. The LA recognises too its role as a strategic commissioner, and has already moved its school improvement procurement to a commissioned model. The LA knows and understands its role:
n raising expectations about the standards of performance and effectiveness and challenging educational provision in a local authority area
n identifying good or better practice so that it can be shared more widely
n providing a sharp challenge and the impetus to act where school improvement is needed
n recommending specific priorities for improvement and checking on subsequent progress
n evaluating SBC performance and capacity to improve our statutory SI functions.
Slough is no different from other Local Authorities nationally, all of which are coming to terms with a new relationship between LA and school. Schools and the Local Authority (LA) are working at a time of great change, as many schools move to Academy status, and the role of the LA diminishes. In Slough, this does not alter our joint commitment to our children and young people. The LA looks forward to a continuing thriving relationship with Academies, schools, settings, and other partners as we aim to deliver excellence and high standards for all our pupils and their families. The Slough Learning Partnership, Multi-Academy Trusts and other school collaborations are significant and exciting innovations, and the LA anticipates working collaboratively with all partnerships as they develop. We welcome any opportunity to work with maintained schools and Academies to promote the best possible education for children and young people in the town.
In Slough there are outstanding, good and improving schools. However, some are underperforming and these need intensive support to bring about improvement. Outcomes for pupils are at and above national averages on many measures, but we do aspire to achieve more. We know that the changing social context with changing patterns of family life, alongside technological and global changes, place significant challenges on schools, families and communities. Slough is committed to intervening early to prevent problems, to supporting parents and families and building stronger and united communities.
This document describes the main statutory school improvement responsibilities of the Local Authority (LA) and sets out a framework within which the Improvement and Standards Team in Slough will work to fulfil these, within the new context of the Education Act 2011, the September 2012 LA guidance for schools causing concern, and the move by many Slough schools to Academy status.
Context
The Academies Act, Education Act and OfSTED Framework for School Inspection, set out key strategic and legislative transformations which impact on the role of the Local Authority. The importance of schools as autonomous institutions supporting each other, the need for consistently highly performing schools, and the further development of partnership and collaboration between schools are key tenets of the legislation. The role of the Secretary of State is enhanced, in terms of final decisions relating to a number of key issues, including Academy status, complaints against schools, teacher misconduct and the closure of underperforming schools.
The LA is determined to continue to work in close partnership with Academies, schools, settings and all providers to facilitate transition to new models of working. This may be through formal joint arrangements which will promote rapid and sustained improvement, as well as informal partnerships. Nevertheless, the LA does currently retain a number of key responsibilities:
§ access to school places
§ responsibilities in relation to underperforming maintained schools, as described in new LA guidance February 2012
§ Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision
§ ensuring assessment is secure and teachers are appropriately trained
§ acting as the responsible body for Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs)
§ assuring Governing Body induction and access to information
§ involvement with head teacher appointments
§ building of maintained schools
§ finance for maintained schools
§ early years provision
Inspection remains the sole independent external evaluation of schools and Academies. OfSTED’s inspections of schools performs three functions:
· providing parents with expert assessment of how well the school is performing, and supporting parents’ choice of school
· keeping the Secretary of State informed about the work of schools, assurance that minimum standards are being met and assisting accountability
· promoting the improvement of individual schools.
For maintained schools, the Local Authority retains responsibility for continuous school improvement and standards, and in Slough we shall maintain the current effective model of commissioned support, matched to the needs of individual schools.
The focus for OfSTED, the LA and school leaders is on those aspects of schools’ work that will have the greatest impact on raising achievement:
· achievement of pupils at the school
· quality of teaching in the school
· behaviour and safety of pupils at the school
· quality of leadership in and management of the school.
Evidence shows clearly that educational achievement is the most effective way to improve outcomes and break cycles of deprivation. Improving life chances for all is therefore the key driver for our work, and there is a crucial role for everyone in shifting the focus from dealing with the consequences of difficulties in children’s lives, to early identification and intervention safeguarding them in the first place. To the same end, Slough will continue to promote partnerships, in the belief that they provide a rich combination of high expectations, innovative thinking and a strong community within which all learners can thrive and achieve.
Key principles
Our work is underpinned by the following key principles:
· Schools are self-managing and autonomous institutions, working within a national context, that are responsible for their own performance and improvement. The role of the LA is to intervene should school provision and quality for children and young people be compromised.
· Schools will be supported and challenged to continue and sustain improvement, both in actual attainment and in the rate of progress of our children and young people.
· Learning must be personalised, and partners will work together to narrow the attainment gap for all pupils and particularly for our most vulnerable pupils.
· All pupils, and in particular the most vulnerable, must have the support they need to overcome any barriers to their learning and well-being.
· The range of opportunities for 14 – 19 year olds will continue to be a priority, in order to meet the interests, aspirations and needs of Slough’s young people and to respond to the raising of the participation age from 2013.
· The LA will continue to work with parents, families, communities and partners to manage delivery of its services through a common approach, resulting in improved outcomes for children and young people in Slough, particularly the most vulnerable.
The Local Authority will:
1. Work in partnership with all schools, Academies, settings and the private, voluntary and independent sector, to assure best possible educational provision in Slough
2. Commission and broker appropriate school improvement support according to criteria set out in this document
3. Fulfil the LA’s specific role in relation to schools of concern
4. Work constructively to support Academies and Free Schools
5. Emphasise the strategic role of partners, inside and outside the Local Authority, especially the Private Voluntary and Independent sector
6. Support the work of Governors in managing change effectively
7. Ensure ‘appropriate body’ support for Newly Qualified Teachers
8. Support succession planning to meet recruitment challenges, and head teacher appointments
9. Promote equality of opportunity and tackle discrimination
10. Promote race equality
11. Appoint a Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE).
For further information regarding the current statutory work of the LA see:
Schools Causing Concern – Guidance for Local Authorities September 2012
The Education Act 2011
The Academies Act 2010
Ofsted Framework and Evaluation Schedule 2012
Statutory Guidance on Induction for Newly Qualified Teachers
Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009
Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000
The LA School Improvement and Standards Team
In April 2011, the Local Authority made the decision to commission consultancy support to cover its school improvement requirements. The model is viewed by schools as being highly credible and successful, with continuity being an important factor. The work of the team during 2011- 12 demonstrated the efficacy of this model and has resulted in schools of concern demonstrating significant improvement, which now needs to consolidate and be sustained into the future. A Slough Framework has been established, so that approved school improvement professionals are available to meet LA needs, and quickly and effectively respond to schools, particularly those of concern. The LA also wishes to cement its relationship with the Borough’s schools and Academies by maintaining open communication and understanding of the priorities and challenges of all educational establishments across the town.
Self-evaluation provides schools with the opportunity to highlight their strengths and areas for development, measured against OfSTED criteria. We recommend that a school self-evaluation document is in place and frequently updated, particularly because the accuracy of self-evaluation is an important judgment in the Ofsted Framework in the context of Leadership and Management. Similarly, governing bodies have a duty to appoint an external adviser to give them advice and support regarding the management and review of the head teacher’s performance. School improvement consultants on the Slough Framework can support schools in fulfilling these requirements, and other specific training and development needs.
The priorities for the LA Team, as set out in the School Improvement and Standards Plan are to work with all schools to:
1. Maintain and improve outcomes for all pupils
2. Close the gap in achievement between the highest and lowest attaining groups
3. Ensure that the LA offers appropriate and timely support for any School Causing Concern.
These remain the priorities for 2012 - 13, regardless of any external changes.
Local Authority Quality Assurance for Schools in Slough
Schools are self-managing and autonomous, responsible for their own performance and improvement. The role of the Borough is to support, challenge and if necessary intervene should educational provision and quality for children and young people be compromised. Under the new legislation, Academies and schools deemed good or outstanding by OfSTED will have minimal involvement from the LA, except for the implementation of the LA’s statutory responsibilities. Since September 2012, all inspections have been ‘unannounced’.
Any school in Ofsted category 3, ‘requires improvement’ and Ofsted category 4, ‘inadequate’, is a school causing concern (SCC) to the LA, but in addition SCC are also those about which the local authority and/or the Secretary of State have other serious concerns which need tackling, such as:
· those consistently below the floor standards,
· those where there has been a serious drop in performance or
· those where performance is not meeting the expected standards of comparable schools.
In these situations, the local authority may want to consider giving a school a warning notice, and then a further notice that they propose to use their intervention powers under the 2006 Act. This makes the school eligible for intervention and subject to the intervention powers of the local authority and/or the Secretary of State. Intervention includes:
· requiring the governing body to enter into specified arrangements with a view to improving the performance of the school
· appoint of additional governors
· suspension of the delegated budget of the school
· appointment of an Interim Executive Board.
It is the expectation of the Secretary of State that any school deemed ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted will move to sponsored Academy status.
Slough’s Model for School Challenge and Support
To maintain high quality partnership with our schools, the following model was implemented in Autumn Term 2011, and it is our expectation that this model will remain in place for the foreseeable future.