School-Led Improvement System Grant Application

School-Led improvement System Grant Application

Essex County Council in partnership with Essex Primary Heads Association, Association of Secondary Heads in Essex, Essex Special Schools Education Trust and Essex School Governors Association have come together to support the formation of formal school1-led improvement partnerships of schools across the county. This new strategic approach to school improvement in Essex isbased upon the clear core principle that schools are responsible for their own improvement and that schools working together is proven to be the most effective way of securing rapid and sustained improvement. There is a moral imperative for schools to work together and support each other including workingwith partners from other sectors including Early Yearsto achieve the best possible outcomes for children and young people across the county. The implementation of the strategy is overseen by the Essex School-led Improvement System Project Board2.

To support the formation of school-led improvement partnerships, the Essex School-led Improvement System Project Board recognises that potential partnerships between schools and other sector partners including Early Years may require support to move from an informal way of working to a more formal approach where schools in the partnership are signed up to a common vision and outcomes, bound by collective responsibility, where data is openly shared and schools are holding each other to account for the collective outcomes for children and young people across the partnership.

Essex County Council is providing pump-priming funding to further strengthen and develop the formation of school-led improvement partnerships.Partnerships can bid for funding and there is an expectation that the formed partnership will provide match-funding in kind.

The maximum amount a partnership can bid for is £25,000.

Funding is available to existing partnerships2 and it will be recognised by the Essex School-led Improvement System Project Board that when applying for funding the partnership may not have all aspects of the checklist in place but will be looking for an intention and plan for how these aspects will be achieved by the partnership.

The Standards and Excellence team together with the professional associations will undertake visits in order to assess the impact the money has had on delivering the intended outcomes of the partnership.

Applications should be submitted to Nicola Woolf email: and they will be considered by the Essex School-led Improvement System Project Board. We will ensure representatives have no conflict of interest amongst any of the panel members involved with the decision.

If you have any questions about your application please contact Nicola Woolf at . Telephone: 07872 869522

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1 Refers to all schools either maintained or academy

2 Membership includes school and governor representatives, the Chelmsford and Brentwood diocese, Teaching School Alliances and the Local Authority

3 This does not include existing partnerships that already receive LA funding which are the Basildon Excellence Panel, the Harlow Education Panel and the five clusters formed across the Tendring District

It is recognised the context of each partnership will be unique and varied; therefore the checklist for partnerships is for use within their defining contexts. Prior to applying for funding partnerships will need to consider the following checklist as these form part of the application process.

Management and Governance

a)Size and number of schools in the partnership (Suggested size of between 10 and 20 schools)*

b)Cross phase – pre-school, primary, secondary, special

c)Engagement with Teaching School Alliances

d)Agreed common vision – view of education as a through-put system

e)Agreed collective targets and outcomes

f)Terms of reference/memorandum of understanding

g)Chair – This could either be an independent chair or current Headteacher

h)How this work will be co-ordinated

i)Process for formal sign up to the partnership

(Partnership agreement/ Memorandum of Understanding (MoU))

j)Data sharing protocols in place

Priorities and outcomes

a)Auditing current strengths and areas of development of each school in the partnership

b)Identifying common priorities for improvement

c)Improving outcomes for groups of pupils across the partnership

d)Joint curriculum development opportunities

e)Joint CPD and research opportunities

f)Transition between phases and schools

g)Leadership development

h)Structure for Peer reviews

i)Governor development and models of governance

j)Joint recruitment for teachers

k)Ofsted support

l)Mentoring opportunities

m)Education business links

Monitoring and accountability

a)Process for sharing progress of schools

b)Process for monitoring the impact of partnership work

c)Success criteria and targets

d)Process for funding activities

e)Protocols for sharing resources

f)Initial plans for how partnership will be sustainable beyond the pump priming

* It is recognised that partnerships may be smaller or larger than this, if smaller we would expect an intention that the partnership will grow, if larger the partnership may wish to consider sub groups within it.

School Led improvement System Grant Application Form

Please can you ensure your grant application includes the following:

OFSTED category for each of the schools in their partnership
Include how the grant will help achieve the ambition as set out in the Partnership Vision Document
Ensure the success criteria links to how the partnership work will improve pupil and Ofsted outcomes
Ensure the success criteria shows how the grant will further strengthen and develop the formation of your school-led partnership
Include where your partnership is now and where it intends to be with the assistance of this funding and the impact this will have on school improvement
Provide an indication of how the money will be used (Broken down if necessary)

General information

Names of Schools within the Partnership:

Partnership locality:

Contact name and school submitting the bid:

Telephone number of contact:

Email address of contact:

Name of link Standards and Excellence Commissioner/s to the schools in the partnership:

Please provide an outline/introduction of your school partnership ie if you already collaborate on projects, meet/work together, have a track record/history of partnership working etc (no more than 300 words)

What are the agreed intended outcomes/vision for the partnership?

*Either enter text in box ‘evidence in place’ or ‘how/when this will be achieved’

Management and Governance / * evidence in place
Write how this criteria is being met/undertaken already / *how/when this will be achieved
If criteria not in place how and when do you intend to achieve this?
Involvement of Cross phase – pre-school, primary, secondary, special
Engagement with Teaching School Alliances
Agreed common vision – view of education as a through-put system
Agreed collective targets and outcomes
Use of FFT Aspire Collaborate to analyse partnership data and set targets
Terms of
reference/memorandum of understanding
Chair – independent chair or Headteacher
How this work will be co-ordinated
Process for formal sign up to the partnership
Data sharing protocols in place
Priorities and outcomes / * evidence in place / *how/when this will be achieved’
Auditing current strengths and areas of development of each school in the partnership
Identifying common priorities for improvement
Improving outcomes for groups of pupils across the partnership
Joint curriculum development opportunities
Joint CPD and research opportunities
Transition between phases and schools
Leadership development
Structure for Peer reviews
Governor development and models of governance
Joint recruitment for teachers
Ofsted support
Mentoring opportunities
Education business links
Monitoring and accountability / * evidence in place / *how/when this will be achieved’
Process for sharing progress of schools
Process for monitoring the impact of partnership work
Success criteria and targets
Process for funding activities
Protocols for sharing resources
Initial plans for how partnership will be sustainable beyond the pump priming

How much is the partnership bidding for? (maximum available £25,000)

How does the partnership intend to use the money?

Is there an agreement from all the schools in the partnership to provide the equivalent of the funding in kind? Eg Existing resources and time

What impact will this funding have?

What will the success criteria be?

How will this be evaluated?

I confirm that this bid has the approval of all the schools in the partnership and their Governing Bodies and that the partnerships financial contribution has been secured and will be available for this purpose should this bid be successful.

Headteacher and Chair of Governors delegated to submit bid on behalf of the partnership

Signature ______Date ______Headteacher

Signature ______Date ______Chair of Governors

NOTES

The applications will be considered by a sub group of the Project Governance group
Funding will be made to the school submitting the bid on behalf of the partnership
The partnership will be held to account for the use of the funding by the Essex School-Led Improvement System Project Board
If an application is unsuccessful, feedback will be given and the partnership can re-apply
It is recognised that over time the membership of the partnership will change, these changes will need to be approved by the Essex School-Led Improvement System Project Board