Nottinghamshire School Improvement Strategy Consultation with Nottinghamshire head teachers and senior leaders Linda Foster November 2013

Nottinghamshire School Improvement Strategy Overview This strategy is based on the commitments in the Nottinghamshire Schools’ Policy to: ensure that every Nottinghamshire school is good work with schools, Teaching Schools, National Leaders, Local leaders, Partnership Leaders and other education providers to promote and secure: –Effective leadership and governance in all schools. –Enhanced capacity to secure sustained and continued improvement. –Effective collaborative working to support all children and families. –The development of self-improving schools. –The identification and dissemination of effective practice. –Safe schools with fair access. –Affordability. –Value for money. –Attainment and achievement for all young people.

Universal Offer Maintain an overview of school effectiveness through: – Annual data review for all schools – Termly meeting of key LA services – The outcomes of recent ofsted inspections

Universal Offer Use the evaluation of school effectiveness to : – identify the degree of risk faced by the school of being found ‘Requiring Improvement’ or being deemed a School Causing Concern – challenge the HT, governing bodies and academy sponsors. – identify schools requiring partnership support – identify factors that significantly affect school leadership and management capacity in the short or medium term. – inform the areas for development within the sold service offer to all schools and academies.

Allocation of Education Improvement Advisers to schools LA maintained schools are allocated a named Education Improvement Adviser where the risk assessment indicates that the school may benefit from continued LA support. Schools are not allocated a named Education Improvement Adviser where they were: –Either judged to be at least good at their last ofsted inspection and current data indicates that this standard has been maintained. –Or were satisfactory at their last Ofsted inspection and current data indicates that this is an improving school and at low risk of ‘Requiring Improvement’ at the next inspection. EIA time allocated is proportionate to the risk presented by the school. The allocation/change of named Education Improvement Adviser support will be confirmed by letter.

Specific offer to maintained schools In an Ofsted Category or with ‘High Risk’ of becoming so at the next inspection An Education Improvement Adviser (EIA) will be allocated to provide support and challenge for up to 15 days for schools in an Ofsted category or up to 12 days for those at risk

Specific offer to maintained schools With ‘Medium’ risk i.e. Require Improvement (RI) or likely to be RI at the next inspection An Education Improvement Adviser (EIA) will be allocated to provide support and challenge for: up to 9 days for schools where most aspects of provision require improvement, including leadership and management; up to 6 days where leadership and management are good, but other aspects of provision require improvement up to 3 days where leadership and management and teaching are good, but this is yet to impact on all aspects of achievement

Specific offer to maintained schools With ‘Low/Some Risk’ i.e. a good/outstanding school where recent data indicates further field knowledge is needed to accurately categorise the school These schools will be informed by letter that due to changes in recent school data an EIA will be allocated to carry out a half day standards review in the autumn term. This may include an evaluation activity (learning walk/work scrutiny). This visit is intended to: – support the school’s self-evaluation and validate its accuracy; – help prepare the school ‘story’ for Ofsted; – evaluate with the school whether further support is required (change of risk category to one of the above) or whether the school can meet its own support needs over the coming year.

Specific offer to maintained schools With ‘Low/Some Risk’ i.e. a good/outstanding school where recent data indicates further field knowledge is needed to accurately categorise the school These schools will be informed by letter that due to changes in recent school data an EIA will be allocated to carry out a half day standards review in the autumn term. This may include an evaluation activity (learning walk/work scrutiny). This visit is intended to: support the school’s self-evaluation and validate its accuracy; help prepare the school ‘story’ for Ofsted; evaluate with the school whether further support is required (change of risk category to one of the above) or whether the school can meet its own support needs over the coming year.

Specific offer to maintained schools With ‘Low/No Risk’ – a good/outstanding school where data indicates it has maintained/improved its performance These schools will be offered a quality assurance (QA) visit on a rolling programme available to all good and outstanding LA maintained schools (also available to purchase by academies). Schools will be offered this QA visit by letter two or more years after their last full inspection. Schools will receive a self-evaluation pro-forma to complete and return to the allocated adviser prior to the half day visit, along with the school improvement plan and the SEF. The self-evaluation covers all areas of the Ofsted inspection framework. The adviser will carry out a desk top analysis prior to the visit using the school’s information and RAISE on Line. During the visit the adviser will validate the school’s self-evaluation using first hand evidence from the school’s data tracking system, interviews with senior leaders and a learning walk.