Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council Early Years and Schools Service FACT Conference June 2011

Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council Relationships between the Local Authority and Schools

Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council Early Years and Schools Celebration of the current position of Northumberland schools Key principles of school improvement and system leadership Implications of the Education Bill School improvement and school support in the future

Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council Early Years and Schools

Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council Early Years and Schools

Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council KS2 English and Maths Trend * 2010 Does not include schools that boycotted the SATs – Cragside Primary, Delaval Middle and NCEA

Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council GCSE Trends 2002 – A*- C inc Maths & English

Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council Early Years and Schools

Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council Early Years and Schools Every school a good school –Implementing the national strategies in a local context –Recognising the importance of the 5 outcomes of every child matters –Focusing on teaching and learning, leadership and management –Promoting a moral purpose, encouraging partnerships of schools

Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council Early Years and Schools

Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council Early Years and Schools Education is undergoing continuous change –System leadership Public service with moral purpose –Raising the bar and closing the gap of student learning (and achievement) –Treating people with demanding respect –Altering the social environment for the better Commitment to changing context at all levels –The structures and cultures within which one works; school, partnerships, system Lateral capacity building through networks –Leaders and teachers collaborating with other schools to learn from and contribute to school improvement Intelligent accountability and vertical relationships –Combine self evaluation and external evaluation Dual commitment to short-term and long-term results –Actions to obtain early results but also building elements Deep Learning –Openness, intelligent use of information and learning form experience Cyclical energising –Times of full engagement and breaks for energy replenishment The long lever of leadership –Leadership at all levels is the primary engine if the system is to become sustainable

Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council Early Years and Schools Coalitions plan to change the shape of school system –New balance national/local centralisation and powers and responsibilities of schools –Headteachers accept responsibilities beyond the boundaries of their own school –NLE, LLE, federations Self improving system of schools –will require clusters of schools accepting responsibility for self improvement of the cluster as a whole – A NEW COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY – shared targets Challenge one another, support one another and celebrate individual and collective achievements

Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council Early Years and Schools This process is akin to the changes of LMS financial delegation of responsibilities to schools in 1980s

Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council Early Years and Schools Creating a self improving school system –In an era of diminishing centralisation, accelerating the rate and depth of school improvement and reducing the number of underperforming schools requires a new vision –Increased decentralisation offers an opportunity for the school system to build on these (increased leadership capacity and experience of working in partnership/collaboration) and become self improving

Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council Early Years and Schools 4 building blocks of a self improving system Clusters of schools – the structure Local solutions approach and co-construction – the 2 cultural elements System leaders- the key people In place – but need to be strengthened so that schools collaborate in more effective forms of professional development and school improvement

Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council Education Bill Themes –Using resources fairly –Freedom –Accountability and responsibility Plus –Behaviour

Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council Freedom “ We want every school to be able to shape its own character …. free of either central or local bureaucratic constraints”. Enable schools to decide how to co-operate Academies programme extended to Academies and alternative provision Academies; streamlining land transfers –National curriculum – School Teachers Pay and Conditions Repeal the diploma “entitlement” Free local authorities to fulfil their role to act as champions of social justice: admissions; advice and guidance

Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council Accountability “ Alongside school autonomy, accountability for student performance is critical to driving educational improvement” End Ofsted routine inspections of outstanding schools and colleges Ofsted to focus on 4 key areas LA duty to provide school improvement partners removed Powers to tackle under-performing schools and colleges Strengthen Ofqual governance; and require it to compare standards internationally. Sampled schools take part in international surveys Governing bodies chosen on skills rather than constituency Five arms length bodies abolished

Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council Using resources fairly Free early years provision for disadvantaged two year olds Introduce the pupil premium Introduce a more progressive higher education student finance system – real interest rates; cap of part-time fees Focus the “skills entitlement” on those up to 24 Re-define apprenticeship offer to make it deliverable and focused on priority groups A more cost-effective complaints system

Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council Conclusions Fundamental 1996 Education Act Local Authority duties remain –Section 13 - General responsibility –Section 13A – Duty to promote high standards –Section 14 – Duty to secure sufficient schools Significant centralisation of power in the hands of the Secretary of State

Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council Early Years and Schools Three Key Changes and their implications Localism v Centralisation Academies and Free schools LA plans for underperforming schools

Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council Early Years and Schools LA services provided to all schools LA services provided to maintained schools but not academies LA services that can be traded with schools and academies Other providers of services

Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council Early Years and Schools TES 17 th June –Gove forces academy switch on primaries –‘worst’ 700 to take on new status with outstanding schools as sponsors