Improving Educational Outcomes in Somerset Dave Farrow Head of Improving Outcomes Commissioning

The LA is the champion of children and families (2010 White Paper) Monitoring Challenge Support Intervention (MCSI) framework still applies (Revised guidance Jan 2015) LA retains statutory duty “to promote high standards so that children and young people achieve well and fulfil their potential” (1996 Education Act) Ofsted expectations of LAs The LA’s role in the Changed Landscape

LA School Improvement Inspection The effectiveness of corporate and strategic leadership of school improvement The clarity of transparency of policy and strategy for supporting school improvement and how clearly the LA has defined its monitoring, challenge, support and intervention roles The extent to which the LA knows schools and, where appropriate, other providers, their performance and the standards they achieve and how effectively support is focused on areas of greatest need The effectiveness of the LA’s identification of, and intervention in, underperforming maintained schools, including where applicable, the use of formal powers available to the LA

LA School Improvement Inspection The impact of LA support and challenge over time and the rate at which schools and other providers are improving, including impact of the LA strategy to narrow attainments gaps The extent to which the LA brokers and/or commissions high quality support for maintained schools The effectiveness of strategies to support highly effective leadership and management in maintained schools and other providers Support and challenge for school governance The way the LA uses any available funding to effect improvement, including how it is focused on areas of greatest need

The Next Five Years 30 hours free childcare for 3 and 4 year olds Free meals to all infants £7b for increasing the number of good school places Protect funding for schools (not increase) Continue Pupil Premium at current rates Fairer School Funding – current levels will be the baseline

The Next Five Years New standards for literacy and numeracy If standards not met in primary schools resit at start of secondary Require secondary school pupils to take GCSEs in Eng, maths, science, a language and history or geography

The Next FiveYears Good primary school place for every child (zero tolerance of failure) Expand NLE programme to take control of failing primary schools Every ‘failing an coasting’ secondary school to become an academy Expand academies/free schools etc Force coasting schools to accept new leadership RI schools to convert to academies

The LA Role Going Forward Taking the lead role in facilitating/bringing about change Ensuring high educational standards are secured in all schools Ensuring the availability of a good or outstanding school place for every child Safeguarding the more vulnerable including through closing the ‘achievement gap’ Championing all Somerset children and families Convening partnerships that will most benefit Somerset’s children and families, and Commissioning high quality services

What Next? Develop commissioning function Develop and Publish Improving Outcomes Strategy –Priorities –Schools Led System –Accountability/monitoring systems –Schools Causing Concern Policy

Improving Outcomes Strategy All schools Good or Outstanding by (2018?) Improved ‘school readiness’ On-going improvement in outcomes in all phases Narrowing the gap for vulnerable groups (Pupil Premium / CLA / SEN / EAL) Improving outcomes for the most able Addressing rurality issues Building the capacity/capability of effective school to school support (RAPs / NLE /LLEs / Teaching Schools etc) Developing effective monitoring / accountability systems Making best use of available resources

Support and Intervention Schools where performance is a concern

Continuum of School Improvement and Intervention Good or Outstanding with no or few risk factors identified Schools with short term risk factors Schools with significant risk factors, eg: RI/at risk of RI/Inadequate Schools consistently below the floor standards Schools judged as RI Central Monitoring Support/Intervention Brokered by SSE NLE, LLE SLE etc Focused/ Intensive/ Short Term IEB Academy conversion Universal Phase RAPS Groupings of schools Individual School to School Ongoing Informal/ formal

Schools Causing Concern This could include schools: Likely to be judged as Inadequate if inspected by Ofsted Judged by Ofsted as ‘Requires Improvement’ (RI) or and not making rapid improvement Likely to be judged by Ofsted as ‘Requires Improvement’ and not making rapid improvement Below or close to floor standards over time and not making rapid improvement Consistently below floor standards

Schools Causing Concern This could include schools: With a decline in performance over time Where performance is significantly below standards of comparable schools Where there are serious financial concerns which are not being addressed appropriately Which have been causing concern and are showing early signs of improvement

Schools Causing Concern This could include schools: With complex weaknesses Requiring significant improvement with limited capacity to improve Where there are other serious concerns which will affect outcomes for children

Process School (and where appropriate Academy sponsor) notified it is causing concern Support package and Improvement Plan agreed/ brokered with performance measures/ milestones Progress monitored through SSE Insufficient progress – warning notice issued Continued insufficient progress –for maintained schools, intervention procedures –for Academies notification to RSC / DfE