School Improvement Fund

The Area Analysis Groups have been meeting across the county to discuss the national Strategic School Improvement Fund bidding opportunity.  This is a fantastic opportunity for all schools within Warwickshire to identify key priorities and then to get substantial funding to support the development required. 

The School Improvement Fund is aimed at ensuring resources are targeted at schools most in need of support to drive up standards, use their resources most effectively and deliver more good school places.  The fund is available to support primary, secondary, special schools and both maintained and academy schools. Further information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/strategic-school-improvement-fund

The overarching theme will link to Raising attainment through challenging underachievement predominantly focused on disadvantaged pupils but not exclusively.  Regionally the priorities have been agreed as Vulnerable Learners, Closing the Gap and Leadership & Management.

The intention is to submit a number of substantial Warwickshire wide bids over the 4 rounds of funding to fund a range of interventions that will address identified needs and will be sustainable. The projects will run from September 2017 to March 2019. Existing evidence of what works will help determine the programme of activity that is likely to address the identified need. Bids will also be submitted by Coventry and Solihull, there will be several 'golden threads' woven through all 3 bids which will indicate our partnership working and strategic approach at a sub-regional level.

The 'golden threads' that will be woven through the Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull bids will include:

• Quality assurance. This could include funding for peer reviews and task group meetings.
• Research, in conjunction with Warwick University
• Coaching for leadership development
• Improving the achievement of white working class boys

We will update schools on the success of the bids as soon as announcements are made.

Update on LIO support

The Learning Improvement Officers (LIOs) have been attending consortia meetings for sometime to support the development of system leadership. There will continue to be an allocation of time for LIOs to carry on with this work over the next academic year.

Consortia chairs have been encouraged to work closely with their LIOs to establish the best use of this allocation.

From September, LIOs will only be allocated to individual schools where there is a specific identified need.

Developing the 'school led system' in Warwickshire

Much of current government policy relates to ‘the school led system’, a phrase that sounds good but which is sometimes difficult to interpret. The idea behind it is a laudable one- that schools should shape their own destiny rather than being ‘done to’ by others outside education.

Warwickshire has been one of the first West Midlands authorities to try to turn this rhetoric into actual practice. By building on already established structures - the consortia, area headteacher groups, and School Improvement Board - and by establishing the Education Challenge Board and Area Analysis Groups we have taken a tangible step towards the ‘school led system’.  These groups represent school leaders who are willing to take responsibility for the improvement of schools across the authority. Hence if something is going wrong it is not someone else’s problem, but instead a shared concern that we all have to address.

New framework for school improvement

The landscape for school improvement in Warwickshire has changed dramatically and continues to evolve in response to changes at a national level.  Warwickshire Local Authority (LA) currently has a responsibility to support and challenge schools in an OFSTED category to enable them to get to and maintain ‘Good’, and to increase the number of ‘Outstanding’ schools. This is always a journey and will usually require the school (where possible) and the LA to fund support to enable the school to improve. The likelihood is that the LA’s responsibility for school improvement will cease from April 2018 and there will be no funding for the LA to carry out this role.

School improvement will continue to be a priority and the aim of the new local framework is to set up a sustainable model to challenge and support schools needing to get to ‘Good’.

This new local framework for school improvement can be described as a three tiered model that operates over five areas. The areas are;

1. North Warwickshire
2. Nuneaton & Bedworth
3. East area
4. South area
5. Central area

The diagram below illustrates the tiered model and how the different groups link together to give an overall cohesive structure.

For more information about the systems and structures that operate within each of the tiers please click the links below:

Tier 1 - Consortia and area network groups

Tier 2 - Area Analysis Groups

Tier 3 - Education Challenge Board

Education Challenge Board

The Education Challenge Board is the strategic Board tasked with monitoring school improvement.  It sits at Tier 3 in the new framework.

Peter Kent is the Independent Chair of the Board and he shares his thoughts on the development of the ECB:

The Board came into life approximately 18 months ago and now has school leader representatives from across Warwickshire who sit down with colleagues from the local authority, Ofsted and the Office of the Regional School Commissioner. My role is to act as Independent Chair, drawing on my experience from a series of system leadership roles undertaken during my 18 years as a Warwickshire headteacher.

I would be the first to admit that the Board is in some respects still finding its way, but that is only to be expected. However, I do feel that we have made significant progress since the ECB came into being and as a result school leaders have a significantly greater role in shaping the future of education across the county. To some extent this involves grappling with difficult questions that do not have an easy answer, but this is often necessary when tackling challenges that are important and worthwhile. 

The Board does not spend large amounts of time discussing individual schools since that would neither be practical nor appropriate. Instead its focus is upon broader issues of strategy, ensuring that support is available to schools that need it and that a clear direction is mapped for the future development of schools across Warwickshire. Area groups sit underneath the Board, ensuring that the needs of individual schools are addressed.

Change can be difficult and is sometimes regarded with suspicion. The Duke of Cambridge wrote in the late 1800s that ‘Any change, at any time, for any reason… is to be deplored’. The Education Challenge Board is a new idea and like all change it will take time to become fully formed and to reach its maximum effectiveness.  However, I feel that it has already shown its worth and that its very existence makes an important statement about the value which Warwickshire attaches to the strategic oversight of its school leaders. Most importantly of all, it reminds us that working to support and improve schools across the authority is a shared responsibility for all of us.

Further information about the purpose and make-up of the Board is included in the:

Terms of Reference 

Current Membership

Thank you to Peter Kent, Independent Chair of the Education Challenge Board and headteacher of Lawrence Sheriff School for his contributions to this article.

Area Analysis Groups

The Area Analysis Groups (AAG) have been recently set up and sit directly below the established Education Challenge Board at Tier 2 of the new framework, as the brokering and operational tier. The AAGs will look at data and take into account the context surrounding a school to identify those that are category C and D.

The groups have their own terms of reference and code of conduct for representatives. It is hoped that the group will provide support and transparency of information for the consortia of schools in Warwickshire. As the groups are formed into broad localities, this ensures the representatives who sit on the group have a much deeper and wider knowledge of the challenges and context of each school or academy.

The AAGs have representation from the LA maintained and academy primary, secondary and special schools, as well as the Education Challenge Board, Teaching Schools and the Local Authority. The Local Authority is providing initial guidance, the all-important contextual data behind each school and any other useful information to enable the representatives to offer specifically targeted support to schools that need it. The Analysis Groups are keen that any support is reciprocal and therefore it is the role of these representatives to feed back to the consortia on schools discussed. This will result in shared openness rather than closed door discussions.

Each Analysis Group will have their own areas for development. The central area, for example, has identified their areas as;

• • Moderation
  • Resilience and mental health
  • Closing the Gap
  • Disadvantaged higher attainers
  • Parental engagement

Other groups will have different areas for development, unique to the schools in the consortia.

With these areas of focus in mind it will enable the group to submit funding bids, via the teaching schools, to really focus on these areas of school improvement. Again, in the spirit of transparency all schools can contribute to the School Improvement Funding bids by using the Analysis Group as the vehicle to accommodate this.

With the engagement of all schools in the consortia this model of support will be very beneficial, putting a much needed tier between the Education Challenge Board and schools. There are many positives transpiring already from the first meetings; collaboration, targeted school to school support, really refining what each school can offer in the way of support and the chance to look at other schools as real establishments, with real children and staff. The groups have the capacity to support all schools to move forward and deliver Warwickshire’s aim of every child attending a good or better school.

Please see the Membership of the Area Analysis Groups for details of representatives.

Written by Darren Barrow, central area ECB and Area Analysis Group representative and headteacher of St John's Primary School, Kenilworth

Consortia and area network groups

Tier 1 of the framework for school improvement encompasses all schools in Warwickshire engaged in the consortia or network groups and provides an opportunity for dialogue between headteachers and with the Local Authority.

These groups are now well established and have been a key vehicle for further developing collaborative relationships including school to school support and sharing of good practice.  They also provide an opportunity for schools to raise concerns about the quality of support or services provided by the Local Authority.  These groups are all chaired by headteachers and a representative, usually the chair of each group, will attend the Area Analysis Group for their area.  

There are 15 primary consortia across Warwickshire, which includes one nursery school consortium, and the number and size of consortia in each of the five areas varies based on geographical proximity.

There are 4 secondary area headteacher groups: Central, East, North and South.

The special school group is attended by the headteachers of all 10 special schools in Warwickshire.

A detailed list of all of these groups is attached here for more information.

Primary School Improvement Board

The School Improvement Board knits into the structure as it sits around Tier 1 providing a vehicle for dialogue between all consortia as the chairs meet with the LA representatives to discuss matters of concern at school and consortia level. This is also a vehicle for other school improvement activities such as, triad peer reviews, task group training and the moderation steering group.

Task Group Model for School to School Support and Challenge

Five highly acclaimed training sessions available for all Warwickshire headteachers were recently held across the County between May 15^th and 24^th. The training was led by Ed Carter, an independent Leadership Consultant, who has for the past eighteen months developed a very successful Task Group model for school improvement in a number of local authorities, following very successful headship experience. He is commissioned by Warwickshire and currently chairs Task Groups in the south and central districts of the county.

The government’s drive is towards system leadership and school to school challenge and support. In Warwickshire it is intended that this model is developed by all schools themselves from September, using local consortia arrangements. Already Ofsted inspectors are asking where schools are receiving their challenge and support from.

In preparation for September, training sessions were offered to headteachers to broaden the understanding of how effective Task Groups have been in Warwickshire in offering challenge and support to schools to improve their Ofsted judgements.  While in the first instance the target group were schools that require improvement, delegates overwhelmingly agreed that the model explored in the sessions has something for every school who wishes to improve.

Over 50 headteachers attended the sessions. Feedback from each session was very positive. Several delegates had personally experienced the Task Group process in their own schools, and were highly supportive of the process and the way in which this has helped their schools move forward.

What the sessions covered

A central theme of the training sessions was to promote the understanding that there is an expectation for schools to adopt a challenge and support model across all consortia or groups of schools, and to consider how all headteachers will participate, engage and take this forward.

The first part of each session explored the rationale for the training:

• A highly successful model of challenge and support that schools could develop
• Helping headteachers understand the need for challenge and support
• Understanding the need to fully engage
• That support comes through challenge, and that it is the school and its leaders that are responsible for achieving improvements

The agenda was given a detailed explanation: the reasons why each section had been chosen, the reasons for school leaders and others to decide who should attend, and the protocols surrounding the meeting itself.

In essence, the Task Group itself is a discussion around the Ofsted framework, helping the school to understand where it is in relation to the grade descriptors, having the evidence to support its self- evaluation, and then setting actions arising from discussion to help the school to secure its evidence base in preparation for inspection. Actions are completed, progress against the school’s improvement issues is made, and the risk of not being good or outstanding reduces as a result.

The second part explored the model in detail. Each agenda item, based on the Ofsted Inspection Framework areas, was examined, and an insight was given as to the range of questions the Chair needs to ask to help the school move forward.

The role of the Task Group Chair

Crucially, some headteachers are less inclined to carry out this process with other schools for many reasons. The training emphasised that as Chair of these meetings you are not there to:

• Solve the school’s problems for them
• Provide answers
• Carry out the improvements

You are there as Chair to:

• Ask questions to unlock the school’s thinking (90+% questions, less than 10% advice)
• Act as a consultant and not a headteacher
• Help the school to securely know where they are, and help them to secure they need to substantiate their judgement

The Task Group process is a highly successful model that has benefited both primary and secondary schools, whether they require improvement, are good or outstanding. The track record of success is unquestionable: this model has the facility to improve any school over time and reduce the risk of not being good or outstanding.

As the drive and expectation towards system leadership develops, the challenge for all school leaders is for all headteachers in a consortium or group of schools, to be engaged in a process of challenge and support with other headteachers and their schools.

Ed Carter – contact details

Ed Carter is an independent Leadership Consultant and is happy to support Warwickshire consortia and schools in the drive for improvement. His contact details are: mailto:ejccarter@gmail.com

Thank you to Ed Carter for contributing this article.

The Revival of the LLE!

Last year the Department for Education made the decision that Local Leaders of Education (LLE) were no longer to be part of the school led system and the list that they kept of LLEs was to be closed. At this point, the Teaching Schools in Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire decided that LLEs were an excellent resource (albeit an underused one) and so we needed to take action!

A smaller group of Teaching Schools, 1 from Solihull, 1 from Warwickshire and 3 from Coventry, joined by local authority personnel, have spent a significant amount of time developing a process by which we can interview and appoint our own local leaders to help with school to school support. We are pleased to say that in the first round we were able to appoint 16 new LLEs across the sub-region. Following appointment we have held some training to help the LLEs understand the current school landscape and to hone their skills of analysis, planning for change and evaluation.

In the past, some LLEs have made the point that they were not deployed and their talents were not used. With the imminent arrival of the School Improvement Fund, and the support and challenge that we will need to help schools targeted under that bid, there should be more than enough opportunities to share leadership expertise between schools. In the light of this, we are intending to open another window for applications next year. So if you are a leader who would like to get involved in working with schools, please do look out for notification of that, or do get in touch with gwen.temple@lawrencesheriffschool.com. And if you were an LLE in the ‘old days’ and would still like to be designated, then do also get in touch. We don’t need you to go through the application process but do need contact details.

Finally if you would benefit from having the help of an LLE for any aspect of school leadership or development, then do contact a Teaching School who will be able to broker that for you.

Many congratulations to our new LLEs.

Final list of the new LLEs and the Teaching School they will be commissioned by 

Gwen Temple

Senior Deputy Headteacher at Lawrence Sheriff School and Deputy CEO of The Sheriff Trust

New Teaching Schools for Warwickshire

Following the recent round of applications, we are delighted to receive the news that two Warwickshire schools have been successful in achieving Teaching School status. 

There was such a big response to this application round that it has taken some time for the applications to be considered and decisions to be announced. 

The two new Teaching Schools are:

The Warwickshire Consortium Teaching School Alliance

Specialism: Early Years and KS1

The Teaching School Alliance (TSA) will provide 15 Initial Teacher Training places through an early years PGCE with Warwick University. Their offer will also include high quality training through their traded service 'Warwickshire early years: bring quality to life' (www.warwickshireearlyyears.co.uk) and they will work directly with schools and PVI sector settings to improve the quality of practice and outcomes for children.

Amanda King, headteacher Bedworth Heath Nursery School and Rachel Gillet, headteacher Kenilworth Nursery School have also been awarded National Leader of Education (NLE) status and both schools are now National Support Schools.

Contact Details

Amanda King - head1002@welearn365.com 

Rachel Gillet - head@kenilworthns.org.uk 

The TSA includes the following schools:

Atherstone Nursery School, Bedworth Heath Nursery School, Boughton Leigh Infants School, Hillfields Nursery School,  High Meadow Infants School,  Kenilworth Nursery School, Stockingford Early Years Centre, Stoke Heath Primary School, Sydenham Primary School, Warwick Nursery School, Wheelwright Lane Primary School, Whitnash Nursery School

Congratulations to staff in both schools for all of their hard work.