Inspiring Excellence in Somerset Early Years Settings and

Schools

Ensuring the very best educational experience and outcomes for Somerset

children and young people

Schools Forum 9 July 2015 Agenda Item 3

Educational Strategic Vision in a partnership withEarly Years Settings and Somerset Schools

Key Foci:

•In partnership with schools and SSE produce a clear strategic vision for education in Somerset that reflects the County Council’s leadership role in ensuring a good educational experience and outcomes for every child and young person in Somerset

•The Vision document will include for example: Secondary/Primary/Special Schools/Early Years/ Skills and Employability/Inclusion and Leadership and Governance strategies

•In partnership with providers, school leaders and SSE create a clear Improving Outcomes strategy that delivers the outcomes against the identified priorities. This will reflect our ambition and target plan against our priorities and the milestones described in % increases against all the essential educational descriptors for 2016-2019

We need to establish a partnership plan that reflects the following arrangements:

-Commissioning arrangements between the LA and SSE against the identified priorities and targets including an agreed delivery model based on the DSG and LA funding contribution

-Commissioning arrangements between SSE and potential commissioning groups such as SASH, SAPHTO, SAHSP and Teaching Schools

-Describe and formalise the accountability mechanisms between partners taking into account reporting and evaluation activity

-Describe and agree the accountability mechanism at county level

Partnership Working between the LA, SSE and Schools

.

10 Key Actions

1. Strategic vision ready for consultation by September

2. Improving outcomes strategy in place for consultation by September

3. Commissioning arrangements between LA and SSE in place by end of July

4. Delivery plan in place by end of August

5. Educational Design Teams (task and finish groups) established by beginning of September to complete their work for consultation by Christmas

6. Internal accountability mechanism in place by end of July

7. Partnership accountability model in place by end of

September

8. Early Help and school partnership plan in place for

consultation with schools in September

9. Memorandum of Understanding in place with the Diocese

10. Review of data and the development of data packs for all

schools

10 Key Actions (cont.)

‘When the water hole begins to shrink the animals begin to look at each other very differently’ (African Proverb)

Key Issues as we move forward

• Government strategy

• Ofsted: Inspections

• RSC

• Primary and Secondary performance measures

• Coasting Schools

• Models of partnership

• Governors

• Sustainable schools – Finance and Fair Funding

• SEND review and reforms

• Headteacher well being

• Recruitment and Retention

• Curriculum Reform

Supporting Professional Conversations

We know that Ofsted new inspection framework for good schools, the vast majority of Somerset, is focused on a one day evidenced base visit which will test:

-Is this still a good school?

-Is Safeguarding effective?

The Inspection feedback:

• We know from the pilots that Heads said:

- It was very intensive

- Data analysis had already been completed

- Trails were clear at the start of the day – focused on areas of weakness rather than areas of strength

- Do you know your issues? What are you doing about them? What is the impact? How do you know?

- The experience was a ‘walking talking SEF’

- Work scrutiny, middle leaders, governors all key foci

- The quality of conversation with the Head and SLT plus Governance was key to the success of the inspection

Supporting Professional Dialogue

• We therefore need to put in place support for all Heads to have regular Professional Dialogue Meetings (PDMs) to ‘rehearse’ the conversation and the process for a successful evidenced based inspection

• The LA has a statutory duty to know all its schools. This includes academies as we are still held accountable for their performance

• Therefore the LA will seek to source the provision of this support to all schools in order to ensure effective partnership working as well as maximising system leadership and school to school support through the commissioning of all phase associations and structures

• Strategic Education Vision

• Improving Outcomes Strategy

• LA will commission the Professional Dialogue Meetings for every school including academies against schools own self evaluation and LA soft and hard intelligence. Number of visits determined by categorisation process

• The LA will directly commission TS for NLE/LLE capacity to support priority schools Additional support for PDMs will be sourced through SSE/Good and Outstanding Heads not badged to ensure NLE/LLEs are not overburdened

• LA will ensure the production of effective data packs for all schools in the Autumn term

• LA agrees commissioning budget against priorities with SSE to include commissioning of phase organisations against our ambition in the targets

• SAPHTO/SASH/SAHSP continue to develop Challenge and RAP plans against the commissioning priorities ( this will include their commissioning of TS or other agencies to support the delivery of the priorities)

Thoughts:

Reporting and Accountability Mechanism• Council Cabinet ( Lead Member)

• Education Cabinet Committee (ECC) ( Linked to The Children’s Trust Board and the Health and Well being Board)

• ECC example fed by:

- SEND Board

- School Performance Group (SPG)

- Compact

• SASH/SAPHTO/SAHSP etc. produce reports to the Compact. Each phase will identify its reporting/accountability mechanism below its executive body.