Heads and Chairs Briefings

Summer 2014 – 28 th , 29 th and 30 th April

Ofsted’s inspection of Suffolk County Council’s arrangements for supporting school improvement

January 2014

The report and judgement was published 4

th

March 2014

Judgement is that the councils arrangements for supporting school improvement are:

Ineffective Key measures that informed the judgment:

• Standards at KS2 • Standards at KS4 • % of children attending schools that are not yet good

Areas for development

1. Urgently finalise strategic plans which demonstrate how the Learning and Improvement Service can contribute to the realisation of the Council’s vision for improvement.

2. Improve communication with school leaders so that they understand the Local Authority’s role in school improvement 3. Ensure that challenge to, and intervention in, maintained schools that are underperforming, lead to rapid improvements in progress and attainment 4. Implement systematic and robust checks to evaluate the quality of work provided by the Learning Improvement Service.

What we have done in response:

• Post Ofsted action plan in place • Revised school improvement strategy out for consultation • Clear milestones for improvement is part of the plan • Revised approach to allocating target support to schools being finalised • LA working closely with Northern Education around service development and transformation • Learning Partnership development continuing

Termly ‘live’ data collection

Why?

We need to know the current picture of achievement in

all

schools so that we can respond quickly. This data might be an early alert to schools ‘at risk of not being good’ or who have good practice to share.

What are we asking for?

Termly information taken from a school’s internal assessment of where pupils will be by the end of the key stage in the key performance measures.

What will we do with the information?

Look at it carefully and have discussions with school leaders where we notice signs of poor achievement or achievement much better than expected.

Collection deadlines will be published in advance for each term.

LA Governor Briefings and Consultation on: Sustaining Small Schools in Suffolk

As Suffolk prepares to draw up it’s new Federation policy and small schools strategy, consultation events are to be held across the county in order that all governors may contribute.

• • • Sessions have been arranged as follows

12/05/2014 at 6.30pm

– DB Conference Rooms, Kempson Way, Bury St Edmunds, IP32 7AR

13/05/2014 at 6.30pm

– Pakefield School, Kilbourn Road, Pakefield, Lowestoft, NR33 7DS

19/05/2014 at 6.30pm

– Kesgrave Community & Conference Centre, Twelve Acre Approach, Kesgrave, Ipswich, IP5 1JF To book a place on these events please email [email protected]

Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions

• In September 2014, a new duty will be put in place for governing bodies to make new arrangements to support pupils at school with medical conditions. • Consultation has taken place during February and March. The guidance will be issued shortly but does not give schools much time to prepare

Key Requirements

• Pupils at school with medical conditions should be properly supported so that they have full access to education, including school trips and physical education. • Governing bodies will be charged to ensure that arrangements are in place in schools to support pupils at school with medical conditions and to • Ensure that school leaders consult health and social care professionals, pupils and parents to make sure that the needs of children with medical conditions are effectively supported.

Implications

• Although final document yet to be seen there will be requirements for: – Staff training – Storage of medication and recording of administration – The need to produce individual healthcare plans involving parents and other healthcare professionals and – Policy production

• • Draft document available on: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/att achment_data/file/277025/draft_statutory_guidance _on_supporting_pupils_at_school_with_medical_co nditions_for_consultation.pdf

• Schools will be informed when the guidance is made available but preparation may best be considered earlier given the proposed requirements.

Pupil Premium Puzzled by the Pupil Premium Grant for looked after children?

• Go to Suffolk SchoolSurf • No need to login • Go to Pupils • Go to Children in Care

Raising The Bar Families of Schools

Summer 2014/1 (yellow) • The aims of this ‘solution group’ includes improving the quality of teaching and raising standards at the end of KS2.

• Governors are asked to consider forming or joining a family group if their school is not already in one. • Governors are asked to monitor the links the school has and the impact they have on raising standards within their school. • Governors are asked to consider using ‘good practice’ which has been developed by the 36 groups already operating across the county.

Changes to School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) September 2014 Summer 2014/2 (green) The proposed changes to the STPCD include:  Revised framework for setting pay for leadership positions;   Simplified leadership pay arrangements; Removal of differentials between allowances; existing requirement for pay differentials between roles also removed;  Streamlining of leadership allowances by bringing into base pay, save for exceptional, time bound payments;   Consolidation of existing safeguarding provisions; Removal of the list of 21 admin/clerical tasks.

Governors are asked to make themselves aware of the proposed changes to the STPCD and attend a briefing session run by Schools’ HR. If governors are recruiting a new Headteacher for September 2014 they are recommended to seek HR advice

Information Sheet

1 Schools’ Choice A reminder that Governor Services, Schools HR, Finance, ICT and Property are now traded through Schools’ Choice.

2 Statutory Policies for Schools A new policies list was published on 25 February 2014.

http://

bit.ly/1cpOPKe

Information Sheet

3 SFVS 2014-15 The completion date for SFVS is 31 December 2014 (the change made last year has been retained).

Information Sheet

4 Recruitment and Selection Schools HR are running a number of half day training sessions for HT’s and school leaders looking at the key elements of the recruitment and selection process.

Details and bookings can be made via

http://schools.suffolkcpd.co.uk/cpd/default.asp?ssi

d

=

Information Sheet

5 Suffolk Linguamarque Primary Languages will become a statutory requirement as from September 2014.

Suffolk Linguamarque is a new initiative launched by the Learning and Improvement Service to support schools in embedding Primary Languages in their curriculum.

Further information is available at http://bit.ly/1loiZgZ

Information Sheet

6 Introduction of the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub MASH is a new multi-agency service that brings together all agencies providing services to children and young people.

This new service will mean that responses to concerns and referrals for services can be responded to in a flexible, proportionate and timely way.

Information Sheet

7 Signs of Safety This is the next phase of work for the CYP Directorates work with children and families.

In response to the review of phase one it was agreed that there is a need for a single way of working which all practitioners can use.

Signs of Safety is a model which can be applied equally well to early intervention and child protection. It will mean that every intervention counts.

Further information is available at http://bit.ly/1lhprap

Information Sheet

8 SEND Reforms It is proposed that by 1 st Sept 2014 all schools and settings will be operating under a new SEN legislation including a revised Code of Practice.

SENCOs were advised of current reforms during the spring term. Workshops are planned for the summer term and details will be available via http://bit.ly/Ohx98w Further information is available at www.suffolklearning.co.uk

and on www.access unlimited.co.uk

Information Sheet

9 Consultation on the Constitution of Governing Bodies of Maintained Schools The DfE launched a consultation on 13 January 2014 proposing changes to the regulations and guidance that govern the constitution of governing bodies.

One of the recommendations is that all GBs are to be constituted under the 2012 Constitution Regulations by September 2015. Full details of the consultation are available at http://bit.ly/1b03EwH