School improvement team role

In partnership with schools, the School Improvement Team plays a central role in promoting school improvement and in raising educational standards in Bedfordshire and carrying out the principles of the Code of Practice: LA-School Relations.

Its objective is to assist schools in moving speedily towards sustained high performance and continuous-improvement.

There are 16 School Improvement Advisers in the team. Each serves a group of about 15 schools within Learning Communities.

The School Improvement team's major activities are:

The spectrum of support provided by the School Improvement Team ranges from:

a) intensive programmes of multi-specialist support in schools and clusters of schools where there are agreed concerns to

b) 'light touch' monitoring where the results of pupil performance, OFSTED inspections and local monitoring are consistently positive

All schools will be entitled to at least two consultation sessions per year; at least one of which will be a school visit. The yearly monitoring schedule which is sent to schools before the beginning of the Autumn term will include:

a) our target setting procedures

b) those elements matched to the school's stage of development, position in the OFSTED cycle of inspection, particular needs

c) links between the School Improvement / Development Plan and the LA's EDP.

An evaluation relating to the capacity of the school to sustain improvement is now shared and agreed with each school on a yearly basis

A written record of the results of each monitoring and evaluation activity is agreed and promptly forwarded to the headteacher. It is expected that this record be available to the school's governing body and will inform the work of school governors.

Schools Causing Concern

Bedfordshire LA has a responsibility to work with 'Schools Causing Concern' to assure, in partnership with schools, rapid improvement.

In order to raise standards and to secure improvement, the LA acknowledges the importance of monitoring and evaluating performance and where appropriate applying particular strategies to achieve rapid progress when schools fall into the following categories:

i) Schools requiring Special Measures (as a result of an Ofsted Inspection)

ii) Schools receiving a Notice to Improve (as a result of an Ofsted Inspection)

iii) Underachieving schools

iv) Schools which become a concern since their last inspection

v) Schools where stability is sufficiently precarious to warrant continued monitoring and support

The LA has provided support for schools causing concern since 1992. This programme has been revised several times and written information has been published and shared with schools since 1998.

Bedfordshire regularly evaluates the capacity of each school to improve.

The categorisation of each school is agreed with each school and informs the allocation of additional levels of support and resourcing to effect improvement.

Thus, whilst all schools are expected to purchase additional support and training from Bedfordshire Education Services or elsewhere in accordance with their development priorities and funding capacity, the EDP highlights activities where targeted support is provided on the basis of assessed need either:

a) through the priorities of the Literacy and Numeracy strategies or

b) through the identified areas of under-performance at an individual school or cluster level

The process of identifying schools is informed by

a) the analysis of data on OFSTED inspection,

b) yearly school and pupil performance information

c) the results of local monitoring from School Improvement adviser visits.

d) feedback from other support services

Excluding those schools in Special Measures and Notice to Improve where information is published in OFSTED inspection reports, the list of school grades is confidential to individual schools.

The principle underpinning support to schools causing concern is that the prime responsibility for recovery and school improvement remains with the Headteacher and Governing Body.

All schools causing concern are assigned a lead adviser who will be responsible for ensuring that progress will be achieved. In the case of high priority schools there is an additional requirement of an action plan (associated with the release of additional Standards Fund monies).

Regular progress evaluations are undertaken and reviews involve senior officers.

The progress of schools on this programme is carefully monitored and trends overall are very positive.

Ofsted |

Department for Education and Skills|

Department for Education and Skills, A - Z of School Leadership and Management|

Teacher Net Advanced Skills Teachers|

General Teaching Council (GTC)|

Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA)|

Teacher Training Agency (TTA)|