Director’s Promises to Headteachers & Governors, Summer 2000

Promise

Lead Officer(s)

Completed

1. We will review interaction between LEA (members and officers) and governing bodies.

Chris Hey/Pennie Walker

Work in hand

2. We will share the review with schools through the Advancing Norfolk Education groups.

Chris Hey/Pennie Walker

Work in hand

3. We will explore the development of a ‘traded’ clerking service.

Chris Hey

Pennie Walker

Work in hand

4. We will map out flows of information between schools and the LEA and subject it to a critical review.

Alan Smith

Survey published via Internet September 2000. ‘No Bureaucracy’ project providing critical review.

5. A model of management practice will be produced that will clarify relative roles of all the partners in the education service.

  • chairs of governors and governing bodies
  • headteachers and staff
  • Education Department staff, RDAs, SASEs, SISOs

plus clarifying the strategic role of the LEA.

Fred Corbett

Draft terms of reference, regulations & guidance from DfEE now complement this promise. The model has been consulted upon and is being printed for circulation.

6. A calendar will be prepared to identify the timing of key issues that should be discussed at governors meetings.

Pennie Walker

Work being undertaken by GSU.

7. Sample agendas will be produced for each term to help governors plan their meetings.

Pennie Walker

8. There will be a basic entitlement of access to RDAs over the course of a school year.

Fred Corbett

In place

9. The RDA will be the LEA’s front line point of contact with schools to support and challenge.

Fred Corbett

Put in place from September 2000

10. Lead Officers will continue to be identified where LEA support for individual schools needs co-ordination.

Jeff Gough

Already in place

11. Area School Support Groups, comprising those who work locally, chaired by School Improvement Support Officer, will meet regularly to review all schools in the area and ensure the provision of co-ordinated support from the Education Department.

Jeff Gough

In place since September 1999

12. RDA resource will be allocated in inverse proportion to success.

Fred Corbett

In place

13. Where the School Self Review identifies issues of concern the RDA will attend governors meetings to share those concerns.

Fred Corbett

In place. Papers explaining process will be in schools this ½ term.

14. Governors will be required to develop an action plan with targets and success criteria agreed with LEA (RDA).

Fred Corbett
  • Work in hand
  • All Advisers contribute to celebrating success database and schools advised of their entries.
  • ‘Celebrating Success in Norfolk Schools’ currently at printers.

15. There are mechanisms in place to share good practice now.

Ray Philpott, Jeff Gough, Fred Corbett, Mike Shenstone