Survey on the Role and Effectiveness of

Survey on the Role and Effectiveness of

Norfolk LEA

___________________________________________________________________________

The University of Surrey Roehampton has been commissioned by Norfolk LEA to find out local opinion on issues affecting education and the quality and effectiveness of support provided to schools. Norfolk Education is keen to have the views of all those in the Service, and this questionnaire is your opportunity to make a difference to the way Norfolk conducts its education policy-making and style of working.

Other education authorities are participating in similar surveys, so your co-operation will also provide valuable data for allowing Norfolk to compare its work with that of education services elsewhere.

Please help us by answering all the questions if you can (which should take you about 30 minutes).

However, we do understand that some items may be outside your experience. Where this is the case, please ring 0 in the rating scales.

There is space at the end of the questionnaire for you to write comments and make suggestions.

Please return the questionnaire to us via County Hall in the envelope provided to arrive not later than Monday 12^th June.

The envelope will be forwarded to us unopened, and your reply will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Thank you very much for your help.

Professor Kathryn Riley

Dr Jim Docking

David Rowles

A. Your role for the purposes of this survey

1) You will have been asked to complete this questionnaire because you have a particular role in Norfolk LEA — even though you may wear other ‘hats’ as well.

From the list below, please ring the number against the role that describes the ‘hat’ you are wearing for the purposes of this survey. Please ring JUST ONE number.

School Staff and Governors
Headteacher	1
Deputy Headteacher	2
Other Senior Manager	3
Teacher who is not a senior manager	4
Classroom Support Staff/Teaching Assistant	5
Chair of Governing Body	6
Parent Governor who is not the Chair	7
Another Governor	8

Education Members and Officers
Member	9
Senior Manager	10
Other Education Department staff	11

2) If you have ringed a number under the Schools heading above, please ring the appropriate numbers in (a) to (d) below.

(a) School type
Early years (Nursery, Infant, First or the First component of a First and Middle school)	1
Junior or Primary	2
Middle (or the Middle component of a First and Middle school)	3
Secondary	4
Special	5

(b) Status of school		(c) Number of pupils on roll
Community	1	Up to 60	1
Voluntary-aided	2	61 - 140	2
Voluntary-controlled	3	141-499	3
Foundation	4	500 or more	4

(d) Area
Central	1	North	2	South/East	3	West	4	Don’t Know	5

B. The importance and effectiveness of Norfolk’s education services

Listed below are a number of education services provided by Norfolk. For each item, please say how strongly you agree or disagree with each of the two statements (a) and (b) at the head of the rating columns.

Please ring the codes as follows: 1 = Strongly disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Agree 4 = Strongly agree 0 = Don’t know/Out of my experience/No opinion.	(a) It is IMPORTANT for the AUTHORITY to provide this service. (Please indicate what you personally think.)	(b) The Authority carries out this service EFFECTIVELY (in the sense that you are personally satisfied with its quality).
School Admissions and Transport
1) Ensuring all children of school age receive a school place	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
2) Ensuring all 4-year-olds receive an early years place	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
3) Managing school admission processes	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
4) Information for parents on school admissions, transport and appeals	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
5) Administration of home-to-school transport	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0

Curriculum Support and School Improvement
6) Support for the early years	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
7) Support from the Advisory Service for school improvement	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
8) Support for preparation for the National Literacy Strategy	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
9) Support for preparation for the National Numeracy Strategy	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
10) Support for preparation for the National Grid for Learning	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
11) Support for Information & Communication Technology (ICT)	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
12) Support for music in schools	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
13) Support from the Schools Library Service	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0

School Effectiveness
14) Monitoring standards in schools	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
15) Statistical information and benchmarking data to inform school improvement	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
16) Support for schools where there are serious concerns about performance	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0

Professional Development and Personal Support
17) Your professional development/training	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
18) Child protection training	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
19) Personal support for teachers and other staff (e.g. well-being scheme, counselling scheme)	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0

Special Educational Needs (SEN)
20) Statutory assessment of children with SEN	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
21) Advice to schools on SEN and disaffection issues	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
22) Information and advice to parents on SEN	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
23) Dealing with parents complaints/appeals to the SEN Tribunal	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0

Section B continued

Please ring the codes as follows: 1 = Strongly disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Agree 4 = Strongly agree 0 = Don’t know/Outside my experience/No opinion.	(a) It is IMPORTANT for the AUTHORITY to provide this service. (Please indicate what you personally think.)	(b) The Authority carries out this service EFFECTIVELY (in the sense that you are personally satisfied with its quality).
Support for Pupils
24) Support for pupils on learning issues	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
25) Support for pupils on emotional/behavioural issues	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
26) Support for pupils by educational psychologists	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
27) Support by youth & community workers for disaffected pupils at Key Stage 4	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
28) Support for pupils with hearing impairment	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
29) Support for pupils with visual impairment	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
30) Support for pupil welfare, protection and attendance	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
31) Support for pupils with English as an additional language	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
32) Support for Travellers’ education	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
33) Support for pupils after a traumatic event	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0

Provision for Excluded Pupils and Others out of School
34) Provision in Pupil Referral Units at Key Stages 1-3	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
35) Provision in Links 4 projects at Key Stage 4	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
36) Home tuition for children who are refusing school or are ill	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0

Support for School Governors and Management
37) Information and support for school governance and management	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
38) Support for school management and administration in information and communication technology	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
39) Identification, advice and support for schools in financial difficulties	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
40) Financial advice and consultancy for schools	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
41) Support with financial administration and management	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
42) Personnel advice and consultancy for schools	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
43) Support with personnel administration and management	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
44) Support with recruitment of staff	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
45) Support for cost-effective purchasing	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
46) Support for setting and monitoring contracts (grounds maintenance, school meals, caretaking and cleaning)	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
47) Support from Health and Safety staff in Education	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
48) Support on legal matters	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
49) Collaboration with other organisations (e.g. social services, health, police, business)	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
50) Dealing with parents’ informal complaints and concerns, including advice on this to schools	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0

School Buildings and Premises
51) Support and advice from premises services	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
52) Structural maintenance of school buildings	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
53) Response to emergency crises in schools (e.g. fires, floods)	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0

Section B continued

Please ring the codes as follows: 1 = Strongly disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Agree 4 = Strongly agree 0 = Don’t know/Outside my experience/No opinion.	(a) It is IMPORTANT for the AUTHORITY to provide this service. (Please indicate what you personally think.)	(b) The Authority carries out this service EFFECTIVELY (in the sense that you are personally satisfied with its quality).
Consultation
54) Consultation processes through representative groups	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
55) Annual consultations on specific issues (e.g. school budgets, LMS)	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0
56) One-off specific consultations (e.g. school organisation)	1 2 3 4 0	1 2 3 4 0

C. The management style of Norfolk Education Services
In your general experience, do these terms give an appropriate description of Norfolk Education Services’ management style? Please ring:

	No	Yes	Don’t know/ No opinion		No	Yes	Don’t know/ No opinion

1) Open	1	2	0	11) Understanding	1	2	0
2) Overly directive	1	2	0	12) Friendly	1	2	0
3) Inefficient	1	2	0	13) Spendthrift	1	2	0
4) Professional	1	2	0	14) Innovative	1	2	0
5) Paternalistic	1	2	0	15) Straightforward	1	2	0
6) Collaborative	1	2	0	16) Supportive	1	2	0
7) Responsive	1	2	0	17) Purposeful	1	2	0
8) Interventionist	1	2	0	18) Inconsistent	1	2	0
9) Bureaucratic	1	2	0	19) Democratic	1	2	0
10) Honest	1	2	0	20) Insensitive	1	2	0

D. The overall performance of Norfolk services for schools

Please ring the appropriate number:

1) Which word do you think best describes the overall current performance of Norfolk’s services for schools?

Poor

Patchy

Competent

Excellent

Don’t know/No opinion

2) When you think about Norfolk’s services to schools in the future, do you expect they will be …

Much worse

A bit worse

A bit better

Much better

Don’t know/No opinion

E. Norfolk’s general policies and practices

How strongly do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?

	Please ring the codes as follows: 1 = Strongly disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Agree 4 = Strongly agree 0 = Don’t know/Outside my experience/No opinion.
Norfolk Education Service …
1) is highly supportive of heads and teachers	1 2 3 4 0
2) gives equal opportunities low priority	1 2 3 4 0
3) fails to take initiative on school improvement	1 2 3 4 0
4) helps individual learners to realise their maximum potential	1 2 3 4 0
5) is very accessible to parents	1 2 3 4 0
6) is approachable to students and other members of the public	1 2 3 4 0
7) is unclear about its plans for the future	1 2 3 4 0
8) is developing a good system for monitoring school improvement	1 2 3 4 0
9) responds well to the needs of young people outside school	1 2 3 4 0
10) provides only limited opportunities for adults to learn	1 2 3 4 0
11) fights hard to protect funding for education	1 2 3 4 0
12) has councillors who actively support the education service	1 2 3 4 0
13) makes too many decisions behind closed doors	1 2 3 4 0
14) tries to interpret and influence national education policy	1 2 3 4 0
15) successfully plans for the educational needs of the community as a whole	1 2 3 4 0
16) is unresponsive to complaints	1 2 3 4 0
17) will intervene if it thinks a school is in trouble	1 2 3 4 0
18) provides value for money	1 2 3 4 0
19) consults effectively with schools	1 2 3 4 0
20) favours some schools over others for no apparent reason	1 2 3 4 0
21) gives all residents in the County access to education	1 2 3 4 0
22) puts its money where its mouth is	1 2 3 4 0
23) provides effective support for those in greatest need	1 2 3 4 0
24) targets resources effectively	1 2 3 4 0
25) involves all parts of the service in planning and decision-making processes	1 2 3 4 0
26) has open channels of communication	1 2 3 4 0
27) has got the balance right between supporting schools in trouble and supporting all schools	1 2 3 4 0
28) knows and understands the needs of individual schools	1 2 3 4 0

F. About you

Please ring:

1) Are you…?	Male	1	3) How long have you been involved with the Education Service in Norfolk (e.g. as a parent, governor, councillor or employee)?	Less than 2 years	1
1) Are you…?	Female	2		2-5 years	2
				6-10 years	3
2) What is your age?	29 or under	1		11-20 years	4
	30-39	2		More than 20 years	5
	40-49	3
	50 or over	4

G. Your comments and suggestions.

1. What are the things that Norfolk does particularly well for schools? Please give up to 3 examples (or put an ‘X’ if you have no opinion).

2. What are the things about Norfolk’s services for schools that could be most improved – and how? Please list up to 3 examples (or put an ‘X’ if you have no opinion).

If you wish to add further comment, please use the back page. Please check you have answered all questions, including both (a) and (b) in Section B. Please return this questionnaire in the envelope provided to arrive not later than Monday 12^th June.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP