Norfolk Local Authority (LA) has been working in partnership with Angel Solutions to develop and implement the Perspective on-line SEF evaluation tool since the advent of the Ofsted Section 5 inspections three years ago. Our original contract was for two years and we subsequently extended this for a further year. From the start the LA stressed that we would fund the development and implementation of the programme and then evaluate its usage before considering our long term strategy. During this trial period the LA has funded 100% of the project costs.

With the changes Ofsted are making to the Section 5 Framework and use/ design of the SEF after the initial three year cycle of inspections the LA and Angel Solutions have been evaluating the Perspective package. This evaluation has had two key strands. The first has been the LA's own internal evaluation of the use of Perspective in relation to the funds invested. The second has been by Angel Solutions surveying 64 Norfolk schools to give an indication of the use the schools have made of Perspective, whether they would continue to use/ use more extensively Perspective if the LA continued to support the programme or whether they would purchase the product from their school funds.

The outcome of the evaluation was that the uptake of the system has been patchy with some decline in recent times. However, part of this decline can be attributed to schools using the framework/ 'bite size' questions from Perspective to frame the school's SEF rather than using it as an on-line system. In terms of future use there are factors which have the potential to influence a more positive attitude by Headteachers, namely Ofsted's new evaluation framework and the release of a new Version 3 of Perspective. In addition, those Headteachers who use Perspective regularly are very strong advocates of the benefits the system provides schools with.

Taking into account the challenges being presented by a new framework and SEF and the new and improved Version 3 of Perspective, Norfolk LA still wishes to endorse Perspective as a product for SEF analysis. However, when analysing the historic and current usage of Perspective across all Norfolk schools the LA is not in a position to continue to centrally fund the product. Therefore, as from the end of this academic year any Norfolk school that wishes to continue to use/ start to use Perspective will need to enter their own arrangement to purchase the product from Angel Solutions.

Ofsted has already written to schools telling you that you have been unable to update your SEF in the current framework after 6^th July, but that you will be able to use the existing SEF in the event of an inspection until December. The Ofsted SEF site will be 'unfrozen' on 13^th July and from that date you will be able to start constructing your SEF in the new format.

Angel Solutions have announced that their customers will be able to use Perspective to update their SEF in the existing format until December 2009, to write their SEF in the new framework from 28^th August, and choose a range of options in terms of what to retain of their existing self evaluation material.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to reinforce with schools whether or not they take up the option to 'buy into' the Perspective model the central role of the SEF in the new Section 5 Framework as from September 2009. Ofsted have stated that it will be its policy to use the content, age of content of the information on the schools' SEF site, as an indicator to be used in selecting schools for inspection. Therefore, it is important in the future that a school regularly uploads updated information onto its SEF site and not to wait until it is perceived the school may be due an inspection.