Management Information Sheet

As part of the urgent work across the County to provide 'A Good School for Every Norfolk Learner', the Local Authority aims to ensure that it provides appropriate challenge to schools on the basis of the performance of their own children and young people. One such element is to provide an Education Partner who will undertake detailed conversation about performance and improvement plans with the Headteacher and Chair of Governors. Initial thinking was that this role might fit with other cluster activity. However, on the basis of feedback from colleagues and following discussion with external reviewers of the Norfolk approach, it is recognised that the role of Education Partner is critical in ensuring that schools are pursuing ambitious and well targeted improvement plans. The role needs to be undertaken by education professionals with experience such as successful leadership of outstanding or good schools or of leading Ofsted inspection. Such a role, if properly developed, will contribute strongly to our shared aspriation for a confident education system in which well-judged challenge is valued and welcomed.

Further details and timescales will follow but, in essence, those schools that are eligible to be part of 'Norfolk to Good and Great' and those schools that are or might be 'system leaders', will be provided with a link to an Education Challenge Partner who will test, challenge and evaluate the school's improvement activity. Original plans to use local colleagues as Cluster Education Partners have been superseded by new efforts to recruit a pool of appropriately qualified education professionals with the high level skills required. Therefore the original plans for Cluster Education Partners will now not proceed and more information will be available as soon as possible about the availability of Education Challenge Partners. Sebastian Gasse is explaining this change to all those who were to have played the CEP role.

There will be no cost to schools for Education Challenge Partner visits. However, the role does not provide the necessary support for such activities as self-evaluation and Headteacher performance management. Most schools have already purchased appropriate support packages to for these activities. The NIEAS advice line: 01603 307779 can provide more information on NCC's traded support packages, if required.

For further details on Education Challenge Partners, please contact Chris Snudden on 01603 222575.

For further details about cluster development, please contact Sebastian Gasse on 01603 307714.