10 Essential Features of Expected Practice in Norfolk Schools

Discussions with headteachers earlier this year showed that there was widespread support for some further development of our approach to working with primary schools as we continue to move towards the introduction of School Improvement Partners (SIPs) in 2008. The number of primary schools currently requiring Special Measures, together with the number whose overall performance gives us some cause for concern, has also further added to the need to make some changes to our practice.

The attached document 10 Essential Features of Expected Practice in Norfolk Schools sets out, in a straightforward way, the standards that will form the basis of our expectations of schools. We will be working with schools to help them adopt this as the basis of their practice so as to secure consistent and successful outcomes for their children. Having discussed this widely with headteacher and governor colleagues during the last summer term we will adopt a 'non-negotiables' approach to these expectations, just as the Intensifying Support Programme (ISP) does to key aspects of classroom practice. This will be especially so with any school on the School Causing Concern list.

The important role of governors in creating a successful and high-performing school is often underestimated and we plan, this year, to make them a much more central part of our strategy. SDAs (and subsequently SIPs) will be expected to produce an annual report to governors about their work with the school, the school’s response to it and the resulting impact on outcomes for pupils. Again, where a school is on the Schools Causing Concern list, we will expect schools to invite their SDA to a full meeting of the Governing Body, where the report will be presented directly to governors. Where a school is in an Ofsted category, or the Local Authority equivalent, or with 'inadequate’ grades in key areas of the SEF, this may become a more frequent requirement.

Successive Governments, including the current administration, have made it clear that they expect Local Authorities to take robust action to deal with failing schools. Because of this, and because of the number of primary-phase schools that were judged to need Special Measures when they were inspected during the last academic year, we have already begun to strengthen our approach to schools where the SEF grades or performance data indicate a potential vulnerability. We have increased the allocation of SDA and Primary Strategy Adviser time to schools where we have the greatest concern, and expect to make more extensive use of Project Boards - or their equivalent - and of the full range of measures available under the 2006 Education and Inspections Act, including the use of Local Authority Special Measures or the establishment of an Interim Executive Board (IEB), where leadership or governance are shown to be blockages to improvement.

The underlying expectation of any support or intervention, whether through the Primary Strategy or the SDA system, will be of demonstrably improved outcomes for children - including better progress and higher standards - driven by short-term, outcome-focused and rigorously evaluated plans.

In order to enable us to develop our approach in this way, I have asked David Orsborne (Head of Primary School Development) to take on a particular responsibility for intervention, and Chris Snudden (Primary Strategy Manager) to take on a wider responsibility for monitoring and evaluating the performance of schools, and for coordinating support and development. This includes the work offered through the Primary Strategy, the SDA system and the introduction of School Improvement Partners. Chris will work closely with the rest of the primary team to ensure the quality and effectiveness of universal provision, and David will work closely with Headteachers, Governors and Advisers in Schools Causing Concern, and with School Leaders, Governors, Project Boards and IEBs where schools are in a category (whether Ofsted or Local Authority). The aim will be to ensure that decisive and effective action is taken at an early stage to resolve issues and prevent them becoming more serious problems. Where, despite this, serious problems do arise, it will be David’s role to ensure that appropriate action is taken to resolve them at the earliest opportunity, and to escalate the Local Authority’s intervention where this does not appear to be happening quickly enough.

I hope that this sets out clearly the context for our work with schools during the coming year. We are encouraged that standards continue to rise at Key Stage 2, and that the numbers of schools achieving below the floor targets continues to fall. We are, nevertheless, conscious that our performance remains lower than it should be, and that the gap between Norfolk’s performance and the performance of similar Local Authorities is not closing fast enough. In addition, the increased number of primary-phase schools going into Ofsted categories in 2006-07 raises serious questions about our performance at the Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF), leaves us vulnerable when our performance is examined by external agencies including inspectorates and, above all, means that Norfolk children are not always getting the education, or the high-quality outcomes, that they need and deserve.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions or need further information at this stage.