Headteacher Performance Review Autumn 2007: Booking an External Adviser

It has come to our attention that there is no longer a list of External Advisers on the Cambridge Education website. This means that, for those governing bodies that have not already booked an External Adviser to work with them on their Headteacher's performance review this term, it is now extremely difficult to find someone for this task.

Governor Services is working with Peter Simmonds, the Extended Schools Workforce Remodelling Manager, to try to resolve the problem. Our immediate advice for the schools concerned is that there are some simple options you might wish to use:

*	Governors undertaking the Headteacher's review this year should look back in their records, or talk to fellow governors, to see if they still have the details of any of the External Advisers who have previously worked with your Performance Review governors. The 3-year rule no longer applies, so it is still possible to use these advisers if they are available.
*	Contact other schools in your cluster or locality and ask for the details of the External Adviser they have used.

Governing bodies that have already completed the Headteacher's review, or have an Adviser booked to do this, could help Governor Services with solving the difficulty. We would be very grateful if you would contact us as soon as possible and pass on the name and contact details of your External Adviser. We will compile a list of the details, and place these on the Governor Services website.

Alternatively, you could get the details by contacting us in one of the following ways:

*	Email
*	Telephone: 01603 433276
*	Fax: 01603 700236

Please allow a little time for schools to pass on the information and for us to compile the list.

External Adviser's Fees

The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has been asked about the cost of the External Advisers, as several schools have discovered that their fee has increased substantially this year.

Previously, when Cambridge Education held the national contract for providing External Advisers, the fees were subsidised by central government. The cost to schools last year was in the region of £450-550. However, as there is no longer a national contract to provide the service the Advisers are now charging schools the full fee, and this is likely to be in the region of £700-800. We are advised by the DCSF that the funding for this was devolved to Local Authorities (LAs), and passported straight through to schools. However, as the funding was not specifically identified in the funding to the LA it was not possible to identify it in the main school's budget.

For Norfolk's primary phase schools this is the last year that the Headteacher's performance review must be carried out in the presence of an External Adviser. It is currently a statutory requirement, but will change in 2008 when School Improvement Partners will be assigned to the schools.

It is also a requirement that the Headteacher's review should be completed by 31st December 2007. However, this may not be possible where schools experience difficulty in recruiting the services of an External Adviser. It would be useful for the review governors to discuss this with their headteacher, and reach agreement about the period within which the review will be completed.