You will know from previous correspondence about changes to the Local Authority (LA) School Development Adviser system that, since April 1st 2008, we have introduced the national School Improvement Partner (SIP) programme for primary-phase schools in Norfolk. From that date the Local Authority had a statutory responsibility to allocate an accredited SIP to every primary-phase school.

No doubt, many of you may already have had your first visit from your LA SIP. We have now appointed forty-seven SIPs to work with our 373 primary phase schools with a few others awaiting their final NCSL accreditation. The recruitment process, involving headteacher and governor representatives, has enabled us to broaden the range of people working with us on school improvement and development issues. Of the forty-seven SIPs recruited, twenty-two are headteachers from Norfolk, Lincolnshire, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Berkshire. There are also twelve consultants from Northants, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk together with thirteen LA advisers. All have attended a LA induction programme and been briefed by the LA about their individual SIP schools.

We were required to identify a SIP for each school from 1st April although you will be aware that a number of schools have been allocated SIPs who will not be able to start work until their accreditation is confirmed this term. In these - and in a small number of other cases - schools were allocated a fully accredited temporary SIP for this term. In these schools, the permanent SIP will take over as soon as they are in a position to do so. We want to take this opportunity to remind headteachers that temporary SIPs are, in most cases, not being asked to make the introductory SIP visit this term. They will, of course, respond to schools in relation to SIP matters, but it will be better for schools to leave the initial visit until their permanent SIP is in place. Once a newly recruited SIP has been accredited and completed their induction, they will contact you to introduce themselves. If you have NOT heard from your SIP by the middle of July please contact Pat Cuthbert, Senior Admin. Assistant on 01603 433276 or by email.

The SDA and RDA systems have served us well over the past few years and we are anxious not to lose the benefits of the close working relationship between schools and their advisers. We want to build on the many strengths of the SIP programme whilst retaining the best features of the SDA/RDA system. So, we also want to take the opportunity of reminding you that a named Cluster Development Adviser (CDA) has been allocated to your school.

The CDA, supported by the two Senior Advisers linked to your area, is a first point of contact for purposes such as school and cluster development and improvement issues, support for the inspection process, support with self-evaluation, monitoring, appointments (including headteacher appointments) and, in fact, any of the wider school improvement and development matters that fall beyond the remit of a SIP or arise from a SIP visit. We encourage you to make good use of your new CDA. This crucial Local Authority role provides the key link between the SIPs and the functions previously carried out by SDAs, including work with clusters on matters of local concern and the brokerage of school support. A copy of SIP and CDA teams working with schools in each of the five areas is enclosed for your information.

The LA automatically informs your SIP once a school notifies us of an Ofsted inspection, by contacting Elizabeth Philpot, admin assistant on 01603 433276. The contact for pre-inspection guidance is either your named CDA or one of the Area Senior advisers.

Since we wrote to you before, we have completed work on the SIP Quality Assistance Procedures and, as promised, further details are attached. All SIPs are aware of the importance of quality assurance from the national training and their LA induction. This new Quality Assurance document will be shared with all SIPs at a meeting towards the end of term. The Primary National Strategy Regional SIP Co-ordinator has already started to gather evidence from a sample of schools and SIPs about the effectiveness of the LA's implementation of the new SIP Programme. This type of monitoring activity will become a termly event for the LA and its schools.

We welcome any feedback from schools about this first term of the SIP Programme. We know that some headteachers and Chairs of Governors have already done this, for example via the SIP Record of Visit.

We look forward to continuing to work with you on this, and one the development of the CDA role which, we believe, offers some exciting possibilities for the year ahead. We hope that the remainder of this term is successful and enjoyable and that you and your staff have a really good break over the summer.

David Orsborne
Head of Primary School Development
Children's Services
Professional Development Centre
Woodside Road
Norwich
Norfolk, NR7 9QL

Tel: (01603) 433276
Fax: (01603) 700236
Email: david.orsborne@norfolk.gov.uk