Validated Self-evaluation
Renfrewshire Council
20 May 2014
Transforming lives through learning
Validated self-evaluation in Renfrewshire Council: Education Department
Commentary by Education Scotland
Introduction
As part of their strategy to drive continuous improvement for learners and to ensure it
is delivering best value, Renfrewshire Council, invited a team from Education
Scotland, which included HM Inspectors and Associate Assessors, to work with them
on a validated self-evaluation (VSE). The senior management team identified
four themes and set up a steering group and thematic groups to take these forward.
The themes covered areas of ongoing work and priorities and were chosen to enable
staff to take time and drill down to identify areas for development. There had been a
great deal of activity by some of the theme groups prior to engagement by the
Education Scotland team in January 2013. Due to a range of staffing issues, the
next phase of VSE engagement was postponed and took place in January 2014.
Further details on the themes selected for the focus for the VSE can be found in the
Renfrewshire Council Education and Leisure Service’s VSE report.
http://www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/webcontent/home/services/education+and+learning/i
nformation+for+parents/els-validatedselfevaluationes
What has the VSE achieved?
HM Inspectors are confident that the overall quality of Renfrewshire Council’s
self-evaluation across education is accurate. Senior managers, staff and partners
demonstrated a clear commitment to improving education through self-evaluation.
The approach taken by thematic leaders and other key staff to the VSE was
thorough. They used a variety of appropriate activities and a wide range of data to
gather evidence and synthesised and analysed this into the identification of
appropriate strengths and areas for improvement. Joint work between Education
Scotland and Renfrewshire Council colleagues built on existing evaluation evidence
including recent consultations. There was a great deal of dialogue and careful
consideration of identified strengths and maximising on the efficient use of
resources. Education Scotland provided a significant degree of challenge to each
group which supported their continued development. It became apparent during the
original VSE activity in January 2013 that learning had to be more effectively shared
across themes and that some officers required to develop a more confident and
consistent approach to support and challenge. When the Education Scotland team
returned in January 2014 it was clear that the learning had been used to shape next
steps to improve systems and services. The VSE process built further capacity in
staff and the approaches used have been embedded into future quality improvement
processes. Leadership and capacity for improvement were discussed during the
second phase of the VSE. Plans were clearly identified in relation to team-building
for the extended senior management team to enable the changing team to move
forward together.
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Looking ahead
The VSE enabled senior officers, staff and partners to work together on focused
themes and embed these approaches into other aspects of continuous improvement.
Staff and partners are committed to building on the very positive and effective
services they deliver to continue to have the best possible impacts on learners of all
ages. Effective, high-quality professional dialogue helped VSE teams to arrive at a
challenging set of aspects for improvement, many of which are already underway.
Some issues which arose during the process in relation to building more effective
staff relationships are being taken forward through planned team-building
approaches and the shared risk assessment of the authority.
Next steps
HM Inspectors are confident that staff and partners delivering education in
Renfrewshire Council have the skills, systems and processes in place to support
continuous improvement. They know themselves well and have a clear plan for
improvement, much of which is detailed in the authority’s VSE report and the
education and leisure services’ service improvement plan. Education Scotland will
work collaboratively with senior staff to support them in the delivery of their
improvement plan. A Partnership Agreement will be drawn up between Education
Scotland and Renfrewshire Council to identify areas for joint work and support.
Maureen Mallon
HM Inspector
Education Scotland
Insert publication date
How can you contact us?
Should you wish to comment on any aspect of validated self-evaluation you
should write to Mr Alastair Delaney, Strategic Director, at Education Scotland,
Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston,
EH54 6GA. Alternatively, if your query is related to this report, you may also
write to Mr David Martin, Chief Executive, Renfrewshire Council, Renfrewshire
House, Cotton Street, Paisley, PA1 1WB.
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