Project Report: Developing a Sustainable Model for the Future
Delivery of School Improvement in Wakefield
Background
The Schools White Paper published in 2010, entitled ‘The Importance of Teaching’, set a
clear direction of travel for a more autonomous school system in which the greater
responsibility for school improvement rests with schools themselves.
‘The primary responsibility for improvement rests with schools, and the wider system should
be designed so that our best schools and leaders can take on greater responsibility.’ (The
Schools White Paper 2010)
Since the publication of the White Paper, many local authorities have worked in partnership
with their local school leaders to create new models for the delivery of school improvement,
recognising that school autonomy, within a system of high professional standards and clear
accountabilities can lead to improved school performance and outcomes for children and
young people.
‘Local authorities still have a critical role to play in a school-led improvement system, in
particular through creating an ‘enabling environment’ within which collaboration can flourish.’
(House of Common Select Committee Fourth Report of Session 2013–14: ‘School Partnerships and
Cooperation’)
There is a growing consensus that there needs to be what might be called a ‘strategic
alliance’ across a local area. However, there is no blue print, such alliances have to be
appropriate to local circumstances. Strategic alliances only work where they have the
consent and active participation of the operational partnerships formed by schools in the
area. Recent research by the NFER has identified common features of different local
approaches. These were:
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a shared moral purpose (and sometimes expressed within a formal, legal agreement);
a vision and strategy for teaching and learning;
clear roles and accountabilities between parties;
an agreed framework for school to school support; and
processes for evaluation, challenge and accountability in respect of school
performance
(‘What works in enabling school improvement? The role of the Middle Tier’, April 2013)
This research formed the background to the development work undertaken in Wakefield
during the spring term 2014.
Introduction
In January 2014, Wakefield Council commissioned a team of Navigate consultants to
undertake a project to develop a sustainable model for the future delivery of school
improvement in Wakefield. This report provides a brief account of the development work
undertaken and the outcomes; a proposal to create a Wakefield Strategic Alliance for school
improvement.
The project was divided into 3 phases:
1) to consult with a cross sample of headteachers to consider their views on school
improvement support and a future school led model within Wakefield;
2) to establish a reference group of headteachers to work with the Navigate team to
develop the model; and
3) to consult with headteachers on the proposed model and future next steps.
Phase 1; Initial Consultation
Local authority officers identified 18 schools for visits during the first phase of the project. A
further 5 were added to the list to ensure coverage of the range of partnerships, multiacademy trusts and pyramids across the district. Of these 23 schools, 21 headteachers
agreed to meet with one of the Navigate consultants and a school visit was arranged.
The interviews with headteachers focused on the following key aspects:
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the current LA strategy for school improvement
•
how the school is currently challenged to improve outcomes
•
partnership working eg within a MAT or the pyramid to improve outcomes
•
the school’s involvement in school to school support
•
ideas about a future model for school improvement
The outcomes of these interviews were fed back to a Headteacher Briefing at Woolley Hall in
mid- February. In particular, headteachers expressed the following views. They want:
•
to be part of the solution – to support the LA in regaining credibility and to improve
outcomes /standards of attainment across the District
•
to work towards some common district-wide goals
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a school led model, working in partnership with the LA
•
a collaborative model for school improvement that is about developing systems
leadership for the benefit of all children and young people in Wakefield
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a rigorous school improvement model that provides both challenge and support
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a change of culture that will enable more collaborative working; and
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recognise the need for some form of overarching strategic alliance to provide
coherence and strategic direction to school improvement.
A proposal to establish a Headteacher Reference Group to work on Phase 2 of the project
met with broad support and a number of headteachers at the meeting volunteered to be part
of this initial development phase.
Phase 2: Developing the model
Fifteen headteachers joined the Navigate team for two one-day workshops. The reference
group took as its starting point the assumption that any new model for school improvement
would need to be 'for schools by schools’. Their work focused initially on the vision, values
and operating principles for the new model and how it could build on the existing good
practice within the various school partnerships and collaboratives across the District.
The outcome of this first workshop was the expression of a strong, collective ambition for all
the children and young people of the Wakefield District to achieve their best, for all schools
to be at least good schools and a commitment to work in partnership with other schools and
the local authority to improve the quality of teaching and learning.
The group proposed the creation of a strategic alliance for schools whose purpose would be
to achieve the vision for improving schools in Wakefield. By joining this alliance, schools
would be committing themselves to a particular way of working with each other and with the
local authority; one in which school leaders accept responsibility for raising standards across
the District and act with a collective sense of purpose around the agreed vision and values.
A working title of the ‘Wakefield Strategic Alliance’ was proposed.
The second workshop focused on the role and terms of reference for the Wakefield Strategic
Alliance, its relationship to the local authority and how schools would receive challenge and
support under this new model.
The reference group proposed that the Wakefield Strategic Alliance (WSA) would be an
organisation for schools, led by headteachers, to which the Local Authority can delegate
responsibility for challenge and support. The WSA would be constituted as a legal
partnership or a company limited by guarantee. It would ensure effective school to school
challenge and support by providing (or commissioning) appropriate quality assurance for
school partnerships, developing models of rigorous peer review, and helping school
partnerships commission high quality support.
The WSA would have a key role in helping schools (particularly primary schools) to develop
the capacity required for peer challenge and support. This would be achieved by delegating
existing resources for school improvement, pooling funding from schools (subscription) and
supporting strategic planning by school partnerships.
The members of the WSA would be individual schools in Wakefield and the conditions of
membership would include the requirement that schools are also members of a school
partnership offering challenge and support for school improvement. Members of the WSA
should also be prepared for their performance information to be shared with other schools
and the local authority.
The group agreed that the local authority is the key strategic partner of the WSA with whom
it undertakes the core business of school improvement.
The outcomes of these two workshops are fully reflected in the proposed model for the
Wakefield Strategic Alliance as set out in Appendices 1 and 2 to this report.
Phase 3: Consultation
The first stage of the consultation took place at the annual Wakefield Headteacher
Conference in York on Thursday 3rd April. Navigate consultants and headteacher
representatives from the Reference Group presented the proposed model for a Wakefield
Strategic Alliance for school improvement. It was openly acknowledged that much further
development work was needed in order to address a number of key questions such as the
resourcing of the model and the capacity needed to develop a school led system.
Participants at the conference, working in discussion groups, were asked to feed back their
views on the vision and values for the WSA, the proposed core operating principles and
whether or not they supported a wider, formal consultation with all headteachers in the
District on the proposed model.
Initial feedback from the conference was generally very positive with the vast majority
supporting the group’s proposal to consult formally with all headteachers.
Group
discussions at the conference also raised a number of important questions to be addressed
in the next development phase, such as how the WSA will be formally constituted, its
relationship to existing school partnerships, how the proposed business model for the WSA
will operate (funding streams), how school to school support will be coordinated and quality
assured, specialist support such as SEN and the role of the LA and of the Teaching Schools
Alliances. All are key issues which would form the basis for the next stage of development
work.
Between the 1st and 15th May a formal consultation with headteachers took place using
Survey Monkey. The purpose of the consultation was to seek confirmation from
headteachers that the LA should move to the next stage of development for the proposed
Wakefield Strategic Alliance. The consultation also sought feedback from headteachers on
the issues which they thought needed to be addressed in the next development stage.
QUESTIONNAIRE
1. Do you agree that the LA should undertake the next stage of development work
on the proposed Wakefield Strategic Alliance?
YES/NO
(delete as
appropriate)
2. What issues do you think should be examined at the next stage of
development?
Response to the consultation
The survey was sent to 144 headteachers; 44 responded. A response rate of 30.5%.
The vast majority (96%) agreed that the LA should undertake the next stage of development
work.
A number of issues were identified by headteachers, echoing many of the points raised by
the Reference Group and by participants at the Wakefield Headteacher Conference. These
issues fell broadly within 4 key headings:
1. The proposed business model and funding streams
2. Role and responsibilities of the WSA, its structure, terms of reference,
communications between schools and the LA and its governance
3. Quality assurance processes viz. school to school support, challenge & review
processes, effective match of needs to support etc
4. Capacity issues for a school led model viz. of school leaders to provide school to
school support without detriment to their own school
Of the very few responses opposed to the further development of the WSA model, the
concerns related to a fear of ‘obtrusive monitoring’ by the WSA which would result in local
school partnerships being ‘directed’ by the WSA. This is a concern that would need to be
considered and allayed by the next stage of development work.
Next Steps
A meeting of the reference group will be convened to agree a mechanism by which
Headteachers and governors can be engaged to flesh out the detail of the Wakefield School
Improvement model, responding to the four key issue areas described above.
It is anticipated that this ‘fleshing out’ will occur during the summer term 2014 and be ready
for formal consultation with schools and academies in the first part of the autumn 2014,
subject to corporate procedure rules. Should this be successful a launch date of late
2014/Jan 2015 is not unreasonable.