School-Led improvement System Grant Application
Essex County Council in partnership with Essex Primary Heads Association, Association of
Secondary Heads in Essex, Essex Special Schools Education Trust and Essex School
Governors Association have come together to support the formation of formal school1-led
improvement partnerships of schools across the county. This new strategic approach to school
improvement in Essex is based upon the clear core principle that schools are responsible for
their own improvement and that schools working together is proven to be the most effective
way of securing rapid and sustained improvement. There is a moral imperative for schools to
work together and support each other including working with partners from other sectors
including Early Years to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and young people
across the county. The implementation of the strategy is overseen by the Essex School-led
Improvement System Project Board2.
To support the formation of school-led improvement partnerships, the Essex School-led
Improvement System Project Board recognises that potential partnerships between schools
and other sector partners including Early Years may require support to move from an informal
way of working to a more formal approach where schools in the partnership are signed up to a
common vision and outcomes, bound by collective responsibility, where data is openly shared
and schools are holding each other to account for the collective outcomes for children and
young people across the partnership.
Essex County Council is providing pump-priming funding to further strengthen and develop the
formation of school-led improvement partnerships. Partnerships can bid for funding and there
is an expectation that the formed partnership will provide match-funding in kind.
The maximum amount a partnership can bid for is £25,000.
Funding is available to existing partnerships2 and it will be recognised by the Essex School-led
Improvement System Project Board that when applying for funding the partnership may not
have all aspects of the checklist in place but will be looking for an intention and plan for how
these aspects will be achieved by the partnership.
The Standards and Excellence team together with the professional associations will undertake
visits in order to assess the impact the money has had on delivering the intended outcomes of
the partnership.
Applications should be submitted to Nicola Woolf email: Nicola.woolf@essex.gov.uk and they
will be considered by the Essex School-led Improvement System Project Board. We will
ensure representatives have no conflict of interest amongst any of the panel members
involved with the decision.
If you have any questions about your application please contact Nicola Woolf at
Nicola.woolf@essex.gov.uk. Telephone: 07872 869522
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Refers to all schools either maintained or academy
includes school and governor representatives, the Chelmsford and Brentwood diocese, Teaching School
Alliances and the Local Authority
3 This does not include existing partnerships that already receive LA funding which are the Basildon Excellence Panel, the
Harlow Education Panel and the five clusters formed across the Tendring District
2 Membership
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It is recognised the context of each partnership will be unique and varied; therefore the
checklist for partnerships is for use within their defining contexts. Prior to applying for funding
partnerships will need to consider the following checklist as these form part of the application
process.
1. Management and Governance
a) Size and number of schools in the partnership (Suggested size of between 10
and 20 schools)*
b) Cross phase – pre-school, primary, secondary, special
c) Engagement with Teaching School Alliances
d) Agreed common vision – view of education as a through-put system
e) Agreed collective targets and outcomes
f) Terms of reference/memorandum of understanding
g) Chair – This could either be an independent chair or current Headteacher
h) How this work will be co-ordinated
i) Process for formal sign up to the partnership
(Partnership agreement/ Memorandum of Understanding (MoU))
j) Data sharing protocols in place
2. Priorities and outcomes
a) Auditing current strengths and areas of development of each school in the
partnership
b) Identifying common priorities for improvement
c) Improving outcomes for groups of pupils across the partnership
d) Joint curriculum development opportunities
e) Joint CPD and research opportunities
f) Transition between phases and schools
g) Leadership development
h) Structure for Peer reviews
i) Governor development and models of governance
j) Joint recruitment for teachers
k) Ofsted support
l) Mentoring opportunities
m) Education business links
3. Monitoring and accountability
a) Process for sharing progress of schools
b) Process for monitoring the impact of partnership work
c) Success criteria and targets
d) Process for funding activities
e) Protocols for sharing resources
f) Initial plans for how partnership will be sustainable beyond the pump priming
* It is recognised that partnerships may be smaller or larger than this, if smaller we would expect an intention that
the partnership will grow, if larger the partnership may wish to consider sub groups within it.
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School Led improvement System Grant Application Form
General information
Names of Schools within the Partnership:
Partnership locality:
Contact name and school submitting the bid:
Telephone number of contact:
Email address of contact:
Name of link Standards and Excellence Commissioner/s to the schools in the
partnership:
Please provide an outline/introduction of your school partnership ie if you already
collaborate on projects, meet/work together, have a track record/history of partnership
working etc (no more than 300 words)
What are the agreed intended outcomes/vision for the partnership?
*Either enter text in box ‘evidence in place’ or ‘how/when this will be achieved’
Management and
Governance
* evidence in place
Write how this criteria is being
met/undertaken already
*how/when this will be
achieved
If criteria not in place how and
when do you intend to
achieve this?
Involvement of Cross
phase – pre-school,
primary, secondary,
special
Engagement with
Teaching School Alliances
Agreed common vision –
view of education as a
through-put system
Agreed collective targets
and outcomes
Use of FFT Aspire Collaborate to
analyse partnership data and set targets
3
Terms of
reference/memorandum of
understanding
Chair – independent chair
or Headteacher
How this work will be coordinated
Process for formal sign up
to the partnership
Data sharing protocols in
place
Priorities and outcomes
* evidence in place
*how/when this will be
achieved’
* evidence in place
*how/when this will be
achieved’
Auditing current strengths and
areas of development of each
school in the partnership
Identifying common priorities
for improvement
Improving outcomes for
groups of pupils across the
partnership
Joint curriculum development
opportunities
Joint CPD and research
opportunities
Transition between phases
and schools
Leadership development
Structure for Peer reviews
Governor development and
models of governance
Joint recruitment for teachers
Ofsted support
Mentoring opportunities
Education business links
Monitoring and
accountability
Process for sharing progress
of schools
Process for monitoring the
impact of partnership work
Success criteria and targets
Process for funding activities
Protocols for sharing
resources
Initial plans for how
partnership will be
sustainable beyond the pump
priming
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How much is the partnership bidding for? (maximum available £25,000)
How does the partnership intend to use the money?
Is there an agreement from all the schools in the partnership to provide the equivalent
of the funding in kind? Eg Existing resources and time
What impact will this funding have?
What will the success criteria be?
How will this be evaluated?
I confirm that this bid has the approval of all the schools in the partnership and their
Governing Bodies and that the partnerships financial contribution has been secured
and will be available for this purpose should this bid be successful.
Headteacher and Chair of Governors delegated to submit bid on behalf of the
partnership
Signature ______________________________ Date __________
Headteacher
Signature ______________________________ Date __________
Chair of Governors
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NOTES
1. There will be windows to apply for funding Early September 2015, November 2015,
February 2016 and March 2016. The applications will be considered by a sub group of
the Project Governance group
2. Funding will be made to the school submitting the bid on behalf of the partnership
3. The partnership will be held to account for the use of the funding by the Essex SchoolLed Improvement System Project Board
4. If an application is unsuccessful, feedback will be given and the partnership can apply
again in the next window
5. It is recognised that over time the membership of the partnership will change, these
changes will need to be approved by the Essex School-Led Improvement System
Project Board
6. Dates for first window of applications
 Bid due back to Nicola Woolf by 30th September 2015
 Sub group of the Essex School-Led Improvement System Project Board will
consider bids week beginning the 5th October 2015
 Partnerships learn outcome of bid 9th October 2015
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