Feedback from first meeting of the School Improvement Board October 2018

1. Feedback from first meeting of the School Improvement Board October 2018

2. Agenda from first SIB meeting • Consider feedback from initial Area Group discussions • Review data on Key Stage 4 results and attendance and exclusions • Discuss priorities for improvement and where support might come from • Review potential Peer Review model

3. Feedback from Area Groups highlighted the importance of: Alignment - aligning Area Groups and other networks and projects, e.g. Senior Leaders’ Network, Behaviour and Attendance Partnerships Integration - integrating the expertise and capacity of Teaching Schools within the work of the Area Groups; aligning with EIPs Co-ordination - co-ordinating clearly the work of Area Groups and the Local Authority when supporting schools; making sure Area Group Chairs know about any support that is going into schools Balance - between securing some ‘quick wins’ and working to secure sustainable impact; agree what we want to achieve by end of year 1 Transparency – ensuring clarity about criteria for reviewing schools

4. We agreed to use FFT to set our overall ambition and to ask all schools to set their own FFT targets FFT 5 Schools above FFT 20 should be aiming to reach FFT 5 next FFT 20 Schools above FFT 50 should be aiming to reach FFT 20 next FFT 50 Schools currently below FFT 50 should be aiming to reach at least FFT 50 next Lowest performing similar school nationally

5. On priorities we started by discussing the priorities Area Groups had identified…

6. Of all the priorities identified building “exceptional leadership” at all levels was seen as most critical... • Area Groups identified priorities relating to specific aspects of leadership – particularly support for middle leadership and subject leadership. • SIB discussion developed from here and focused on the central importance of leadership in driving improvement across all priorities. • In particular SIB focused on the value and impact of Headteachers working together to support and challenge each other to undertake really accurate self-evaluation of where we are currently against each priority and what the precise improvement needs are in relation to each one • We agreed we wanted to ask Area Groups to consider for other priorities: • What they are already doing in their schools that is working • Where they could provide support to each other in accessing and developing strategies that make a difference and • What, if any, additional support county wide could add most value.

7. The other priorities identified by SIB for Area Groups to consider further at this stage were: • Securing further improvements in Maths • Raising Boys Achievement • Closing the gaps in outcomes for Pupil Premium and SEND pupils • Improving the curriculum offer and ensuring it works for all students • Improving attendance and reducing exclusions

8. Further analysis is needed in relation to each priority before SIB commissions any support

9. Further analysis is needed in relation to each priority before SIB commissions any support • This further analysis will help to define the actions that need to be taken and help to determine whether the needs, and therefore the solutions, are broadly the same in all areas or whether the solutions need to be differentiated by areas. • We hope that Area Groups can start this work today so that it can be considered and taken back to the SIB meeting on 1 Nov when the Board will need to take decisions about commissioning any support for 2018-19 • We have provided a consistent template across Area Groups to support this analysis and your own action planning. • We will also be working with the Teaching Schools Network to map out capacity and to identify possible further activity relevant to each priority

10. SIB then had an opportunity to look in more detail at a particular peer review model: SPP We wanted to get Area Groups feedback before making any decisions about commissioning support around Peer Review We think there are potentially 3 options to explore: To invest in supporting all schools who want to participate in the SPP To pilot the SPP locally with 2/3 groups of 3 schools each To develop a local peer review model based on the principles of SPP

11. About SPP A sector-led, cluster-based approach to school improvement that has worked with over 1,300 schools and larger local systems to date The model develops the capacity and culture needed for impactful cluster working through a continuous cycle of school self-review, peer review and school-to-school support and improvement

12. How does SPP lead to impact? • Creates a focused sense of urgency: SPP peer review culminates in the agreement of an improvement priority that is collectively addressed in a follow-up improvement workshop. • Effective partnerships and peers: SPP builds a culture of collective challenge and support. • Transparency of data: Schools involved in SPP have a data sharing agreement. • Non-punitive accountability: SPP is underpinned by a coaching culture focused on learning and growth not judgment, and on improving not proving. • Irresistible synergy: SPP is designed to be the engine that drives improvement within and between schools, that is not additional work but THE work of school improvement and the building of leader and teacher capacity at all levels. ‘If you want to change the group, use the group to change the group.’ - Michael Fullan

13. Key roles • Partnership lead • Link contact for the partnership and Education Development Trust • Ensures the partnership’s peer review schedule is on track • Peer reviewers / review team • Senior leaders • Peer reviews take place annually (as a minimum requirement) for each school within the partnership • Held over one to two days and, depending on the size of the school, involves between two to three reviewers • Improvement champions • Excellent and inspirational practitioners who can take a lead on aspects of school and partnership improvement • Facilitates the post-review workshop and supports development of the school action plan • Works with the partnership lead to monitor ongoing impact

14. Agenda for Area Group discussions Undertake further analysis in relation to each priority and start developing the action plan for your area group this year– SIB will look at and consider the action plans at its 1st November meeting to inform decisions about any county-wide activity and commissioning Discuss and identify any individual support needs for schools – AG Chairs and External Advisers will be asked to feed in their views about the categorisation of schools at the 1st November SIB meeting Agree your ways of working and further meeting dates –Area Groups need to agree the date and plan the agenda for their November/December meeting as there is no 11-19 meeting then Provide your feedback on the schools partnership programme– please give us a view of which option you think would be best and if want to go ahead which schools are interested in participating in Yr1 ·         

15. Template for Area Group Action Plans ·