Agenda item

Report of the Cabinet Member, Learning and Skills

The Select Committee considered the progress of educational achievement in Staffordshire for the period September 2014 to August 2015. Staffordshire showed a positive direction of travel in terms of the percentage of schools judged as Good or Outstanding with the target of 80% of schools receiving these judgements by September 2015 being exceeded (81% of Staffordshire schools received Good or Outstanding judgments). The number of Staffordshire pupils therefore receiving a good or outstanding education had also improved, with an increase of 13% since 2012. Attainment levels and progress in Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage (KS) 1 were excellent and continued to outperform national levels of performance.

The focus for 2015/16  was around KS2 and KS4 where although progress had been made, Staffordshire Schools needed to accelerate improvements to gain ground in the rates of progress achieved by Staffordshire’s statistical neighbours and nationally. Work was also needed to help tackle variations in attainment between districts and for different pupil groups, such as those eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) or Pupil Premium (PP). The approach to school improvement had evolved with a range of agencies now pulled in to support change. There were many dimensions to school improvement , with the leadership and management of schools being critical to success.

Further focus  was also required in Post 16 where results at A level and equivalent needed to improve in order to close a widening gap between Staffordshire and national figures. A review of Further Education (FE) was currently being undertaken. Indications showed that there were too many providers with the same or very similar offer and there was a need to get rid of much of this duplication. There also appeared to be too many small school sixth forms only able to offer a limited number of courses. The Select Committee may wish to consider this area in more detail, specifically considering the review findings.

Members asked for clarification on the current status of the Stafford Collegiate Sixth Form. Walton High School had indicated they were leaving the Collegiate to operate their sixth form independently.  Charities and Trust funding supported the use of the Chetwynd Centre by the Collegiate but there had been some concern that this funding, which was intended for general maintenance of the Centre, had not been used for this purpose. Changes to school status, with academies and federations, may impact on the future of the Collegiate. Discussions were also taking place with Wolverhampton University on the possibility of sponsoring a 14-19 school. A review was being undertaken to agree a sustainable way forward for Further Education and it was hoped that details of this would be available within the next six months.

Members asked for assurances that Walton High School would no longer receive Charities and Trust funding intended for the Collegiate. Whilst it was anticipated this would be the case, the decision for  allocating this funding lay with the Charities and Trust Committee.

Members asked for future reports to include comparison figures for statistical neighbours and the national average, to help Members understand the context of attainment in Staffordshire. They noted a draft outcomes plan, “Excellent Schools Outcome Plan”, was being produced and suggested an action plan rather than outcomes was required. There were a large number of participants in school improvement, with all of these needing to have ownership of the outcomes. For this reason  the outcomes needed to be agreed early on as not every outcome would be delivered by an action of the County Council. A detailed action plan would then be developed to establish how the outcomes were achieved.

Members asked how the local authority influenced school improvement in academies where they had no direct power to insist on change. The Authority worked in a range of different ways and whilst they had no intervention role with academies, academies remained part of the local partnership of Staffordshire schools. Best practice within schools was promoted and shared irrespective of the school’s status. Work was undertaken to maintain a dialogue with academy sponsors and where concerns were not addressed the Regional Schools Commissioner would be informed. The role of the Regional Schools Commissioner had grown and their office expanded. Work was currently underway to produce a national protocol on ways of working together, in particular around school improvement, safeguarding, place planning, school organisation and growth. This relationship was key, with all parties having a shared interest in achieving the best education for Staffordshire learners.

The Cabinet Member, Learning and Skills, informed Members that the local authority had a role to play in the process of selecting academy sponsors. It was essential that the right sponsor was in place and this would then help future relationships.

The importance of good leadership and governance was reiterated and Members asked whether the school improvement team had the capacity to ensure there was effective governance in schools. Governing bodies needed a range of different skills to develop their changing role. There was a focus on supporting and equipping governing bodies to fulfil the new roles and responsibilities. Part of the recent dialogue with governing bodies was around the requirement for them to be reconstituted. Peer to peer support networks allowed sharing of good practice. Being a school governor was a huge commitment and it was important to remember that governors were volunteers. It was essential to ensure the right level of governor support and training was available and that schools invested in this.

The Select Committee asked how pupil premium monies were used to support improvements in English. The Committee had previously received a paper on pupil premium funding. Payments were made directly to schools, with the funding following the pupil. Schools were required to publish how their pupil premium funding was used. Evidence showed that this funding was making a difference. Good governors should be aware of how pupil premium funding was used in their schools and challenge its use if improvements weren’t shown. Entrust had been commissioned to undertake a review of pupil premium funding and examples of best practice case studies would be shared across the County.

The definition of a “coasting” school was being changed, and Members asked how many Staffordshire schools were likely to be caught in this new definition. The Cabinet Member stated this was a key strategy for the Government and a significant driver for organisation and structural change. A different level of scrutiny came into play for those schools now considered to be coasting. The definition was still under consultation so at present it was difficult to establish how many Staffordshire schools it would affect. Staffordshire undertook an internal audit of school performance which enabled a clearer picture of performance between Ofsted inspections and helped schools analyse themselves effectively. The timely and thorough data available to schools enabled any areas for development to be identified early.  

RESOLVED – That:

a)    Progress of Educational Achievement in Staffordshire during September 2014 – August 2015 be noted;

b)    the results of the Post 16 Review be included on the Work Programme; and,

c)    Members scrutinise the action plan associated with the Excellent Schools Outcome Plan at a later date.