The Suffolk Learning Partnership

“Stronger Together”

Draft Vision First Year Priorities Structure

PRESENTATION TO SUFFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL

FEBRUARY 6TH 2014Prepared by

Suffolk’s Primary & Secondary Headteachers, FE Leaders & Governors Following consensus-building phase 1

September 2013 to January 2014

The Suffolk Learning Partnership

“No School is an Island” Report May 2013

Recommendation 2:

“Foster a county-wide change in leadership through a new school- led Suffolk Partnership

for Excellence in Learning”

The Suffolk Learning PartnershipWho are we?

• Anna Richards Headteacher - Ixworth Primary School• Simon Whitney Headteacher - St Christopher’s PRU• Shaun Common Headteacher - Copleston High School• Alison Earle Headteacher - Barrow Primary School • Nigel Burgoyne - Headteacher Kesgrave High School• Barbara Beaton – Head of Faculty HE/Academic Partnerships

West Suffolk College• Howard Lay – Principal Samuel Ward Academy Trust• Sarah Rees Headteacher - Great Barton Primary School• Madeleine Vigar Principal - The Castle Partnership Academy

Trust

The Suffolk Learning PartnershipHow have we got to this point?

Consensus - Building Phase 1 (Sept 2013 – Jan 2014)

• Primary and Secondary Headteacher Workshops• Engaging with Associations eg: SASH, SPHA• Suffolk primary & secondary school visits• Hackney schools visits• Meetings with SCC Officers• Engaging with the National College – Charlie Taylor• Discussions with HMI

The Suffolk Learning PartnershipHow have we got to this point?

Consensus - Building Phase 1 (Sept 2013 – Jan 2014)

• Engaging with governors• Meetings with Suffolk Learning Improvement

Service Advisors• Raising the Bar board meetings• Meetings with Eastern Region National Leaders of

Education• Learning Walk with Cllr Lisa Chambers

Sue Cook, Director CYPat LA Meeting with Secondary Headteachers

on November 21st 2013

“We have an opportunity…..

“We need to shift our thinking, knowledge & expertise to be distributed throughout the school system”

“We have to think seriously together about how the interface with the new LIS works with the Learning Partnership”

New Schools Service Provider

Learning Partnership

Statutory Roles•Statutory leadership + outcomes for all children•Held accountable for all schools•Identifying failings schools and planning to turn round, intervention and IEBs as required if schools plans not robust•Intelligence and performance evaluation, categorisation of schools, challenge.•Academy conversion•Budget setting, monitoring, and intervention if required•Place planning, admissions, free school meals•Transport policy• Capital planning, and commissioning delivery form Concertus or others•SOR•Statutory SEN•Statutory inclusion

Funded from base budget and retained DSG

Raising attainment in partnership• Ownership of RTB implementation• Curriculum design, Suffolk BAC•Families of schools Brokerage of partnerships, Peer challenge•Joint vision and strategy•System leadership•Over time management of resources e.g. challenge fund

Funds to be determined but suggest £1 m of DSG (intervention fund) as start, plus profit share from arms length trader

Traded Services to schools• HR• ICT• Broadband• Finance trader services• Property maintenance (tba)• Governor Services• Traded LIS, including data• Banking• Insurance• EWOs (to academies)• Workforce development functions •Others???

Funded entirely from trading income from schools and others. No contribution or subsidy from base or DSG

Schools (includes academies)

Autonomous, responsible for their own improvement, have delegated budgets

Funds from DSG – about £380 million

StatutoryService Delivery

“Life can be understood only backwards, but it must be lived forwards”

- Soren Kierkegaard -

Consensus Building

Phase 1Sept ‘13 – Jan ’14

Suffolk Secondary Headteachers working

with Hackney Secondary School Headteachers

November 2013

Consensus Building Phase 1 (Sept ‘13 – Jan ’14)

Headteacher Workshops

“Life can be understood only backwards, but it must be lived forwards”

- Soren Kierkegaard -

Secondary HT Workshop Nov 13 Primary HT Workshop Dec 13

Secondary Headteachers Workshop November 27th 2013

Vision Wordle

Primary Headteachers Workshop December 9th 2013

Vision Wordle

Successful change involves…

The Suffolk Learning Partnership ProposalsDRAFT

 Our Vision

 The Suffolk Learning Partnership will foster collective responsibility for the lifelong

learning of all children and young people in Suffolk. Leaders and teachers will model the pride and ambition we seek for all students, improving outcomes for all groups of

learners. There will be renewed respect for education in Suffolk. We will be a sustainable, outward-looking Learning Partnership that raises outcomes for all by:

• Embracing change• Building and sharing the excellent resources, including leadership skills, within our schools

and colleges• Being accountable to our communities and to one another• Building strong partnerships that increase confidence and provide challenge• Developing effective relationships between individuals, institutions and communities• Providing a rich environment which attracts and supports high quality staff

First Year Priorities 

• Develop a structure for system-led leadership, driven by educational specialists• Create a Leadership, Training, Recruitment & Educational Research Academy (physical &

virtual), supporting the work of Teaching Schools and HE providers• Further develop Peer Challenge • Design and implement a web presence to improve communication across all Suffolk

schools

 

Structure

a) The relationship with the LA-traded service (Schools Choice) and statutory functions needs to be clearly defined. i.e. who is accountable for what?b) The structure must reflect the principle of System Leadership.

The Suffolk Learning Partnership will be a company limited by guarantee.The members of the Learning Partnership will be all schools (including academies & colleges) across Suffolk who will be voting members of the Learning Partnership. Members will have the power to appoint and dismiss Directors.The Board would consist of Non-Executive Board and Executive Board members. Exec Board members would lead the work of The Learning Partnership.

The BoardThis Board will consist of 16-20 members (Non-Exec and Exec) representing different educational phases and groups of schools/organisations across Suffolk. In addition, the structure could accommodate co-opted members.

(NB: It may be useful to present this diagram in a different way)

Executive BoardThis Board will consist of a full time Director and a team of 5 seconded practitioners from across the County; these practitioners will be appointed using criteria to be agreed.

Director e.g. 3-year fixed

term contractFull time

Early Yearse.g. 4-term secondment

with overlap for succession3 days a week

Primarye.g. 4-term secondment

with overlap for succession

3 days a week

Secondarye.g. 4-term secondment

with overlap for succession3 days a week

Special & PRUe.g. 4-term secondment

with overlap for succession3 days a week

Further & Higher Education

e.g. 4-term secondment with overlap for succession

3 days a week

This Executive Board members could be responsible for:• Improving teaching by bringing a coherent approach and new culture to Suffolk for teacher training and recruitment• Setting up a teaching, training, leadership and recruitment Academy • Setting clear expectations for schools in terms of standards and supporting in raising educational attainment• Brokerage of school-to-school support and growing a focussed number of successful initiatives and structures (e.g.

Peer Challenge, Families of Schools)• Monitoring data across schools and groups of schools• Visiting schools & early years providers, brokering and sharing good practice to ensure sustainable impact• Creating, leading and managing a web presence• Leading research and development e.g. on parental engagement• Stimulating bids for Challenge Fund and other external bids to raise standards• Communicating positive messages to all stakeholders

The Suffolk Learning Partnership ProposalsDRAFT

 Our Vision

 The Suffolk Learning Partnership will foster collective responsibility for the lifelong

learning of all children and young people in Suffolk. Leaders and teachers will model the pride and ambition we seek for all students, improving outcomes for all groups of

learners. There will be renewed respect for education in Suffolk. We will be a sustainable, outward-looking Learning Partnership that raises outcomes for all by:

• Embracing change• Building and sharing the excellent resources, including leadership skills, within our schools

and colleges• Being accountable to our communities and to one another• Building strong partnerships that increase confidence and provide challenge• Developing effective relationships between individuals, institutions and communities• Providing a rich environment which attracts and supports high quality staff

First Year Priorities 

• Develop a structure for system-led leadership, driven by educational specialists• Create a Leadership, Training, Recruitment & Educational Research Academy (physical &

virtual), supporting the work of Teaching Schools and HE providers• Further develop Peer Challenge • Design and implement a web presence to improve communication across all Suffolk

schools

 

Priorities: Tasks for immediate action

Brokering school to school support• Set up a Suffolk Learning Partnership system for

school to school support and sharing best practice with a subscription from schools

• Incorporate existing best practice from Families of Schools and Challenge Partners into the Suffolk Learning Partnership system

• Know our schools: Set up a War Room! Using Key Dials (self-evaluation tool) to engender a culture of transparency

Priorities: Tasks for immediate action

Suffolk Teacher Recruitment• Strengthen systems for Teacher recruitment and

developing the identity of Suffolk teachers: possible work with Hays – including a Teach First for Suffolk

• Set up a pool of teachers & leaders for Suffolk schools through Teaching School Alliances

• Implement a secondment scheme for teachers & leaders from outside Suffolk eg: Hackney

Priorities: Tasks for immediate action

Teacher Training• Strengthen teacher training by setting up

physical/virtual hubs possibly through Teaching School Alliances and the development of existing schemes. Work in partnership with FE and HE providers.

Priorities: Tasks for immediate actionCurriculum:

Numeracy• Develop existing Primary Advantage Maths & Maths

Mastery schemes across SuffolkCommunication Skills: • Implement similar schemes across Suffolk

Governors• Set up Governor Workshops to discuss and agree

Vision and priorities for the Suffolk Learning Partnership

Next Steps …..Move to Consensus Building Phase 2: Feb – April 2014• Second a Primary Headteacher to build consensus • Employ a legal consultant to secure the legal structure of

the Learning Partnership• Governor Workshops to build consensus• Headteacher Workshops to build consensus• Meetings with the C of E & RC Diocese representatives• Write a costed action plan for the Learning Partnership

(March to October 2014)• Devise criteria for Challenge Fund to support the growth

of specified Curriculum projects (eg Maths Advantage, Maths Mastery)

Next Steps …..• Meetings with Hays recruitment – a Suffolk Teach First

system?• Consideration of situation of Physical hubs for teacher

training, including rural areas • Set up a physical “War Room”• Discuss the implementation of a Key Dials (self evaluation

tool) system• Meetings to extend and incorporate Peer Challenge• Meetings to extend and incorporate Family of Schools• Discussions with SPHA regarding joint conferences for

Headteachers • SASH Conference “Stronger Together” July 4th – joint Primary

& Secondary Headteachers sessions

The Suffolk Learning Partnership“Stronger

Together”

“Life can be understood only backwards, but it must be lived forwards”

- Soren Kierkegaard -