Developing new models of school improvement

One of the topics to be addressed at the Raising Standards and Attainment in Education Across Northern England forum will focus on the evolving role of local authorities in education, and specifically on developing new models of school improvement.

Amanda Hatton, Director of Children’s Services, and Steve Belbin, Head of Services at Lancashire City Council will discuss at length what is possible and we look forward to hearing what they have to say.

The pair is expected to discuss several topics, some of which we have outlined below:

The Lancashire Grid for Learning

Providing a variety of education resources, managed services and content, the Lancashire Grid for Learning has been set up to help provide valuable support to schools. The event will look at how the additional guidance and resources on offer through the Grid have been able to help provide valuable support to teachers.

Covering a variety of subjects, teachers are able to download information about courses to improve their own knowledge, schemes of work, find links to other useful sites that may help with lesson planning, or discover new activities and a host of other resources.

By providing teachers with the training needed to improve their knowledge of the curriculum and general skills, as well as the necessary resources to create engaging and exciting lessons, the Lancashire Grid for Learning is a way of local authorities providing valuable support and resources to those within education.

Raising standards and attainment

Under the Government’s one-nation agenda – which is based on the idea that every child should have the opportunity to attend a great school and secure a bright future – local authorities in the North are working together to raise both standards and attainment throughout education.

There are a growing number of academies and free schools across the North of England, directly overseen and funded by the Department of Education, whilst many others are being given greater freedom to implement their own ideas and way of working.

Via the Teaching and Leadership Fund, an extra £75 million is being invested by the Government to improve standards and social mobility, as well as to bridge the gap between regions.

The future of school improvement is based on each school’s ability to support others successfully, such as by sharing best practice, for example. While acting as brokers, local authorities are able to establish effective school-to-school partnerships to address underperformance.

Early identification

Identifying areas to develop and improve has been a key part of the education system and its development, and local authorities play a huge part in that. Regular progress meetings and the early identification of problems form key aspects of improving education and social mobility across the country.

Ofsted also plays a key role and regularly inspects council support for school improvement where it has concerns that local standards are low in comparison to schools in other areas.

Lancashire GTP Consortium

The North West and Lancashire GTP Consortium is a partnership between schools, Lancashire County Council and the University of Cumbria, as they work together to produce high-quality teachers.A strong partnership between all of those involved has enabled the Consortium to regularly make improvements to their training to ensure that the quality of teachers that passes through remains as high as possible.

Inside Government are hoping to encourage debate and discussion around some of the key challenges facing the education sector. The latest senior policymakers will talk about new updates and initiatives which have been designed to close the education gap in the North of England.

Tradewind Recruitment will be at the Raising Standards and Attainment in Education Across Northern England forum on Tuesday 16 January. Amanda and Steve is expected to deliver her case study at 15.10 and we loved hearing her thoughts.