School Assurance

Overview

The Local Authority offers schools external support and challenge from a Quality Education Professional, who is either a serving or former headteacher or equivalent. This is not a traditional service level agreement at a fixed cost, but a bespoke, negotiated package of support tailored to the school's requirements.

The school based support is linked to the key elements of improving the quality of education and leadership and management.

The Local Authority provides a termly agenda which can be adapted to meet each school's needs.

What the service provides

• Review meetings to assist schools in identifying needs and priorities including signposting/ brokerage of specialist support including through the Local Authority
• Quality assurance of self-evaluation processes including joint monitoring of the quality of education
• External review of the school's performance data
• Inspection support
• Performance management including external advice to appointed governors for head teacher performance management
• Bespoke activity to meet schools' needs

Please note:

• Support for recruitment and selection can be sourced through the Quality Education Professional offer.
• In maintained schools the LA has a 'right to be represented' at senior leader appointments. This advice will be provided at no cost
• Local Authority - LA Quality Standards and Performance Officer support for recruitment e.g. preparation of tasks, activities and/ or questions will be chargeable at the Quality Education Professional daily rate.

Benefits to your school

Quality Education Professionals assist schools with their self-evaluation by providing tailored support and challenge for:

• School improvement
• Validation of systems and processes
• External advice and guidance for senior leaders

Costs

The daily rate is shown on the price list sent to Bury schools.

Additional information

All our Quality Education Professionals are either DBS - Disclosure and Barring Service checked or have confirmed pre-employment checks. They are either serving or former headteachers. Training is provided termly and their work is quality assured.

Schools can be supported by more than one partner depending on expertise and need.

Overview

The Local Authority offers a service that will support schools in analysing a wide range of pupil performance data at school and pupil level for self evaluation/improvement planning purposes and in preparation for Ofsted inspections. This includes:

• The provision of an executive school education profile
• Access to Perspective Lite

 Summary of what the service provides

• Access to NCER Realtime reports, interrogate your school’s latest data by choosing parameters for bespoke Key Stage reports
• Production of full school and local data assessment analysis booklets on an annual basis
• Production of twice yearly executive School Education Profile
• Support prior to and during Ofsted inspections
• Collection and analysis of non-statutory pupil performance data in Nursery (on entry and end of year), Reception (on entry) and KS1 teacher assessment
• Production of electronic individual pupil reports for Key Stage 2 and Phonics results
• Production of electronic school analysis reports for EYFS, Phonics, KS1, MTC and KS2
• Production of reports for inclusion in school prospectus for end of KS2
• Electronic transfer of KS2 results to high schools
• Attendance data summary report
• ASP reports published on Perspective Lite
• IDSR reports published on Perspective Lite
• Telephone helpline and support on all of the above

 Benefits to your school

• Schools will have access to detailed and timely pupil performance data including school, local data and national figures, performance of vulnerable groups and year on year progress throughout the school
• This service will help schools to identify strengths and areas for development for self evaluation and improvement planning purposes
• Support in identifying where improvements need to be made to aid early intervention

 Costs

For Primary schools this is based on a flat rate plus per pupil charge.

For Secondary schools the SLA available is Y7 Transition Data (KS2 results).

Overview

The Service makes provision for a Clerk to be provided by the Local Authority to attend one meeting of the Governing Board per term, together with the electronic distribution of meeting papers, and administrative support linked to the clerking package.

Alternatively, the Service can provide papers only, distributed electronically, and allow schools to appoint their own Clerk.

What the Service provides

• Identification of specific agenda items and preparation of individual school agendas
• Collation of agendas, reports, minutes and issue of these to all Governors
• Preparation and typing of minutes and forwarding to the Headteacher and Chair of Governors as soon as possible after the meeting
• Initiation of action on items arising from decisions of the Governing Board and reporting back on such items
• Arrange where appropriate for resolutions to be reported to the Executive Committee (Children and Young People)
• Correspondence on behalf of the Governing Board on issues discussed at termly meetings
• Ensure compliance with regulatory changes with regard to the Constitution of Governing Bodies of Maintained Schools statutory regulations
• Correspond with various agencies regarding membership and vacancies

Benefits to your school

Statutory and other agenda items will be identified and included for consideration on appropriate agendas.

Agendas and supporting documents will be distributed to Governors electronically within the statutory timescale for receipt of documents, currently at least seven clear days prior to the Governing Board meeting.

Costs

Prices vary depending on the level of service purchased and are included in the price list sent to schools.

Overview

The Local Authority (LA) supports schools to ensure that they administer the statutory assessments and reporting arrangements appropriately.

This includes offering training and advice on statutory assessment, moderation of teacher assessments, undertaking monitoring visits and in respect of access arrangements.

The LA has a statutory responsibility to monitor the administration of the tests.

What the service provides

Core Service (Statutory):

• Moderating and monitoring statutory national curriculum assessments
• Advice on all aspects of statutory assessment and brokerage of training
• Guidance materials
• Dedicated leads for each key stage, accredited annually by STA
• Liaison with Standards and Testing Agency (STA) and Department for Education (DfE)
• Telephone and email advice when it is needed

Traded Service (Non Statutory):

The following aspects can be added to the Core Service should the capacity of Local Authority moderators allow:

• Support from a Key Stage 1 or Key Stage 2 Moderator
• Second opinion moderator for KS1 or KS2 (where appropriate or requested)

Benefits to your school

• Access to skilled and knowledgeable staff with up to date knowledge of National Curriculum Assessment procedures and statutory requirements
• A quality assurance system and any liaison with the STA, DfE and related agencies

Costs

The daily rate for non-statutory support is shown on the price list sent to Bury schools.

Academies will be charged for the core services.

Additional information

The Traded Service is available to schools which are not included in the sample identified to meet the LA's statutory responsibility.