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In 2004-05, approximately £837 million was spent in England on a range of national programmes to help address problems in schools that were failing or at risk of failing to provide an acceptable standard of education for their pupils. Following on from a NAO report (HC 679, session 2005-06; ISBN 0102936633) published in January 2006, the Committee's report examines the activities of the DfES and Ofsted to identify and deal with poorly performing schools, to strengthen school leadership and to develop simpler relationships with schools. Findings include that, although the number of poorly performing schools has been reducing, there are still around 1,500 in England that are under-performing. Improvements in data on secondary school performance has helped to identify schools in decline at an earlier stage so that they can benefit from increased support, and similar improvement needs to be done at primary school level. The system of shorter Ofsted inspections, based on school self-evaluation of performance, may be appropriate for the majority of schools, but some schools are not evaluating themselves effectively and incentives needs to be created to help achieve this. School leadership is essential to achieving and maintaining improvements, and Ofsted reports need to diagnose any leadership problems in failing schools explicitly. Local authorities and other schools are important sources of support for struggling schools and there should be greater opportunities for schools to collaborate and share good practice.
In 2004-05, approximately £837 million was spent in England on a range of national programmes to help address problems in schools that were failing or at risk of failing to provide an acceptable standard of education for their pupils, and five new academies were opened with an estimated total development cost of around £160 million. This NAO report focuses on two key issues: whether enough is being done to identify and support schools that show signs of deteriorating performance; and whether the measures being taken to address poor performance are effective to ensure continued improvement in 'recovered' schools. The effectiveness of national initiatives and local actions are assessed and examples of good practice from schools that have been successfully turned around are highlighted. Recommendations made include the need for: the DfES and local authorities to combine efforts to identify schools at risk and intervene before schools fail; schools to prioritise school leadership and to establish a positive culture centred on teaching and learning; and Ofsted to carry out more frequent inspections of vulnerable or poorly performing schools.
No greater challenge faces our society than improving the educational opportunities for millions of young people trapped in chronically low-performing schools. Overcoming this challenge requires talented and dedicated school leaders whose knowledge and skills extend far beyond what is covered in conventional principal preparation programs. This book draws on extensive research by the author and others on the actions needed to turn around low-performing schools. First, however, the book examines the personal qualities needed to undertake the turnaround process. Following chapters provide guidelines on diagnosing the school-based causes of low achievement and developing a school turnaround plan. The author focuses on the importance of continuous planning – a departure from standard practice. A major portion of the book is devoted to examples of first-order and second-order strategies for raising achievement. Specific recommendations for launching the turnaround process and sustaining gains beyond the first years of turnaround are provided. The concluding chapter addresses the role of school districts in supporting school-based turnaround efforts.
Based on an OECD study of school leadership practices and policies around the world, this book identifies four policy levers and a range of policy options to help governments improve school leadership now and build sustainable leadership for the future.
An academy is a new type of school that is publicly funded, supported by one or more sponsors and operates independently of the local authority. Their aim is to raise achievement standards in deprived areas by replacing poorly performing schools. By 2006 46 were operating and there are plans for 200 academies to be opened by 2010. This report looks at the capital and running costs, new academy buildings, academic performance, their contribution to tackling social depravation, and the management of the programme. The value for money assessment is that academic progress means that the Academy programme is on track to deliver good value for money. However to achieve this goal it needs to pay attention both to managing the capital costs and the sustainability of funding and performance.
Authentic School Improvement for Authentic Leaders charts a full improvement journey of a school from a ‘Requires Improvement’ Ofsted rating, through a second, to a resounding ‘Good’. It reveals the impact that a school leader can have on the motivation and engagement of teachers, parents and pupils and how this translates not just to their overall happiness, but on academic standards and systemic, long-lasting school improvement whilst maintaining their own well-being. Bringing together a wide range of accessible and relatable school improvement practices, the chapters cover all aspects of school leadership, from operational systems to academic standards and staff morale to pupil numbers. Full of strategies, takeaways, observations and anecdotes, the book illustrates that being authentic and leading with integrity is possible for all and provides tangible results that may support positive Ofsted outcomes but are not driven by them. Including a Foreword by Ross Morrison McGill, this is essential reading for all headteachers and senior leaders in primary and secondary, mainstream and specialist, maintained and academy schools.
The United Kingdom General Election on 1st May 1997 gave a landslide victory to a re-vitalised Labour Party. Tony Blair became Prime Minister with a huge Commons majority of 179 over all other parties. Such a majority meant that extensive changes of policy could be implemented with little effective opposition. During the election campaign Tony Blair had repeatedly claimed that the top three priorities of a New Labour government would be 'education, education, education' , and on page two of the Labour Party's election manifesto a smiling Blair is seen with Nelson Mandela - the unacknowledged originator of the oratorical education triplet. Following a third Election victory in 2005 and after over ten years as Prime Minister, Blair finally stepped down to Gordon Brown in mid-2007, but only after a promotional ‘final tour’ that lasted several months. Towards the end, Blair devoted considerable efforts to try to ensure that his legacy would be positive and that he would be remembered for more than his role in the Iraq war. But what is his legacy in the field of education? This book brings together the assessments of key educational researchers who have been centrally involved with both the critique and implementation of various policy developments. It is now time to make a solid academic evaluation of his influence on education. This book is timely, and relates directly to the central policy themes of the last decade. It considers the relationships between theory and practice and examines the nature of policy and politics. Each contribution will review empirical data and policy changes relating to Blair’s period as Prime Minister and will make an assessment of the enduring effects of changes in policy. Each will assess the long-term and lasting effects as well as the shorter-term responses. This book was published as a special issue of the Oxford Review of Education.
This overview of the development of educational leadership research demonstrates how successful educational leaders apply contextual, social and professional expertise to the three distinctive leadership tasks of navigation, management and partnership.
Government departments have been set targets for implementing efficiency gains of £21.5 billion a year by 2007-08, as part of the Treasury's Efficiency Programme following on from the recommendations of the Gershon Review of public sector efficiency (available at http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk./spending_review/spend_sr04/associated_documents/spending_sr04_efficiency.cfm) published in July 2004. This NAO report examines the progress made towards improving efficiency and highlights examples of good practice from which departments and the wider public sector can learn. A companion volume of case studies is available separately (HCP 802-II, session 2005-06, ISBN 0102937095). The report finds that good progress is being made towards achieving the £21.5 billion target and departments are managing their efficiency programmes well. However, some caution is needed in assessing the gains reported so far (due to the time lags in reporting of data and limitations in measurement methodologies) and therefore these should be considered provisional and subject to further verification. Six key areas are highlighted for future improvements in public sector efficiency, including in relation to strategic leadership, staff expertise and greater collaboration to share good practice across the public sector.
Join today's most insightful thinkers as they explore the heart, mind, and soul of educational leadership! This concise volume offers educational leaders key concepts and strategies for framing discussions about closing the equity gap and ensuring high achievement for all learners. As the first volume in The Soul of Educational Leadership series, this unique collection presents: Contributions from Pedro Noguera, Thomas Guskey, Richard Farson, Alan Boyle, Antoinette Mitchell, Stephen G. Peters, Randall & Delores Lindsey, Karen Pittman & Merita Irby, and Alan M. Blankstein Thought-provoking ideas applicable to all schools, districts, and learning communities A complete index for browsing and referencing across topics