Archived decisions
1. The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) recently announced a programme to establish some secondary schools as Advanced Schools in order to support teaching and learning improvements. The aim is to transform secondary education by establishing a national network of 300 advanced schools by 2006, with the first group to be established this year. The DfES intends to build on the successes of the Beacon Schools programme by disseminating leadership and best practice, thereby raising standards. The proposals will also build on the strategy for specialist schools; of the 71 secondary schools in Hampshire, 21 now have specialist school status.
2. Any secondary schools seeking Advanced School status will, in the same way as specialist schools, have expertise which they will be expected to share with other schools. They will of course also continue to provide the National Curriculum. It is necessary for the County Council to adopt a policy which will provide clear criteria which must be met in order for the County Council to endorse bids for Advanced School status.
RECOMMENDATION:
That the County Council as Local Education Authority adopts the policy for Advanced Schools as set out below:
Hampshire County Council will endorse applications to the DfES for Advanced
School status from those schools which meet the following criteria:
(1) High Standards of Achievement: A school must be in at least the upper quartile of Hampshire secondary schools compared with schools in similar circumstances and be judged to be "highly effective" according to the County's own categorisation process.
(2) Evidence of Collaborative Working: A school must have a proven record of active and effective collaboration with other Hampshire secondary schools, in support of teachers' professional development.
(3) An Admissions Policy with no criterion related to advanced status: The County Council will not support any bid from an admission authority school which, for example, proposes to introduce an admission criterion allowing them to select pupils on the basis of aptitude for a particular subject.
D.G. ALLEN
Executive Member,
Education
8FR430103