Contact: John Clarke, Deputy County Education Officer, County Office
Tel 01962 846459 email [email protected] or

Alan Rawlings, Senior Inspector/Adviser (Secondary) and Key Stage 3 Strategy Manager, County Office, Tel 01962 846917 email [email protected]

1 Summary

1.1 This report describes how the LEA has directed funds to schools where pupils currently achieve below the national standard and how it is monitoring the targeting of this grant at school level. It supports Aim 1 of the Corporate Strategy (Maximising life opportunities) by reporting on matters likely to impact upon an improvement in the quality of life for Hampshire people.

2 Background

2.1 The Key Stage 3 Strategy is now in its third year. Through grants from the Standards Fund, the LEA has employed consultants to implement the Strategy and work with schools in the following strands: English, mathematics, science, information and communication technology (ICT), foundation subjects and, from September 2003, behaviour and attendance. The total sum that has been devolved to schools to support this work in 2003/2004 is £2.615 million.

2.2 The devolved budget includes a formula related sum of £1.1 million, called an Intervention Grant. This was allocated to the LEA on the basis of the number of pupils that were not yet attaining level 5 at the end of Key Stage 3 in Year 9. The budget was devolved to schools using a similar methodology but focused on outcomes in English and mathematics, as these are the subjects that may pose the greatest challenge in 2004 in respect of meeting LEA targets.

2.3 Schools were expected to target this funding at strategies that would increase the percentage of pupils attaining level 5 or above, but also any underachieving pupils. Briefings were held on the purpose of the grant and how schools might approach this work.

2.4 In order to determine how well schools were planning to use their Intervention Grant, monitoring visits were carried out by attached inspectors in the summer term 2003, to a sample of 21 schools judged to be those with most pupils in need of support at this level.

3 Monitoring visits

3.1 Each visit involved a conversation with the school's Key Stage 3 Strategy Manager who was usually one of the leadership team. The attached inspector established:

· how pupils had been identified for support;

· the focus for that support;

· strategies that the school intended to use;

· intended outcomes.

3.2 In some schools where it was seen to be more appropriate, the LEA worked with the Strategy Manager or delegate to help work up a response and subsequent action plan.

4 Findings

4.1 Visits took place in June and July, by which time all schools should have been well advanced in their planning. This was true for some schools, but not all. There was evidence that, in a minority of cases, the monitoring visit was the trigger for the school to think concertedly about the action it might take in respect of this budget.

4.2 For many schools, this funding was an opportunity to continue the programme of intervention activities that had previously been supported through another aspect of the Standards Fund, now reduced. However, because of the targeting of funds, some schools with large numbers of pupils attaining below level 5 received substantially larger budgets - over £25,000 in a few cases. This led to an expansion of support, as was intended.

4.3 Additional support for pupils takes a number of forms:

· in Year 7, there are remedial programmes, specifically in English and mathematics;

· in Year 8, schools are encouraged to develop mentoring schemes drawing on adult as well as pupil mentors;

· in Year 9 various booster lessons link to the end of key stage tests;

· holiday schools, during the summer break and at Easter maintain a momentum to learning for individual pupils.

All schools are aware of these strategies and the best planning ensures that there is coherence, but that this template of intervention is adapted to meet local need. For example, a few schools extend mentoring into other years at Key Stage 3 or beyond just those identified pupils when they judge that all pupils might benefit.

4.4 The use of teaching assistants was a significant, common element in many of the action plans. There were instances when schools reported that the grant had allowed them to increase their complement of teaching assistants beyond that which would otherwise have been possible. These staff are used:

· as an additional in-class resource;

· for small group work and specifically with the Literacy Progress Units;

· to support extra curricular and study support activities;

· for one to one work which may include mentoring.

5 Follow up

5.1 Nearly all these schools are visited regularly as part of wider routine monitoring by the LEA.. Consequently, there has been a subsequent opportunity in the autumn term 2003 for the appropriateness of intervention strategies to be discussed further, especially in relation to 2004 school and LEA targets.

5.2 In 2004/2005 a similar grant will be available to schools. In view of the findings of this report, the LEA will continue to monitor schools to ensure that this targeted grant is used effectively.

Recommendations

1 That the report be noted.

Section 100D Local Government Act 1972 - Background Documents

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB The list excludes:

1 Published works

2 Documents which disclosed exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act