Archived decisions
Compact with DfES
This Compact is an agreement between Hampshire County Council (as LEA) and the Department for Education and Skills to work in partnership to achieve better outcomes for children and young people.
We share a vision of a comprehensive and inclusive education system in which every learner:
· is given appropriate support to access education fully
· is accorded equal worth and protected from harm
· enjoys learning
· is equipped with the values, knowledge, skills, and attitudes they need to live life to the full.
We can achieve this through a focus on the learner, a balanced and creative curriculum and a commitment to use the community's resources for education in the best possible way. Schools and other education providers will be supported to use their facilities in ways which best serve their local population and which encourage communities as a whole to value education.
Hampshire County Council and the DfES share responsibility to work together across all the areas in the agenda for 2003/4 as set out in the Statement of Intent. We recognise that attention needs to be given to action in all those priority areas and that there is other important work not listed here or in the priority areas. Existing work such as the primary and KS3 strategies is assumed as the baseline. However, we agree that for 2003/4 we will concentrate our partnership and collaborative working on the seven key areas outlined below. Where details, such as targets, are already available in other plans, this is indicated (Eg EDP or LPSA).
This document has been shared as a draft with representative Hampshire governors and headteachers, and with elected members through the Education Policy Review Committee. These groups have all welcomed and endorsed the approach and have requested they be involved in subsequent annual review processes.
A Pupil performance
1 Raising standards at KS2 and KS3
Outcomes
1) Improvements to literacy and numeracy - EDP
2) Year on year improvement in L2B - L4+ -EDP
3) Year on year improvement L4+ - L5+ - EDP .
LEA contribution
1) Continue to set the expectation of 2 levels of progress between KS1 and KS2, one of which is in Yr2 - Yr4
2) Use results of optional school-based Year 4 assessments to target support and validate and share best practice
3) Provide coherent training to targeted schools and staff
4) Identify, with schools, individual pupils from KS1 who will need support to attain L4+ at KS2
5) Explore with Regional Directors the scope for flexible deployment of consultant resources to support pupils and schools
6) Identify individuals and groups of pupils at Yr5/6 in KS2 who need to be offered support through the transition to KS3
7) Implement the KS3 strategy.
DfES contribution
1) Explore with Hampshire opportunities for the flexible deployment of Regional Directors' resources to build capacity in the teaching workforce throughout KS2 and KS3
2) Support target setting that gives attention to the current Year 3 (4 years in advance) alongside Year 5
3) Through the consultants, encourage teachers to enhance their use of off-the-shelf plans with professional judgement and initiative
4) Support Hampshire's approach in seeking two levels of progress for every child throughout KS2, focussing on progress data rather than raw scores
5) With the Regional Directors engage in dialogue to establish new ways to meet the needs of schools serving deprived, or disadvantaged communities, but which don't slot neatly into the EAZ or other schemes
6) Ensure timely communication by Regional Directors of data requirements and key dates for submission
7) Give thought to grouping like LEAs together for strategy support - large LEAs have opportunities and needs which differ from those which are small and urban
8) Add value to LEA work by sharing best practice and new initiatives between LEAs and facilitating contact
9) Provide opportunities to be part of major research exercises and use the outcomes of research findings more readily in setting the direction of the strategies.
2 Expand opportunities for those aged 14 -19 to access education that suits their learning styles
Outcomes
1) Secondary schools offer vocational qualifications - (EDP + cabinet priority)
2) GCSE results - (EDP, corporate strategy, LPSA)
3) Connexions aims realised (cabinet priority)
4) Reduction in NEETS (cabinet priority)
5) Reductions in absence and exclusion at KS4 (LPSA and EDP).
LEA contribution
1) Strategies: 14-19; extended schools; specialist schools (all with partners eg LLSC)
2) Leadership and support to schools
3) Provide positive activities and support for young people through the Youth Service
4) Develop and strengthen the link between schools and Connexions
5) Targeted work on absence and exclusion, linking absence and exclusion to curriculum and pedagogic focus
6) Establish an effective working partnership on 14 -19 matters with the with LSC and FE colleges to enhance the development of alternative provision
7) Maximise the flexible use of ICT
8) Develop further opportunities for 14-16 work related learning
9) Offer advice and support for vocational education
10) Support to schools with accelerated learning programmes
11) EAZ-cluster: planning at KS2-3 and 14-19.
DfES contribution
1) Clear guidance and direction to resource distribution for 14 -16s via LSC where there is LEA/LSC interaction - e.g. excluded pupils in colleges
2) Advice and support for the Transforming Youth Work
3) Explore with HCC possible methods of funding for craft centres
4) If LSC do not provide clarity of funding for vocational courses 14-19, DfES will take the LEA's concerns on board and examine the case for improvement
5) Consider policy development on the optimal size of 6th Forms.
6) Continue attendance consultant support
7) Supplying examples of good practice - particularly the 14-19 Pathfinder work
8) Support the principle of a second excellence cluster. Explore and define this with the LEA.
9) Discussions with DfES on 14 -19 strategy development, building links with the new LEA officer for this area.
3 Inclusion, and the school in the community
Outcomes
1) Improved exclusion and re-integration rates and attendance (EDP and corporate strategy)
2) Behaviour - (Behaviour Support Plan and EDP )
3) Changes in policy, practice and organisation in response to the green paper Every Child Matters and subsequent legislation.
LEA contribution
1) Prepare new inclusion policy
2) Rights, Respects and Responsibilities initiative
3) Citizenship and race equality policies
4) Extended schools - policy and support to schools
5) Review of EOTAS function and work with Education centres
6) LPSA funding and work with target schools
7) Continue to expand family learning, parenting, literacy and numeracy initiatives
8) Continue to develop the role of the parent development team
9) Raise the profile of Youth Service active involvement in schools and the wider community
10) Provide effective guidance to help sustain good practice in study support
11) Continue support to schools on workforce reform
12) Develop the quality of early education, expand targeted childcare provision and expand the development of children's centres.
13) Support for the SE federation of secondary schools - spread good practice
14) Continue to prioritise work with looked after children in liaison with social services
15) Develop corporate policy and practice in response to the green paper and subsequent legislation.
DfES contribution
1) Publish exclusions policy and practice guidance and disseminate good practice on alternatives to exclusions. Through the Excellence Clusters support learning mentors and LSUs
2) As an alternative to the requirement for full time provision 15 days after exclusion, SEN and proposed-SEN children can have an individual plan if that is more appropriate. Children out of school for a while can also have an individual plan if more appropriate. There is ongoing consultation which will result in termly discussions of issues and solutions
3) Confirm the Sure Start programme and ongoing funding for early years development (including SEN), childcare and local programmes
4) Incorporate refinements to inclusion indicators in value added performance measures
5) There is no funding available but the policy team will work with Hampshire to try to find solutions for the LEA's ideas and issues. On parental involvement
6) Discuss ideas on links with parents, including learning mentor model and wider excellence cluster development
7) Offer backup for workforce reform, including recognition of the size of the county and the differentiated resource needed between LEAs to support this
8) Continue to reinforce Green Paper messages on the school place in the community
9) Wherever possible the DfES press office will issue press notices to LEAs at the same time as to the press, or earlier, to enable better information provision and response
10) Provide positive support for creative learning opportunities in the wider curriculum including disseminating lessons learned from Creative Partnerships and other programmes
11) Provide £50k initial support for Hampshire's `Rights, Respect, Responsibilities' project and consider further support when further information is presented
12) The DfES will offer advice and support on the development of the south east federation of secondary schools through surgeries to agree how their proposal can be constructed in order to receive funding.
4 Meeting individual needs (SEN)
Outcomes
1) A fair and transparent system for deploying resources to meet special educational needs in schools and preschool settings
2) Effective inclusive education
3) More efficient use of public resources.
LEA contribution
1) SEN policy
2) Review of SEN mainstream funding mechanism
3) Investigation into reasons for SEN statements
4) Piloting alternatives to SEN statements
5) Developing a community based approach to meeting individual needs.
DfES contribution
1) Publish an SEN Action Programme in the near future which will set out how DfES see the SEN framework operating in future and will be happy to consider any requests to support the LEA on these issues in light of that
2) Continue to monitor the effects of the SEN and disability tribunal particularly its role in making out-county/independent school placements. Difficult cases will have to be referred upwards on an exception basis, as at present.
B School performance
5 Work with schools needing support
Outcomes
1) No schools in special measures and no more than 5 per year serious weakness - (EDP target and CPA appraisal criteria)
2) Improvements in progress in years 3 and 4 and from L2B to L4+
3) Work with weaker departments in secondary schools will result in an improved subject residual for each department of at least 0.5.
LEA contribution
1) Effective LEA intervention in coasting schools
2) Effective LEA intervention in schools showing signs of serious weakness
3) Effective LEA targeting of KS3departments where weaknesses are showing
4) Effective intervention in schools where part of the pupil population is failing to make adequate progress
5) Effective intervention is weaker secondary subject departments.
6) Effective use and co-ordination of support services such as Youth, Connexions, EWS, EOTAS and social workers.
DfES contribution
1) Review the Code of Practice to consider clarifying the LEA role in intervention in schools
2) Encourage use of VA data and the P.A.T system to ensure intervention is closely targeted to achieve progress e.g. underperforming groups of pupils, underachieving departments or schools
3) Focus support through the national strategies on targeting underachievement
4) Establish a national expectation that effective schools will share their practice in the interests of the whole community
5) Continue support for teacher recruitment and support Hampshire's need to use flexibility in funding so as to target those areas of the county where recruitment is most severe
6) Promote and support the role of Governor Services to ensure effective governance in all schools.
6 Developing professional capacity
Outcomes
1) The best professional development for school and LEA staff in the country.
LEA contribution
1) Hampshire Teaching and Leadership College (HTLC) and CPD, including partnerships to establish and promote best practice
2) Ensuring all schools are fully briefed on CPD opportunities and initiatives
3) IIP for all Education staff
4) Support to schools on workforce reform
5) Succession planning and short term placements across schools
DfES contribution
1) Ensure a balance between national and local recruitment, induction, CPD and leadership programmes and their delivery to best meet local needs
2) DfES & NRT to work with Hampshire to support their remodelling plans in a way specific to the LEA's circumstances, including promotion of sharing best practice between LEAs and ensuring all schools have access to support. Standards Fund grant 508c to provide flexibility for local differentiation.
7 School reorganisations
Outcomes
1) Maintain surplus places < 10% at primary and secondary
2) Enhanced investment in quality of buildings
3) Improved range of opportunities and standards of attainment.
LEA contribution
1) School Organisation Plan
2) Consultation on closures and reorganisations
3) Link between school improvement/pupil performance and school reorganisations
4) Learning difficulties school policy and special school policy.
DfES contribution
1) Explore opportunities to increase the flexibility of resource use by LEAs
2) Ensure access to accurate and relevant advice and guidance on procedures, regulations and requirements for making changes to the organisation of schools
3) Clarify the government stance on surplus places in the face of falling primary NOR..
Signed for Hampshire County Council
Date: 18 February 2004
Don Allen, Executive Member for Education
Signed for DfES