| LEA | Publication Date
| Summary of Extracted Comments |
| City of Leicester | June 1998
| Link advisers' management experience and expertise in school improvement should be improved, and they should adopt a more active brokering rôle. More consistent quality of support is needed in some areas, and formal monitoring and report systems should be established. Link advisers should give unequivocal views regarding strengths and weaknesses of school management.
|
| Manchester | June 1998 |
IAS often effective, though its funding had not been delegated, and the impact on schools was inconsistent. Better targeting to need is required, and more consistent report formats. IAS is a "strength" of LEA, but is affected by wider problem of insufficiently clear LEA-school relations.
|
| Kingston-upon-Thames | July 1998
| Link inspectors perform consistently and effectively. Closer definition of the rôle and more systematic reports back to schools are needed. IAS is well-managed, and support and challenge are well balanced. More systematic approach required.
|
| Sandwell | July 1998 | Advisory services being rebuilt following a period of cuts and restriction. Service specification, costing and evaluation is unclear, and quality of service varies. Better co-ordination of services is being achieved, but very little funding is delegated.
|
| Sunderland | August 1998 |
QA and School Development Group is expanding, but funding is:
(a) not delegated so needs and support levels are not clearly balanced, and;
(b) relatively low.
Performance indicators and targets are used, but value for money of particular services is rarely judged. Clear focus on promoting school self-review.
|
| Leicestershire | November 1998
| Link advisers have termly contracts with all schools, for monitoring. Support is sometimes variable in quality and effectiveness, and heads are not challenged sufficiently on progress.
|
| Brent | January 1999 | Work of link inspectors generally good. IIP status for all services. Relatively high proportion of resources allocated to inspectors, advisers and training.
|
| Hackney | February 1999 |
IAS recently re-organised, following consistent external criticism of the Council as a whole, to emphasise link inspector rôle. Training is insufficient and phase expertise lacking. Better performance, management and recording are required.
|
| Nottinghamshire | February 1999
| AIS is well-managed and in the main effective, but has relatively high unit costs. To improve rigour and consistency, inspectors' performance needs closer measurement in terms of impact on schools.
|
| Norfolk | March 1999 | Recently re-organised IATS now capable of providing better service. Well managed in many respects, but weaknesses in quality assurance and evaluation.
|
| Barnsley | April 1999 | Insufficient capacity of AIS to support and challenge schools, although development and expansion is now being pursued. Has been generally ineffective, but areas of progress now visible.
|
| Liverpool | May 1999 | Advisory service now meets its income targets but weaknesses include inconsistency in range and quality of work. Need clearer formats for targets, monitoring and evaluation.
|
| Newcastle-upon-Tyne | September 1999
| AIS is soundly managed and highly valued. Well-formulated advice is effectively targeted.
|
| Haringey | September 1999 |
Rôle of link inspectors is key but too variable. Steps are needed to ensure expertise, monitoring criteria and clearer recording of school visits. School Effectiveness Branch being re-organised.
|
| Rutland | September 1999 |
More strengths than weaknesses, although central team is relatively small.
|
| Middlesbrough | September 1999
| Work of advisers is usually satisfactory or good, but the quality of feedback to schools, following visits, varies due to lack of evaluation of outcomes. Rôles and responsibilities need review, to improve efficiency.
|
| Barnet | December 1999 |
IAS is generally effective and soundly led, but variations exist in monitoring and challenging school performance and clearer relationships with schools are required. A strategy for developing the monitoring of advisers' performance is needed.
|
| Bristol | December 1999 |
IAS well-qualified and highly professional, but possibly over-ambitious, reinforcing dependency culture in schools. LEA service costs are not clear enough and no detailed IAS service plan exists.
|
| Doncaster | December 1999 |
Recent expansion of inspection/advisory service, within the Quality Assurance Group, but variations in degree of challenge to schools in meeting targets. LEA should provide schools with a register of alternative providers.
|
| Southwark | December 1999 |
A local working party looking at processes for outsourcing of school improvement services, following criticisms of overall Council management and problems filling key posts. Urgent major review is required and the case for securing relevant expertise is stressed. Specific reference to need for appropriate and realistic adviser workloads.
|
| Solihull | December 1999 |
A substantial IAS provides consistently high quality support, a full range of advice and its operation is a model of good practice, and of good management. ICT support and advice, though, is uneven.
|
| Walsall | December 1999 |
Inspection and curriculum service has suffered from job reductions, relatively low pay, inefficient structure and inadequate attention to work quality improvement, although recently re-organised and slow progress made. Better staffing quality and quantity recommended, and a sharper system required for monitoring service quality.
|
| Derbyshire | January 2000 |
AIS, though now smaller, is well led, with clear procedures and careful planning. Link advisers are pivotal and the overall service provides value for money. However, making monitoring visits to all schools should be reviewed, and the cost-effectiveness of support for schools causing concern should be evaluated and more stress placed on their autonomy.
|
| Leeds | February 2000 | The Shared Review system for schools is weak and the staffing structure of the Raising Achievement Division needs further review, as its secondary expertise is understaffed. Support for school self-review is inadequate. RAD quality, consistency and effectiveness of support for schools in special measures or causing concern should be closely monitored. More non-LEA expert advice should also be offered.
|
| Rotherham | February 2000 |
Advisers' rôles are clear and systems for tracking schools' progress are sound, other than for special schools. Service management is sound, but monitoring of the work could be more rigorous, and staff turnover has not helped. Adviser training should be improved.
|
