Memorandum submitted by VT Education and
Skills
INTRODUCTION
1. VT Education and Skills (VTE&S) welcomes
the opportunity to respond to the Children, Schools and Families'
Committee's inquiry into school accountability. As one of the
UK's largest providers of schools support and schools improvement
services, we have considerable experience of working with individual
schools and local authorities across the country and view proper
accountability systems which are fully responsive to local needs
as one of the key conditions for an effective education system.
2. VTE&S itself is the UK's largest education
and training company with a turnover of £270 million
and over 4,000 employees across the country. Our main business
area in the schools support field is VT Four S, a partnership
between VTE&S and Surrey County Council. Through VT4S, we
currently provide school improvement services to Surrey and Waltham
Forest, and Lewisham, Greenwich, Bedfordshire and Reading, where
we provide school improvement and support services to increase
attainment in primary and secondary schools.
3. The company's objective is to improve educational
standards across the UK by contributing to:
— The provision of new and enhanced learning
environments;
— Adding value to the local authority sector
through strategic schools improvement;
— Integration of vocational education and
careers counselling to facilitate the transition into work for
all young people leaving education;
— Provision of accredited qualifications
in the work setting; and
— Application of innovative IT solutions
both to add value to the learning experience and increase value
for money within education.
4. This paper provides further detail of
our current activity supporting schools and the positive improvements
that have flowed from this. We also provide our thoughts on the
current system of school accountability and the measures contained
within the DCSF's recent Green Paper, 21st Century Schools.
In conclusion:
— Accountability of schools to parents
and pupils is key to delivering strong results. The Government
is right to place the principle of accountability at the heart
of its forthcoming Schools White Paper.
— Accountability ensures that the contract
between schools, parents and pupils works effectively and that
taxpayers are receiving value for money.
— If this fundamental contract is to function
properly, there needs to be an effective flow of information on
performance to parents, reinforced by effective intervention when
required.
— Schools should not only be judged against
academic results, but on a series of softer measures, including
inclusion, collaboration with other schools, contribution to community
cohesion and quality of multi-agency working.
— The range of current intervention measures
is, in our view, fit for purpose. More problematic at times are
the expectations placed on governors, who are ultimately volunteers.
— Systems of accountability driven primarily
by quantitative data have less impact in our view than those based
around the principle of continuous improvement. The best systems
of accountability are those which combine a focus on standards
with a process which engages heads and staff, raising their awareness
of how to develop the school's capacity for continuous improvement.
— Many educational practitioners argue
that the current inspection regime is less traumatic for teachers,
although it remains stressful for heads and senior teams. Whilst
we appreciate this point, we have concerns about whether a system
of reduced tariff inspections, with little time spent on site
by outsiders, can do justice to the complexity of some schools.
— The results of inspection reports should
be made fully available to parents in as transparent a way as
possible to empower them to make choices on the basis of accurate
information.
— VTE&S has considerable experience
of working with schools as the largest integrated school improvement
partner in the UK through VT Four S. The partnership principle
lies at the heart of our approach, and has been able to deliver
significant improvements in standards.
— Our experience of SIPs is very positive
in some local authorities, but not all. In Surrey, the transition
has worked painlessly, and colleagues have been able to play their
brokerage role fully.
— Concerns about performance data need
to be combined with a broader spectrum of judgements if justice
is to be done to schools which will not appear outstanding on
the basis of contextual value added., but are nevertheless improving
their results continuously.
ACCOUNTABILITY
5. The education sector is fundamentally
changing as it seeks to create a world-class level of achievement.
Schools themselves are the centrepiece of social change, working
with agendas such as personalised learning, healthy living, social
inclusion and community regeneration. As the DCSF has stated in
its 21st Century Schools Green Paper, the school system
should deliver excellent personalised education and develop to
ensure that every child—no matter what their background—has
the opportunity to progress well, achieve highly and have a fulfilling
and enjoyable childhood.
6. Schools also, of course, make a vital long-term
contribution to economic competitiveness and social cohesion,
by promoting good literacy and numeracy skills, and grounding
pupils in social relations.
7. Given all of this, it is important to
ensure that schools are fully responsive to the parents and pupils
they exist to serve. This contract between schools, parents and
pupils lie at the heart of our educational system and it is right
that schools should be held accountable for their performance.
There is a fundamental need to ensure that the education service
provides value for money for taxpayers.
8. Therefore, if a school is not serving
its pupils well, it should be held to account and improve its
performance. All pupils deserve to receive the best possible education,
regardless of their economic or geographic circumstances. At the
same time, so-called "coasting schools" should be encouraged
to improve, and excellent schools should have the necessary incentive
to ensure that their performance remains as strong as possible.
The importance of information
9. If this fundamental contract between
parents, students and schools is to function properly, there needs
to be an effective flow of information on performance to parents,
and parents need to know that if a school is not performing to
the necessary standard, there will be effective intervention.
Evidence currently suggests that parents find it hard to access
this information.
10. Whilst the key focus of this information
has traditionally been on academic standards, it is important
that schools be judged against a series of Key Performance Indicators
in wider areas such as class sizes and extra-curricular activities.
This is in line with the Every Child Matters strategy.
Every Child Matters itself identified a range of outcomes
which should be addressed by schools, including being healthy,
enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and achieving
economic well-being. For individual schools, there are also issues
relating to pupil's behaviour and attendance against which performance
should be judged. It is important that such an assessment is sensitive
to the local conditions of each school, and that strategies for
improvement are firmly rooted in an appreciation of what needs
to be addressed.
11. However, as indicated above, the provision
of information must be accompanied by an effective intervention
strategy. The range of intervention measures currently available
is, in our view, fit for purpose. More problematic at times are
the expectations placed on governors, who are ultimately volunteers;
it can often prove challenging for a school to recover in the
timeframe expected when it is not possible to attract governors
of the calibre required in schools causing concern.
The current accountability system
12. The current accountability system broadly
works well, although there is some need for simplification. There
are currently too many initiatives, and the information available
to parents is either too widely spread or not presented in a form
that is easily understood. The reforms envisaged via the introduction
of the School Report Card should help to bring all of this information
together in a succinct form.
13. Given the length of time between Ofsted inspection—often
three years for individual schools—the role of the School
Improvement Partner in providing continuous monitoring of a school's
performance is important.
14. Indeed, systems of accountability driven
primarily by quantitative data have less impact in our view than
those based around the principle of continuous improvement. Any
system of measuring schools based only on performance results,
and not also on a judgement of their capacity for self-evaluation
and their capacity to improve is doomed to fail. The best systems
of accountability are those which combine a focus on standards
with a process which engages heads and staff, and raises their
awareness about how to develop the school's capacity for continuous
improvement.
INSPECTION
15. Many educational practitioners have
argued that the current inspection system is less traumatic for
teachers, but remains traumatic for heads and senior teams. Whilst
we appreciate this point, we have concerns about whether a system
of reduced tariff inspections, with little time spent on site
by outsiders, can do justice to the complexity of some schools.
For example, one-day inspections of special residential schools
for pupils with behavioural, educational and social difficulties
must prove particularly challenging. There is a risk that such
inspections will not be penetrating enough, and result in inaccurate
reports.
16. The inspection process is still often viewed
negatively. Government should work with local stakeholders to
achieve a shift away from these negative perceptions. The inspection
process should instead be seen as a key influence on school behaviour,
in assisting local authorities in the direction of resources;
improving internal decision-making within schools; and helping
parents to reach decisions on appropriate schools.
17. The results of inspection reports should
be made fully available to parents in as transparent a way as
possible to empower them to make choices on the basis of accurate
information.
18. Inspections should be tailored to the
current performance levels of specific schools being inspected.
Whilst there is a specific need to lift the performance of the
worse-performing schools, there are also issues with coasting
schools. It is right that we should demand the best out of all
schools,
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
PARTNERS
19. VTE&S has considerable experience
of working with schools as the largest integrated school improvement
partner in the UK through VT Four S. VT Four S itself was created
in 2004 under the 2001-02 DfES New Models Local Authority
Pilot initiative, and is the only surviving and successful model.
The partnership principle lies at the heart of our approach and
we place children and young people at the heart of what we do.
The relationship between VTE&S and Surrey County Council combines
the best of the private sector with a public sector ethos, delivering
a wide range of educational, school improvement and careers guidance
services.
20. We have been able to deliver significant
improvements in standards in Surrey. Highlights over the last
four years include:
— An increase in attainment of five or
more A*-C GCSEs including English and mathematics greater than
the average increase nationally;
— Performance in reading, writing and mathematics
has continued to improve since 2003 at Key Stage 1 and
level 2;
— A significant decrease in the number
of primary schools below the floor target;
— Key stage 1-4 attainment, robust
action to improve schools and our work with disadvantaged groups
such as traveller groups have been specifically cited as strengths
in Annual Performance Assessments; and
— In 2008, there were no schools below
the floor target in the secondary school sector, demonstrating
a steady improvement since 2004.
21. VTE&S has a very positive experience
of SIPs in some local authorities, but not all. Experience in
Surrey has been positive: all of the previously employed attached
consultants advising schools became SIPs and consequently have
a strong knowledge of individual schools and are well equipped
to support and challenge. Surrey County Council itself had already
initiated the practice of recruiting into its teams those who
were serving or recent heads. The transition across to the SIP
model has, therefore, worked painlessly and colleagues are able
to play their brokerage role fully.
22. However, local authorities more reliant
on recruiting groups of SIPs from databases have struggled. This
has often resulted in the recruitment of individuals who have
never worked together before, do not know which service to point
schools towards as brokers of support, and are consequently unable
to challenge heads and governing bodies effectively.
23. The evidence from VTE&S' operations,
and from the wider supplier base, shows that partnership between
schools, local authorities and the private sector can deliver
significant improvements. However, we remain hungry to achieve
more. For this to become a reality, companies such as VTE&S
need to be given greater freedom and flexibility to innovate,
and schools need to be encouraged to use the reservoir of expertise
available more readily. This approach needs to be grounded fully
in an understanding and appreciation of local issues and dynamics.
Performance reporting
24. Concerns about performance data need
to be combined with a broader spectrum of judgements if justice
is to be done to schools which will not appear outstanding on
the basis of contextual valued added, but are nevertheless improving
their results constantly at the same time as improving their practice
in softer, harder to evaluate areas such as inclusion, collaboration
with other schools, contribution to community cohesion and quality
of multi-agency working. Taking a broad range of measures into
account can help to avoid the perverse impact of performance tables,
which can mitigate against inclusive schools.
25. For reporting to be effective, it needs to
be seen to be independent of both government and schools. Whilst
Ofsted is the most appropriate organisation to undertake this,
the role of the SIP as a continuous performance monitor is invaluable.
26. 21st Century Schools envisages
the new School Report Card as the single accountability tool for
all parties, forming the basis of Ofsted's annual risk assessment
and being a key part of the dialogue between the school and the
School Improvement Partner. This will form an important part of
future performance reporting. As the DCSF's recent Green Paper
on 21st Century Schools stated, "The new School Report
Card will provide stronger accountability to parents and local
communities and provide the common tool for all aspects of school
improvement and intervention."
27. The main advantage of the proposed School
Report Card is its straightforward, transparent presentation.
It will be far easier to understand and to use by those who really
need it ie parents and learners. However, it is important to ensure
that this takes into account the broadest range of measures possible
to give a balanced view of the school overall.
February 2009
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