Agenda item

  Purpose of report

  This report provides a brief update on the Portsmouth Education Partnership (PEP), school improvement priorities for 2017/18 and targeted support for LA Maintained Schools in 2017/18. 

RECOMMENDED that members of the Education Advisory Board note progress in terms of:

a.         Development of the Portsmouth Education Partnership and publication of the Education Strategy 2017 - 2020, as set out in Section 3 of the report

b.        School improvement priorities for 2017/18 and the targeted support to LA Maintained schools in 2017/18.

Alison Jeffery, Director of Children, Families and Education introduced the report as Mike Stoneman had been detained at another meeting.  She explained that the report provides a brief update on the Portsmouth Education Partnership (PEP), school improvement priorities for 2017/18 and targeted support for LA maintained schools in 2017/18.

The Portsmouth Education Partnership was established in November 2016 and is a schools-led partnership bringing together multi-academy trusts, individual schools and academies, the local authority, Portsmouth Teaching School Alliance, colleges, early years settings and a range of key partners in order to collectively drive improved attainment and opportunity for all children and young people across the city. 

She further advised that the PEP has a strategic board which meets every term, underneath which are five sub-groups details of which are included in section 3.2 of the report.  Ms Jeffery advised that the Education Strategy for Portsmouth 2017-2020 has been published and a summary of the strategy is attached at Appendix 1.

In addition the PEP website has been launched and this contains a wealth of information and resources covering the ten strategic objectives of the education strategy.  Details of the ten strategic objectives can be found at the link provided in the report.  Ms Jeffery advised that section 4 of the report outlines school improvement support.  She advised that whilst many of the city's schools have joined multi-academy trusts (MATs), 50% of schools remain under the responsibility of the council.  Targeted school improvement support for LA maintained schools has been outsourced by the council to the Portsmouth Teaching School Alliance but under the auspices of the PEP and the School Improvement Board.  The PEP School Improvements Board (SIB) is chaired by Simon Graham, Head-teacher of St Edmund's Catholic School and 4.3 of the report details what the SIB comprises of.

Sections 4.5 and 4.6 of the report give details of the targeted school improvement support for LA maintained schools.  All LA maintained schools were sent a copy of the PEP performance dashboard relating to their school with a priority rating of 1-3 (1 being the highest priority).  This has dictated the amount of support schools will receive from the LA through the Portsmouth Teaching School Alliance.

Academies and the respective MATs were also sent the dashboard information but without the priority rating.  Appendix 3 provides a summary of support and outcomes in 2016/17 and the latest position with regard to 2017/18.  Exempt Appendix 4 gives details of the prioritisation for both LA maintained schools and academies.

Mr Mike Stoneman apologised for his late arrival and reported on the strategic school improvement fund as set out in paragraphs 4.7 to 4.9.  He commended Jo Peach on the two successful Strategic School Improvement Fund bids which reinforced the strength and importance of the Portsmouth Education Partnership and in particular

·         capacity to deliver

·         clarity about local need and priorities

·         the depth of collaboration in the city

With regard to the annual conversation with Ofsted this was outlined in section 4.2 of the report and although generally positive there is much still to do.

A discussion took place about why in Early Years Portsmouth's have long been above the national average in terms of the performance measure of GLD (good Level of Development) but now they are only at the national average.  Mr Stoneman said that there was no single reason for this to have happened.  Boys' outcomes were a key issue.  Work is now focussing on 7 schools which have consistently been below the national average.  He was confident that attainment levels would improve.

Hilary Loder, Chair of the Portsmouth Education Partnership, said that everyone should be aware that this was a slow and long term process but that the Partnership was providing a vehicle for change. 

Alison Jeffery said that she agreed that if there had been easy wins then these would have been achieved already.  Much faster turnaround times had been seen in other areas but it appears to be a much harder process in Portsmouth.  Alison Jeffery also said that there was a wide difference among the schools in terms of fixed term exclusions and Mike Stoneman said that the board wanted to look in greater detail at attendance.

In response to a query about teacher recruitment in schools Mike Stoneman said that it was a big issue generally to recruit teachers but this was especially the case in Portsmouth and retention was particularly challenging.  He advised that a dedicated group was looking at this issue and seven specific actions were being taken forward.  A particular effort was being made to recruit from overseas especially in mathematics and physics.  Mike Stoneman said that the local authority continues to have formal intervention powers in the case of LA maintained schools which includes warning notices and subsequent interventions such as Interim Executive Boards or strengthening of an existing Governing Board.  However whilst recognising the need to be proactive, his preference is to be collaborative.  Hilary Loader said that it was no longer acceptable for schools to just coast along.  Mike Stoneman said that the local authority will still exercise its rights with respect to challenging multi-academy trusts on occasions where this is warranted.

RESOLVED that members of the Education Advisory Board noted progress in terms of

(a)          development of the Portsmouth Education Partnership and publication of the Education Strategy 2017/2020 as set out in section (3) of the report

(b)          school improvement priorities for 2017/18 and the targeted support to LA maintained schools in 2017/18.