Supporting improving primary schools : the role of heads and LEAs in raising standards

Drawn From The Experience Of The Essex Primary School Improvement Programme, This Book Shows How Primary Schools In The County Have Improved Their Standards Subsequent To Ofsted Inspection. It Explores The Role Of The Lea In Supporting Schools And Their Efforts To Improve. It Also Looks At The Collaborative Relationship That Leas And Schools Can Form, And The Implications For School Leadership And For Students. The Book Also Sheds Light On Issues Of Consultancy, Information And Data Handling, And Evaluating School Improvement. Book Cover -- Half-title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- List Of Figures And Tables -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Part 1 Overview And Main Findings -- Chapter 1 Overview Of The Epsi Programme -- Introduction -- The Context -- Outline Of The Programme -- The Lea Focus -- Anticipated Benefits -- Benefits To Schools -- Benefits To The Lea -- Did We Find Answers To The Research Questions And Were These Benefits Realized? -- 1 What Use Did The Schools Make Of Pupil And School Data? -- 2 Did The Data Enhance Enquiry And Reflection Among The Teaching Staff? -- 3 Characteristics Of Schools' Action Plans -- 4 The Emphasis Placed On Pedagogy -- 5 Did The Ofsted Inspection Motivate Staff In These Schools? -- 6 Other Emerging Features -- Benefits To The Schools -- Benefits To The Lea -- Chapter 2 Main Findings -- Introduction -- Quantitative Data Findings -- Detailed Summary Of Programme School Performance Data -- Results For English -- Mathematics Results -- Science Scores -- Essex School Improvement And Value Added Network Data -- Improvement Of Schools In Difficulties -- Overall Summary -- Qualitative Data Findings -- Ofsted Revisits To A Sample Of Epsi Schools -- Conclusions -- Part 2 School Insights -- Chapter 3 Headship, Leadership And School Improvement -- Introduction -- Main Findings -- Emerging Themes -- Conclusions -- Chapter 4 Primary Schools And Pupil 'data' -- Introduction -- Pupil Data Used In The Epsi Programme -- Steering Group Pupil And School Level Data Sets -- Pupil Learning Outcome Data -- Other Qualitative Data -- Pupil Perception Data -- Staff Perception Data -- How The Data Were Used In Practice -- How Schools Used The Epsi Data Sets -- Pupil Perception Data -- Staff Perception Data-the Conditions Rating Scale -- Reading Data -- The Overall Impact On Schools As Data Users -- Use Of More Quantitative Data. How Schools Respond To Data -- Use Of Mixed Qualitative And Quantitative Data -- Data That Triggered Action -- Other Issues Important In The Work On Pupil Data -- Evaluating The Measures Themselves -- Triangulating A Grounded View Of School Improvement -- Conclusion: What We Have Learnt As An Lea About Pupil Data Issues -- Chapter 5 Taking Pupil Perspectives Seriously -- Introduction -- Epsi Context And Methods Of Data Collection -- Why Pupil Data? -- Establishing The Sample And Themes Of The Enquiry -- Group Interviews -- Data Collection In Practice -- Agreeing The Sample Composition -- Developing Manageable Data-gathering Processes -- Modifications -- Forms Of Analysis And Feedback -- Forms And Degrees Of Analysis -- Handling Feedback -- Action Arising -- Pupil Perceptions And Primary School Improvement -- Future Directions-school Improvement -- Future Directions-transformative Education -- Part 3 Lea Insights -- Chapter 6 The Lea And School Improvement -- Introduction -- The Changing Role Of Leas -- Developing The Lea's Capacity To Support School Improvement -- The Programme Teams -- Supporting The Programme Teams -- The Role Of The Programme Teams With Schools -- The Envisaged Benefits Of The Multi-disciplinary Teams -- How Effective Were The Multi-disciplinary Teams? -- Structured Interviews With Lea Staff -- Implications For Working Practice -- Conclusion -- Chapter 7 Process Consultancy -- Introduction -- Models Of Consultancy -- Consultancy In Action-the Work Of Epsi Advisers -- Data Sources And Analysis -- Stages Of Involvement With Schools -- Preparation -- Entry -- Action -- Exit -- Conclusions And Key Lessons For The Lea -- Part 4 Wider Issues And Conclusions -- Chapter 8 Evaluating School Improvement -- Introduction -- Inspection Reports And Post-inspection Action Plans -- Defining Success Criteria For School Improvement. Data Collection And Analysis -- The Effectiveness Of Data In Measuring Improvement -- How Far Did The Data Reflect School Improvement? -- Conclusion -- Chapter 9 Improvement Policies And Lea Strategies In Light Of The Epsi Programme Findings -- Introduction -- Impact Of Epsi On Essex Lea -- Research Questions Relating To The Lea's Role -- Chapter 10 Key Points And Conclusions -- Introduction -- The Programme Teams' Views And Conclusions -- Key Points About Improving Primary Schools -- Focus Matters -- Auditing, Monitoring And Self-evaluation -- School Improvement Is Differentiated -- Emphasis On Learning And Teaching -- The Formal Model Of School Improvement -- Tracking School Improvement -- Epsi And Educational Research -- Conclusions -- Point 1 -- Point 2 -- Point 3 -- Point 4 -- Point 5 -- Point 6 -- Point 7 -- Appendix 1 Programme Aims, Targets And Success Criteria -- Aim 1: To Enable Schools To Develop Strategies For Improving The Quality Of Teaching And Learning Provided For All Pupils -- Aim 2: To Increase The Lea's Capacity To Support Schools As They Seek To Improve The Quality Of Education They Provide -- Aim 3: To Increase Understanding Of The Process And Outcomes Of School Improvement Across The Lea And Beyond -- Appendix 2 Common Measures Agreed Across All Epsi Programme Schools -- Appendix 3 Pupil Perception Interview -- Appendix 4 Epsi Workshop Programmes -- Core Workshop Programme For Lea Staff -- Workshops For Programme Pairs -- Workshops For Schools -- Appendix 5 The Iqea Six School Conditions -- Staff Development -- Involvement -- Leadership -- Coordination -- Enquiry And Reflection -- Collaborative Planning -- Notes On Contributors -- References -- Index.