Guidance for school partnerships to improve behaviour and persistent absence
Outcomes for school partnerships
The outcomes show what success would look like in an effective and
evolving partnership that is focussing on improving behaviour and tackling
persistent absence. We expect partnerships to work to these
outcomes.
Design principles
The design principles provide a framework for schools as they develop
partnerships to improve behaviour and tackle persistent absence. We expect
school partnerships to work within this framework and National Strategies will
use the design principles in assessing partnerships.
School partnership's role in improving
behaviour and to tackle persistent absence
A written constitution owned at every level of the partnership is
vital to ensuring its effectiveness, sustainability and development.
Local authority role in partnerships to improve
behaviour and tackle persistent absence local authorities
Local authorities play an increasingly strategic role in terms of
improving behaviour and tackling persistent absence and will need to work
closely with partnerships as they both delegate services and monitor their
effectiveness. They also retain ultimate responsibility for pupils at risk of
exclusion, persistent truants and those pupils that are excluded permanently.
Most local authorities run pupil referral units (PRUs) and they will continue
to be responsible for them.
Managing performance
By focusing on the key and supporting outcomes school partnerships
will contribute to the achievement of the Every Child Matters outcomes for
children and young people in their local area. Partnerships need to
establish systems to track their own performance against the outcomes, as this
will enable them to identify priorities and areas for improvement. Being
able to demonstrate success will also be critical to ensuring that all schools,
and other agencies, see the benefits of working in partnership.
Funding
The DCSF would like local authorities to consider devolving funding to
groups of schools working together in partnership, or delegating funding to
individual schools which agree to pool an element of their funding, to enable
them to commission a range of in-school and out-of-school pupil support and
provision from public, private and voluntary sectors
Resources should be allocated to the partnership according
to an agreed local formula. We expect funding to be linked to a requirement for
the partnership to be working towards the outcomes and design principles.
Partnerships must also assure themselves that any provision, from whatever
sector, is of good quality, effective and represents value for money.
Related links
Self
and peer review is a process where partnerships work with an external
partner to identify their strengths and areas for further development, as well
as monitor and evaluate progress towards agreed objectives.
Primary National Strategies — training and other
materials to help primary schools implement behaviour and attendance
improvements.
Secondary National Strategies — training and other materials to help secondary schools implement behaviour and attendance improvements.
Social and emotional aspects of learning— supports development of social, emotional and behavioural skills in primary schools.
Secondary toolkit of behaviour and attendance training — supports behaviour and attendance programmes in secondary schools
The national programme for specialist leaders of behaviour and attendance is a training and qualifications programme specifically designed for staff who could lead the work of the collaboration to improve behaviour and attendance
The national behaviour and attendance exchange programme promotes effective communication, mutual support and professional enhancement for those working in behaviour and attendance in schools
Other links
Education improvement partnerships are designed to give some unity and sharper purpose to the idea of collaboration in the education.
The violence reduction in schools programme helps schools promote a climate of non-violence and respond to violent incidents in ways which help prevent a recurrence.
Last updated: 11 September 2007
