LEADING EDGE STATUS

Our fundamental aim as an Leading Edge School would be not only to expand the collaborative work within the Havering Beacon Partnership but also to extend the Partnership, in liaison with the Havering Inspection and Advisory Service (HIAS), to include all Havering secondary schools in due course. Through the Partnership, we would expect the extent of support for primary schools to increase and the quality of liaison between the phases to improve. We recognise the need to ensure that our work is integrated with other developments. For example, we have already offered to support the schools in the Excellence Cluster and Simon London, the headmaster will be acting as the consultant to the schools involved in the Leadership Incentive Grant initiative.

ACTIVITY: FACULTY BASED TRAINING

Hall mead offers faculty based in service training or consultancy in the following areas.

• All courses to be offered to all Havering schools and others if space permits.
• Consultancy will be offered to any school

FACULTY COURSE OFFERED

Heads of faculty and department will offer one-to-one consultancy as requested by partner schools and others
.
Intended Outcomes Timescale Evaluation of Success

1. To share effective progress

2. To contribute to an improvement in GCSE results

3. To increase the effectiveness of secondary/primary liaison

4. To broaden the range of teaching and learning strategies
All courses to be offered annually 1. Responses of participants and their schools

2. Monitoring of GCSE results in the relevant subjects in partner schools

3. Survey of partners' work with primary school

4. Evaluation by HIAS inspectors

Activity 2: In-service training for heads of department. Pastoral heads and other middle managers

Intended Outcomes Timescale Evaluation of Success

1. To provide the opportunity to explore a proven, alternative model of school leadership and management

2. To increase effectiveness at middle management level

3. To improve leadership in some specific departments

4. To provide access to ongoing support and advice
All modules to be provided every year 1. Customer satisfaction' as indicated by responses on evaluation forms, requests for further support, etc.

2. Evidence of a developing whole-school culture of self improvement in partner schools

3. Improvement of raw and value added KS3 and GCSE results in partner schools, overall and in individual subjects targeted

Activity 3: Work shadowing experience for middle managers

Hall Mead to provide opportunities for middle managers in partner schools to shadow their counterparts here, ideally for one week at a time. Participants would take an active part in the life of the School, sharing practice in their own specialist areas but also more widely and experiencing the School's ethos. Programmes would be tailored to the needs of each individual participant and his/her school. One of the aims would be to encourage other schools to offer similar opportunities.

Intended Outcomes Timescale Evaluation of Success

As 1-4 for Activity

2 above plus:

5. To generate more openness, leading to increased debate and sharing of ideas

6.To provide opportunities for Hall Mead staff to learn from practitioners from other school

7. To meet the expressed needs of the participants' schools
Ongoing As 1-3 for Activity

2 plus:

4. Increased number of visits by Hall Mead and partner school staff to other schools to learn from good practice

5. Report produced by each participant, specifying the changes which will result from the experience

6. Report produced by participant's school quantifying the resulting changes.

Activity 4: Work shadowing/experience for heads and other leadership team Members

As for Activity 3 but with senior members of staff shadowing and working with Hall Mead's leadership team. This scheme has been piloted and well received.

Intended Outcomes Timescale Evaluation of Success

1. To provide the opportunity to explore a proven, alternative model of school leadership and management

2. To increase effectiveness at senior management level

3. To help generate a culture of high expectations and self improvement in partner schools

4. To increase the extent of sharing and debate between leadership teams

5. To provide access to ongoing support and advice

To further develop leadership skills and management practices at Hall Mead Ongoing

1. Report produced by each participant, specifying the changes which will result from the experience and recommending development at Hall Mead.

2. Report produced by participant's school quantifying the resulting changes

3. Evaluation of developments at Hall Mead which result from participants' recommendations

Activity 5: In-service training for leadership team members

Courses to be offered to partner schools and others.

Improving GCSE results through tracking pupils' effort.
Raising expectations by fast-tracking pupils
The vertical pastoral system and its impact on school ethos

Intended Outcomes Timescale Evaluation of Success
To raise awareness of strategies used at Hall Mead to develop a very positive ethos, raise expectations and improve GCSE results Courses to be offered at least annually

1.Monitoring of the extent to which these strategies are implemented by the schools of course participants
2. Monitoring of the effects of any strategies implemented.

Activity 6: Work with head teachers and leadership teams

In collaboration with HIAS :

Provision of leadership consultancy, available to all Havering schools including those in receipt of the Leadership Incentive Grant.(I)
Establishment of a system of link head teachers and head teacher peer review, initially within the Beacon Partnership/LIG groups of schools, then across all Havering secondary schools.(2)
Extension of peer review to whole leadership teams.(3)
Co-ordination of head teacher and leadership team induction for Havering secondary schools.(4)
Co-ordination of the dissemination of good practice across all Havering secondary schools, including the development of a Havering register of good practice. (5)

Intended Outcomes Timescale Evaluation of Success

1.To increase the effectiveness of leadership teams,

2. To help further develop a culture of high expectations and self-improvement in Havering schools

3. To increase the level of debate and sharing between leadership teams

4. To make support and advice more readily available

5. T o ensure that all new heads and leadership team members have access to quality induction, tailored to their needs

6. To facilitate the sharing of good practice between schools within a culture of mutual cooperation and support

(1) Spring 03 and ongoing

(2) Summer 03 & ongoing

(3) Summer 04 & ongoing

(4) Ongoing

(5) From summer 03

1.Outcomes of schools' self review in liaison with HIAS

2. Judgements of Ofsted inspections

3. Use of attitudinal surveys - of staff and pupils

4. Satisfaction rating of new heads and leadership team members

5. Willingness of heads, leadership teams and their schools to share openly

Activity 7: Information and Communication Technology

Further development of CAD/CAM courses (including industry-standard Autocad) for staff and pupils at other schools, including primary schools.(I)

Introduction of scheme through which pupils take their GCSE-equivalent ICT qualifications at the end ofKS3.(2)
Piloting of link between European Computer Driving Licence-based courses in primary schools and the KS3 ICT course.(3)

Shadowing of Hall Mead ICT technicians by relatively inexperienced technicians from other schools.(4)

Intended Outcomes Timescale Evaluation of Success

1. To disseminate the use of cutting-edge techniques in the teaching of Technology

2. To encourage the fast-tracking of pupils in ICT

3. To ensure continuity of ICT teaching and learning between phases

4. To cascade expertise which is in short supply

(I) Ongoing

(2) From Sept 03

(3) From Sept 03

(4) From summer 03

1. Take-up of courses and satisfaction rating from staff and pupils

2. 25% ofHal1 Mead Year 7 pupils to be following a GCSE equivalent ICT programme in 2003-4. Pilot in other schools to start one year later. First completions in summer 2006

3. Hall Mead and local primary schools to have established a continuous programme ready for new intake in Sept 2004

4. Satisfaction rating of participant ICT technicians and their schools

Activity 8: Research Projects

Pupil motivation (including a pilot scheme mixing gifted pupils with disaffected pupils in ICT)

Learning styles
Effective mentoring
School ethos/culture
Use of school websites to enhance teaching and learning
Intended Outcomes Timescale Evaluation of Success

1.To promote further interest in Hall Mead staff and those from partner schools in strategies which lead to the raising of standards

2. To contribute to the professional development of colleagues

3. To challenge accepted thinking and, thus, colleagues

4. To encourage inter-school working groups

5. T o draw upon the views and experiences of pupils

6. To disseminate good practice
From summer 03 and ongoing. Order to be determined by levels of interest 1.Level of sustained interest shown by staff within and beyond Hall Mead

2. Quality of project reports produced

3. Extent of implementation of recommendations in the schools directly involved and beyond

4. Effectiveness of changes made

Activity 9: Collaboration with and support for local companies

Provision of CAD/CAM/ Autocad courses for local companies, supported by Hall Mead pupils.
Extension of web site design courses, again supported by Hall Mead pupils

Opportunities for employees of local companies to undertake periods of work shadowing/ experience at Hall Mead, possibly on a reciprocal basis, generating greater mutual understanding.

Activity 10: Initial Teacher Training

At the earliest possible stage, we will bid to enlarge the Havering Beacon Partnership Designated Recommending Body to encompass more, ultimately all, of the LEA's secondary schools.