Setting

Reporting Inspector: David Halligan HMI

reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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Reporting Inspector: David Halligan HMI

A report from the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) in conjunction with the Audit Commission.

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Reporting Inspector: David Halligan HMI

A further copy of this report can be obtained from the respective local education authority.

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Reporting Inspector: David Halligan HMI

Inspection reports are available on the Ofsted web site (www.ofsted.gov.uk).

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Section 1: Corporate leadership of education 8

Corporate planning for education and its implementation 8

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Section 1: Corporate leadership of education 8

Strategies to promote continuous improvement, including Best Value 10

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Section 1: Corporate leadership of education 8

Leadership by elected members and advice given to them 10

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Section 2: Strategy for education and its implementation

The strategy for school improvement and its implementation 13 Providing school places 14

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Section 3: Support to improve education in schools 15

Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement 15

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Section 3: Support to improve education in schools 15

Support for information and communication technology (ICT) 16

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Section 3: Support to improve education in schools 15

Support for the national initiative at Key Stage 3 16

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Section 3: Support to improve education in schools 15

Support for raising the achievement of minority ethnic pupils, including Gypsy and Traveller children 17

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Section 3: Support to improve education in schools 15

Support for gifted and talented pupils 17

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Section 3: Support to improve education in schools 15

Effectiveness and value for money of services to support school management 18

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Section 3: Support to improve education in schools 15

Effectiveness and value for money of services to support school improvement 19

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Section 4: Support for special educational needs (SEN) 20

SEN functions to support school improvement 21

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Section 5: Support for social inclusion 23

The LEA’s strategy for social inclusion 23

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Section 5: Support for social inclusion 23

Provision for pupils educated other than at school 24

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Section 5: Support for social inclusion 23

Support for behaviour 24 Support for health, safety, welfare and child protection 25

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Basic information

Name of LEA: Lancashire Local Education Authority

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Basic information

PO Box 61 County Hall Preston Address of LEA:

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Basic information

PR1 8RJ Reporting Inspector: David Halligan HMI

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Basic information

Date of Inspection: February 2004 Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

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Introduction

Lancashire is a large and socially diverse county. Overall, its social and economic characteristics are similar to those of the country as a whole but that similarity masks great variations within the county. There are areas of considerable prosperity but, on the coastal fringe, and in the former industrial towns of the east of the county, there are high levels of disadvantage. The towns of the east, as well as Preston itself, also have substantial minority ethnic populations. Some of those towns have experienced racial disturbances in recent years. Response to diversity is a major task confronting the council. It is one on which it is acting, for example in its work to raise minority ethnic achievement and to promote racial equality.

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Introduction

The attainment of pupils was slightly above the national average at the time of the previous inspection in 2000. It remains so, having continued to rise in line with the national trend. Although the LEA is unlikely to meet its Key Stage 2 targets for 2004, it has good plans to close the gap thereafter. Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

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Main findings

Summary: Lancashire local education authority (LEA) has improved its work since 2000. None of the key areas of the LEA’s work is less than satisfactory, and, overall, the LEA is highly satisfactory. There has been highly satisfactory progress since the previous inspection. The LEA has acted successfully on nearly all of the recommendations made in the previous report. The speed at which change occurred has varied, for example in special educational needs (SEN), but has accelerated of late. The biggest single change has been in planning, and in setting priorities, both for the education service and for the council’s other functions. The promotion of school autonomy now has more emphasis. Social inclusion has become a high priority for the council, and can be seen in the direction it has set for itself as an LEA. The strengths in corporate leadership and in the strategy for education reflect effective governance and

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Main findings

indicate that the LEA’s capacity for further improvement is good.

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Corporate leadership of education

• Plans that enable differing activities to support one another and to contribute to overall aims • Evaluation and performance management that promote the implementation of plans • The leadership of officers and councillors • Partnerships that are improving provision for young children and for 14-19 year olds • High budget surplus balances in schools • The lack of clarity in budget information provided for schools

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Strategy for education and its implementation

• The Education Development Plan (EDP), in particular its response to local needs, and success in implementing the school improvement strategy • Coherent approaches to meeting demanding attainment targets

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Support to improve education in schools

• Support for leadership and management and the resulting improvement in schools • Improved support for information and communication technology (ICT) • Support for gifted pupils and for the national primary and Key Stage 3 strategies • Support to raise minority ethnic achievement • Effectiveness and value for money of school improvement services • Lack of support for schools in procuring services to support school management

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Support for special educational needs

• The new, widely supported strategy for SEN • SEN advisory services’ support for school improvement • Evaluation of the effectiveness of SEN spending • Slow completion of SEN statements

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Support for social inclusion

• The priority attached to social inclusion by councillors and officers • Reintegration of excluded pupils • Combating racism and promoting racial equality • Monitoring the education of looked after children • Day-to-day collaboration between social workers and schools • Clarity of the analysis of data on exclusions Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

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Corporate leadership of education

Targeting of resources: improve the clarity of the financial information presented to schools. 14-19 education: improve county-wide planning of 14-19 provision by co-ordinating the collection and analysis of data on individual students’ post-16 attainment.

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Strategy for education and its implementation

School places: improve the school organisation plan by showing in more detail how the supply of school places and the demand for them are to be balanced in different areas of the county.

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Support to improve education in schools

Provision of services to support school management • Improve the quality and clarity of service level agreements for traded and non-traded services provided by the council. • Raise schools’ awareness of external providers of services, developing reliable quality standards so that schools can make informed purchasing decisions.

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Support for special educational needs

Statutory obligations: ensure that younger children take a more active part in the review of their statements of SEN. School improvement: improve the quality and consistency of the support provided by educational psychologists across all areas of the county. Value for money: work with schools to evaluate the effectiveness of the delegation of SEN funding to mainstream schools.

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Support for social inclusion

Behaviour: improve the analysis of data on exclusions so as to establish the reasons for them and provide a basis for their reduction. Health, safety, welfare and child protection: establish a common understanding of the grounds for referral between the education and social services departments. Looked after children: establish clear procedures for monitoring personal education plans and improve their quality where necessary. Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

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Summary table of judgements

The bar represents the grade awarded to the LEA, the triangle represents the LEA’s self-evaluation grade, the vertical line represents the LEA’s previous grade and the diamond represents the average grade of all LEAs inspected in the last year. 1 = Very Good, 2 = Good, 3 = Highly Satisfactory, 4 = Satisfactory, 5 = Unsatisfactory, 6 = Poor, 7 = Very Poor.

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Corporate planning for education and its implementation

1. This key function was satisfactory at the time of the previous inspection. Following the report’s recommendations, planning across the council’s divisions and arrangements for improving the work of the education department, known as the Education and Cultural Services Directorate, have been strengthened. The work is now good. It provides the council with a clear sense of direction, both as an education authority and in discharging its other functions.

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Corporate planning for education and its implementation

2. Education is a specific priority in the council’s corporate plan to make the county ‘a place where people can learn and develop’. Education’s role is also made clear within other priorities, for example in promoting health and in providing the community with help when it is needed. These policies also make clear the requirements placed on education to contribute to social inclusion. Each of the broad aims of the council is translated into specific aims for the education service. Like other departments of the council, education has thematic business plans. This system organises separate plans, like the statutory behaviour support plan, and the Education Development Plan, into a coherent framework. It also requires the different sections of the department to work together, for example through collaboration between the school finance service and the school effectiveness service, particularly in schools causing

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Corporate planning for education and its implementation

The effectiveness of corporate planning of the education of children and young people

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Corporate planning for education and its implementation

The implementation of corporate planning for education

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Corporate planning for education and its implementation

The effectiveness of LEA decision-making

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Corporate planning for education and its implementation

The extent to which the LEA targets resources on priorities

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Corporate planning for education and its implementation

The extent to which the LEA has in place strategies to promote continuous improvement, including Best Value

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Corporate planning for education and its implementation

The leadership provided by elected members (including quality of advice received)

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Corporate planning for education and its implementation

The quality of leadership provided by senior officers

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Corporate planning for education and its implementation

The effectiveness of partnerships and collaboration between agencies in support of priorities

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Corporate planning for education and its implementation

The effectiveness of the LEA in discharging asset management planning Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

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Corporate planning for education and its implementation

February 2004 Page 9 3. This approach has not been in operation long enough for its full effects to be appraised in practice. Its strength is that each of its proposed aims has a specific arrangement for evaluating success in the programmes of action. These arrangements have the potential to ensure that the plans are implemented, but they do not yet make enough use of measurable criteria for success. Planning is supported by sound arrangements for improving the service, notwithstanding some weaknesses in the education department’s budget setting.

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Corporate planning for education and its implementation

4. The plans are reinforced by effective processes for making policy decisions. They are the product of effective leadership by both councillors and senior officers. That leadership is producing successful collaboration between education and other departments of the council, as well as with outside organisations. It is enabling progress in developing the curriculum for 14-19 year olds and has enabled very good arrangements for early years education. Collaboration, combined with the priority attached to the promotion of social inclusion, has supported the LEA’s response to Every Child Matters .

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Decision-making

5. This process is highly satisfactory. It is reinforced by the reviews built into the planning process; the effects of decisions on all parts of the service are clear. The process is further supported by very thorough consultation. Valuable though the consultation is, it slows decision-making. The formulation of the SEN strategy illustrates the point. Extensive consultation enabled many conflicting interests to be reconciled but the process was a very long one. Decision-making has public and political confidence. The involvement of the scrutiny sub-groups ensures that a wide range of views is taken into account. The process is an open one. Cabinet meetings are held in public and broadcast on the LEA’s website.

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Targeting of resources

6. This was satisfactory at the time of the previous inspection and it remains so. The council continues to spend more on education than its Formula Spending Share (FSS), reflecting the priority it places on the service. The LEA has acted on the recommendation in the previous inspection report to delegate more money to schools. This supports its aim of promoting self-managing schools. In 2002-03, it delegated a higher proportion of the budget than the national average and it passed on the full increase in schools’ FSS in 2003-04. Arrangements for setting the council’s budget have been improved so as to direct money more precisely at priorities. So far this potentially useful change has had very little effect within the education budget.

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Targeting of resources

7. The budget is distributed to schools by means of a highly detailed formula that is intended to allocate resources according to need. As a result, schools of similar size can receive widely differing budgets according to their circumstances. Information presented to schools about the funding formula and about spending patterns within the LEA is complicated and difficult to follow. Schools’ funding allocations for SEN represent an unusually high proportion of their total budgets and are distributed according to a complex formula that is not well understood by schools. In addition, spending on placing pupils with SEN in independent special schools is high and increasing. Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

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Targeting of resources

February 2004 Page 10 8. The level of surplus in schools’ budgets has grown to an unacceptably high level. At the end of 2002-03, 90% of primary schools and half of secondary schools had surplus balances exceeding 5% of their budgets. The education department is aware of the problem and has now provided schools with three-year indicative budgets to support their financial management. It has produced agreed criteria for the redistribution of excessive surpluses from 2005.

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Targeting of resources

• Improve the clarity of the financial information presented to schools.

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Strategies to promote continuous improvement, including Best Value

9. This function has improved significantly since the previous inspection and it is now highly satisfactory. The implementation of plans is supported by strong performance management. Officers know what contribution they make to the achievement of the council’s aims, and that contribution is evaluated through the appraisal process. There are effective arrangements for the monitoring of planned activities and for reporting the outcomes to senior officers and councillors. The LEA knows its strengths and weaknesses. Its self- evaluation, produced in preparation for this inspection, was broadly correct. Only two of its judgements were substantially different from the findings of the inspection.

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Strategies to promote continuous improvement, including Best Value

10. There has been an extensive programme of Best Value reviews in the education service. Despite being too narrow in scope, these reviews have identified matters for improvement. The resulting action plans have produced beneficial change. However, the reviews have paid too little attention to comparison with providers outside the council’s own services, particularly for those services purchased by schools. This has contributed to weaknesses in the provision of management support services.

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Leadership by elected members and advice given to them

11. This is good. Councillors drive change in the authority. Their effectiveness is clear, for example in the part they played in the introduction of the LEA’s powerful and forthright policy to combat racism. Their leadership has been further strengthened by a programme of development that has gained regional recognition. The programme’s effectiveness owes much to officers’ involvement in setting it up, and demonstrates the high quality of their advice to members. Officers and members work closely together in joint groups set up to oversee and develop various aspects of the education service. Collaboration between the councillors themselves is also strong and the scrutiny committee is effective in involving members of all political parties.

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Leadership by elected members and advice given to them

12. The responsibilities of cabinet members have been recently reorganised. The education department is now responsible to the leading councillor for children and families as well as to the councillor responsible for education. This is effective in supporting the role of the education service in promoting social inclusion. It also helps to lay the foundations for the council’s preparations for children’s services. Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

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Leadership by senior officers

13. The good leadership of the Director of Education and Cultural Services and her senior colleagues is evident in the effectiveness of planning and organisational structures at both corporate and education departmental levels. The performance management system is an important part of the operation of these structures. The rigour of the system is complemented by the excellent inter-personal skills of the officers who operate it. Senior officers are successful in promoting a sense of enthusiasm for improvement among their colleagues at all levels in the organisation. The leadership they provide is recognised and appreciated by schools.

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Strategic partnerships

14. Collaboration between the education service and other council services, as well as with external bodies, is satisfactory. Partnership with social services has improved since the previous inspection. It works well at senior levels, thus supporting the changed organisation of cabinet responsibilities. It is less effective at the day-to-day level of relations between individual schools and social workers. Such relations are sometimes mutually supportive, but they are often weak.

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Strategic partnerships

15. Outside of the council’s services, much collaboration is strong. This is so with the police, with health authorities, and particularly with the church authorities. The LEA leads the SEN regional partnership and has played a very important role in its developmental work.

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Strategic partnerships

16. The recently established locality focus programme places new emphasis on the promotion of political initiative and policy development at a local level. This has enabled the appointment of district partnership officers, to promote collaboration with the district councils. There are local strategic partnerships in each of the 12 districts but, until now, collaboration has been able to support work in education only in those districts with neighbourhood renewal funding deployed for educational purposes. The district partnerships have recently been supplemented by a new county-wide partnership, which is currently consulting on a draft strategic vision for the county’s future. The new programme of activities has the potential to develop collaboration between the county and the district councils.

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Support for Early Years

17. The support for early years is very good and makes a strong contribution to the LEA’s promotion of social inclusion. The Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP) is highly effective. Under the chairmanship of a private provider, it has strengthened collaboration between all providers and settings so that good practice and expertise are shared effectively. The EYDCP plan is clear and relevant with ambitious but achievable targets.

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Support for Early Years

18. The work is led with considerable expertise and the partnership is successful in bringing about improvement, for example in new developments to recruit and train minority ethnic childminders. All the government’s targets for the provision of free places for three- and four-year-olds have been met early and there are more out-of-school childcare places Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

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Support for Early Years

February 2004 Page 12 than in any other authority in the country. Inspection reports show that standards are better than those achieved nationally. The resource centre is good. It provides inspiration to all providers and is now expanding to serve a wider geographical area.

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Support for 14-19 education

19. This support is highly satisfactory and has the potential to improve further. The authority’s approach is built on very strong partnerships between schools, colleges and training providers, which extends to the neighbouring Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen LEAs. Area reviews, jointly funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and the LEA, have provided a very sound basis for examining present provision and planning for the future. However, planning of provision in the county as a whole is hindered at present by inadequate co-ordination of data about students’ progress post-16.

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Support for 14-19 education

20. Some progress has been made since the previous inspection. Money is now available for two 14-19 advisory posts and a secondment has been funded by the local Education Business Partnership to investigate weaknesses in work-based learning. Increased flexibility at Key Stage 4 is improving the staying-on rate and the LEA has exceeded its target for this. Collaboration is improving between schools and colleges and there are plans to extend the vocational curriculum.

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Support for 14-19 education

• Improve county-wide planning of 14-19 provision by working with the LSC to co-ordinate the collection and analysis of data on individual students’ post-16 attainment.

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Asset management planning

21. This is good. The education department consults effectively on its priorities and secures the agreement of schools and the church authorities. The priorities are well chosen and the backlog of repairs has been substantially reduced. The department has a thorough awareness of schools’ use of devolved capital resources.

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Asset management planning

22. Increased capital funding is used strategically as a part of school improvement, for example in the current rationalisation of SEN provision. Surplus places are being reduced at the same time as facilities are being improved and the inclusion in mainstream schools of pupils with SEN is being increased. The plans to reorganise secondary education in the Burnley and Pendle districts are innovative and ambitious. Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

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Summary table of judgements

The bar represents the grade awarded to the LEA, the triangle represents the LEA’s self-evaluation grade, the vertical line represents the LEA’s previous grade and the diamond represents the average grade of all LEAs inspected in the last year. 1 = Very Good, 2 = Good, 3 = Highly Satisfactory, 4 = Satisfactory, 5 = Unsatisfactory, 6 = Poor, 7 = Very Poor.

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The strategy for school improvement and its implementation

23. This strategy was satisfactory at the time of the previous inspection. It has improved and is now good. In particular, the LEA has acted on the recommendations to improve its EDP by demonstrating more clearly a logical connection between the proposed activities and their intended outcomes. The current EDP, together with its evaluation reports and subsequent revisions, is securely based on an examination of the educational issues confronting the county and shows clearly how they are to be resolved.

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The strategy for school improvement and its implementation

24. The plan’s identification of local priorities is an important strength. Its emphasis on promoting self-management in its schools successfully deals with a central criticism in the previous report, which found that schools were not independent enough. The plan’s priority to develop community partnership is, in essence, a response to the social and economic diversity, which is a distinctive local need and one of the most important and difficult issues confronting the authority. Work on this priority is promoting social inclusion.

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The strategy for school improvement and its implementation

25. The implementation of the school improvement strategy is effective in a number of respects. It is notably so in support for schools causing concern. Currently, only four schools require special measures and only nine have serious weaknesses. These figures are very low for an authority of this size and show substantial reduction since the first inspection. They 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

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The strategy for school improvement and its implementation

The LEA's strategy for school improvement

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The strategy for school improvement and its implementation

The progress on implementing the LEA's strategy for school improvement

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The strategy for school improvement and its implementation

The extent to which the LEA has defined monitoring, challenge and intervention

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The strategy for school improvement and its implementation

The effectiveness of the LEA's work in monitoring schools and challenging them to improve, including the use made of performance data The extent to which the LEA's support to schools is focused on areas of greatest need The effectiveness of the LEA's identification of and intervention in under-performing schools The extent to which the LEA is successful in assuring the supply and quality of teachers

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The strategy for school improvement and its implementation

The effectiveness of the LEA in relation to the provision of school places

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The strategy for school improvement and its implementation

The effectiveness of the LEA in relation to admissions to schools Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

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The strategy for school improvement and its implementation

February 2004 Page 14 demonstrate the effectiveness of the monitoring and challenge that lie behind the LEA’s support.

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The strategy for school improvement and its implementation

26. The EDP shows how activities are supported by, and incorporate, the various national initiatives for primary schools, Key Stage 3, Excellence Clusters and improving leadership. The education department’s monitoring and evaluation of the progress of these initiatives are strong. As the number of initiatives has increased, however, their management has become over complex and schools are beginning to find themselves overloaded. Officers recognise that rationalisation is needed.

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The strategy for school improvement and its implementation

27. There is a good capacity for the LEA to continue to improve its school improvement work. The record of pupils’ attainment also shows progress over a sustained period. Performance is broadly in line with national figures up to and including the age of 16. It has improved at the same rate as it has nationally and in similar authorities. The record is a strong one, taking into account the county’s social and economic circumstances. In 2003, at the ends of Key Stages 3 and 4, pupils’ results either met or were very close to the LEA’s targets. They were, however, about 6% below the targets for the nationally expected levels in English and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2. The gap is a substantial one, but there is a coherent approach to closing it. It is based on sound analysis of data and therefore on assigning support to the schools that need it most. Moreover, the education department has a

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The strategy for school improvement and its implementation

record of dealing with weak attainment, for example in the support it has provided for the Primary National Strategy.

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Providing school places

28. This was highly satisfactory at the time of the previous inspection. It is now satisfactory. The number of surplus places is high and rising overall, particularly in the primary phase, at the same time as there are shortages of places in some areas of the county. The school organisation plan sets out effectively the policies and principles underlying school place planning, but fails to show specifically how it intends to rationalise provision.

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Providing school places

29. The LEA has acted on the recommendation from the previous inspection report to review the viability of its small schools. Their future is discussed in district reviews and officers work effectively to support them through collaborative projects to improve their leadership and management.

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Providing school places

30. The approach to school place planning has successfully produced consensus, especially with the church authorities who are involved with almost half of the schools. The planning incorporates capital spending plans and takes account of school effectiveness. The recent reorganisation of primary schools in Burnley and Skelmersdale will remove surplus places and close some schools in difficulties at the same time as providing new, well- designed schools, which include community facilities such as libraries.

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Providing school places

• Improve school organisation planning by showing in more detail how the supply of school places and the demand for them are to be balanced in different areas of the county. Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

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Summary table of judgements

The bar represents the grade awarded to the LEA, the triangle represents the LEA’s self-evaluation grade, the vertical line represents the LEA’s previous grade and the diamond represents the average grade of all LEAs inspected in the last year. 1 = Very Good, 2 = Good, 3 = Highly Satisfactory, 4 = Satisfactory, 5 = Unsatisfactory, 6 = Poor, 7 = Very Poor.

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Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

31. This is highly satisfactory overall. Much of it, particularly in the services that support the management of teaching, learning and the curriculum, is good. The support is highly effective and provides good value for money. However, some parts of the support for the day-to-day management of schools are weaker.

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Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

32. The LEA is producing improvement. School inspections show that the standard of management and efficiency in primary schools is in line with that found in similar authorities and the nation as a whole, while that in the secondary phase is higher. The LEA responded well to a recommendation in the previous report by placing a strong and effective emphasis on the development of self-managing schools. All schools have received good training and 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

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Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

Support to school leadership and management, including schools' approaches to achieving continuous improvement Support for national initiatives to raise standards in literacy and numeracy at KS 1 and

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Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

Support for information and communication technology

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Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

Support for the national initiative to raise standards at KS3

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Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

Support for raising the achievement of minority ethnic pupils, including Traveller children

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Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

Support to schools for gifted and talented pupils

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Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

The planning and provision of services to support school management

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Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

The planning and provision of financial services in supporting school management

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Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

The planning and provision of HR services in supporting school management

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Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

The planning and provision of property services in supporting school management

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Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

The planning and provision of information management services in supporting school management

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Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

The effectiveness and value for money of services supporting school management

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Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

The planning and provision of services supporting school improvement, particularly inspection and advisory and/or school effectiveness services The effectiveness and value for money of services supporting school improvement, particularly inspection and advisory and/or school effectiveness services Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

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Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

February 2004 Page 16 are becoming increasingly competent in self-evaluation. This enables school advisers to moderate the outcomes of schools’ own self-review processes and agree challenging improvement plans.

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Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

33. Officers have a good knowledge of schools’ strengths and weaknesses. The high level of delegation of school improvement funds ensures that the services make the utmost effort to provide good support. As a result, the great majority of schools respond by purchasing the service. Headteachers are able to negotiate provision tailored to meet their school improvement needs.

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Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

34. The leadership and management training programme is effective and has strong links with national provision and accreditation. Best practice is shared well. Advisers’ records of visits and annual reports on schools provide clear and useful evaluations for headteachers and governors. Support for ICT in the curriculum has improved significantly. It now has a coherent strategy and, with funding distributed fairly and key areas for further development identified, it is highly satisfactory. The LEA’s support for gifted pupils is well established and strong. It is weaker for those who are talented. An effective initial audit and a clear strategy have provided a strong foundation for the LEA’s provision to improve standards at Key Stage 3. The good work of consultants is helping to lift the levels of pupils’ achievement. Support for the national primary strategies is also good. The support for

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Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

raising the achievement of minority ethnic pupils, including Traveller children, is highly effective. Data and funding are used skilfully to bring about good progress.

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Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

35. The effectiveness and value for money of the management support services offered to schools are satisfactory. However, service level agreements are of variable quality and the LEA does not do enough to help school managers identify and judge the quality of alternative services offered by external providers.

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Support for information and communication technology (ICT)

36. The support was weak at the time of the previous inspection. It is now highly satisfactory. Significant improvements have been made and the LEA is well on course to achieve the 2004 national targets for the ratio of computers to pupils. Electronic communication has improved and supportive, co-operative networks have been developed. The support to schools is targeted well and no school has an unsatisfactory development plan for ICT.

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Support for information and communication technology (ICT)

37. However, although the LEA analyses schools’ performance in a variety of sensible ways, its knowledge of what pupils know, understand and can do in ICT is not secure. Helpful guidance on assessing, recording and identifying the levels of pupils’ attainment has been piloted recently and is shortly to be implemented in schools.

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Support for the national initiative at Key Stage 3

38. The LEA provides good support for this initiative. Its clear strategy is focused firmly on the improvement of teaching and learning and is well understood by schools. It is closely linked to the overall approach to school improvement and to the primary strategy. However, although the arrangements for pupils’ transition from primary to secondary schools Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

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Support for the national initiative at Key Stage 3

February 2004 Page 17 are improving and good work takes place in some parts of the county, the overall quality is not yet consistent.

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Support for the national initiative at Key Stage 3

39. The consultants for each of the strategy’s strands provide good guidance and resources. Support is differentiated effectively according to schools’ needs. The training is provided flexibly to meet schools’ circumstances and it receives high evaluations. Key Stage 3 strategy managers in schools are well supported.

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Support for the national initiative at Key Stage 3

40. This support is raising standards. Attainment has improved in the great majority of schools supported intensively in English, mathematics or science in 2002/03, with results at Level 5 and above rising by 10% or more in about half of them. The annual survey of pupils’ attitudes in individual schools shows improved interest in Key Stage 3 lessons and, in some cases, better rates of attendance.

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Traveller children

41. The LEA’s support is good and very well led. It is based on very full data on minority ethnic achievement and good knowledge of the groups concerned. This information is used to assess the type of support required and to spend grant money where it is most needed to raise attainment. As a result, the gap between the performance of minority ethnic groups and of all pupils is beginning to narrow. Indian and Pakistani pupils have made particularly good progress, but there is still some way to go with the smaller numbers of Bangladeshi pupils.

p.19

Traveller children

42. Work with Traveller and Gypsy children is very good. The service knows where the children are and meets its target for school placement within five days. It provides very good guidance for schools on induction, registration and attendance. Its training is of good quality and demand for it from schools is increasing. A new database has been established to collect value-added information on individual pupils. The number of Traveller children attending primary schools up to Year 5 has increased, but the service has been less successful in improving attendance in Year 6 and in secondary schools.

p.19

Support for gifted and talented pupils

43. This is highly satisfactory overall. The provision for gifted pupils is good, but that for talented pupils, while satisfactory, has some weaknesses.

p.19

Support for gifted and talented pupils

44. The LEA has recognised for at least 10 years the importance of support for able pupils. Its advisory team is well established and expert. Its work is integrated effectively into the overall strategy for school improvement. The strengths and weaknesses in schools’ provision for gifted and talented pupils have been monitored by the advisers and targets are set for them in the annual review. Good guidelines for schools have been produced by the advisory team, with the help of schools’ co-ordinators. Effective training and advice are supplemented by materials produced by schools in the Excellence Clusters. Summer schools are well supported and evaluated. However, although suitable guidance will soon be issued to schools, the provision and resources for identifying and supporting talented pupils are less well developed than those for gifted pupils, particularly in drama and the arts. Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

p.19

Effectiveness and value for money of services to support school management

45. The quality of the services offered to schools is at least satisfactory and their value for money is satisfactory overall. Their detailed business planning is good, and strong performance management ensures that services deliver corporate aims and objectives. The costs of non-traded services are generally lower than those in similar LEAs. Nevertheless, the limited awareness in schools and within the LEA of the costs and quality offered by external service providers means that the council cannot be sure of the overall value for money offered by its traded services.

p.20

Effectiveness and value for money of services to support school management

46. There are weaknesses in the overall planning and co-ordination of these services which make this aspect of the LEA’s work unsatisfactory. Progress in addressing the recommendation from the previous inspection, that the LEA develop a co-ordinated approach to involving schools in the planning and delivery of traded and non-traded services, has been too slow. A subgroup of the Schools Forum to consider the procurement of services has only just been set up.

p.20

Effectiveness and value for money of services to support school management

47. Where services, such as catering and cleaning, are currently purchased by schools, the education department provides valuable support for schools as clients. It provides no such support for schools seeking alternative suppliers of other services. Schools receive no information about alternative suppliers and purchasing decisions become both burdensome and financially risky. Moreover, since all the schools must work individually, the task also represents an unnecessary duplication of effort. All council services provide service level agreements for schools but they vary unduly in both format and clarity and are issued separately at different times of year. Measurable standards to enable schools to judge the services objectively have not been defined by the council.

p.20

Recommendations

• Improve the quality and clarity of service level agreements for traded and non- traded services provided by the council.

p.20

Recommendations

• Raise schools’ awareness of external providers of services and develop reliable quality standards so that schools can make informed purchasing decisions.

p.20

Property services

48. These are highly satisfactory and are linked effectively to the department’s asset management planning. The vast majority of schools buy from the range of services offered. Together, these give schools access to a wide range of technical expertise and support. The authority has proved its effectiveness in dealing swiftly with emergencies, such as fire damage, so that pupils’ education is disrupted as little as possible. Nevertheless, the school survey shows that primary schools see the services as having deteriorated between 2002 and 2003. Some report variability in the quality of the advice they receive and in the extent to which their views are taken into account in discussions about building proposals. Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

p.20

Effectiveness and value for money of services to support school improvement

49. The school effectiveness service performs well at below-average cost and provides good value for money. It is well equipped to monitor, challenge, support and, where necessary, intervene in primary, secondary and special schools. Its work is planned well.

p.21

Effectiveness and value for money of services to support school improvement

50. The LEA responded to a recommendation from the previous report, that schools should be more self-sufficient, by delegating to them a high proportion of the funds for school improvement. The high value that schools place on the school effectiveness services is illustrated by the fact that about 98% buy into the ‘school service guarantee’, a traded service that links the LEA’s and schools’ responsibilities for school improvement.

p.21

Effectiveness and value for money of services to support school improvement

51. The school advisers are each members of more than one team and are trained regularly to be able to monitor and advise on a broad range of school improvement matters. Schools report a significant improvement in the quality of the service since the previous inspection and value the well-informed challenge and support provided by advisers. The schools, including governors, contribute to detailed evaluations of the services to support school improvement, and reports on their effectiveness are made to senior managers and to the education portfolio holder. Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

p.21

Summary table of judgements

The bar represents the grade awarded to the LEA, the triangle represents the LEA’s self-evaluation grade, the vertical line represents the LEA’s previous grade and the diamond represents the average grade of all LEAs inspected in the last year. 1 = Very Good, 2 = Good, 3 = Highly Satisfactory, 4 = Satisfactory, 5 = Unsatisfactory, 6 = Poor, 7 = Very Poor.

p.22

The strategy for SEN

52. This was poor at the time of the previous inspection. It has improved and is now satisfactory. The previous inspection recommended that the LEA should act urgently to review its SEN strategy. In fact, the formulation of the new strategy has been slow because there was widespread scepticism about inclusion. There was a period of delay, but in the last two years the authority has conducted widespread consultation in order to carry parents and schools with it. It has had some success in this. In introducing change, the LEA has benefited from its strength in working with headteachers, in its partners in the community and with other agencies in the region through its leading role in the north west regional SEN partnership.

p.22

The strategy for SEN

53. The LEA’s strategy is to include pupils with SEN in mainstream schools as far as possible and to reorganise the special schools. It is supported by an ambitious improvement programme, with well-defined targets and milestones for implementation that take account of local circumstances. It is also linked with plans for improving behaviour support. The accessibility strategy shows how pupils with a variety of special needs will be helped to gain access to the full range of provision in schools.

p.22

The strategy for SEN

54. The delay in producing the SEN strategy has prevented its yet having an impact. The proportion of pupils educated in special schools remains above average, as does the proportion of pupils with statements of SEN at both primary and secondary level. However, the LEA no longer overspends its SEN budget and there are now mechanisms for co- ordinating the funding for SEN and social inclusion. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

p.22

The strategy for SEN

The effectiveness of the LEA's strategy for the inclusion of pupils' special educational needs

p.22

The strategy for SEN

The effectiveness of the LEA in meeting its statutory obligations in respect of SEN

p.22

The strategy for SEN

The effectiveness of the LEA in exercising its SEN functions to support school improvement The extent to which the LEA exercises its SEN functions in a way which provides value for money Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

p.22

The strategy for SEN

February 2004 Page 21 55. These developments, combined with the recent involvement of the leading councillor for education and the scrutiny committee in building the consensus on which the strategy is based, are evidence of the LEA’s capacity to improve its provision for SEN.

p.23

Statutory obligations

56. The provision made by the LEA to meet statutory obligations is satisfactory.

p.23

Statutory obligations

57. There has been an increase in the proportion of statutory assessments completed within the specified timescale. From 2002 to 2003 it rose from 36% to 57%. It still remains below the national average but there are sound plans for further improvement.

p.23

Statutory obligations

58. Statements of educational needs fulfil requirements, are reviewed regularly and are amended on time. Officers attend reviews and give particular priority to those conducted at points of transition between primary and secondary education and at the end of pupils’ statutory schooling. The views of parents and children are taken into consideration but those of younger pupils less consistently so. Parents and carers receive effective advice and help from the parent partnership service and independent parental supporters as well as by the authority’s own SEN liaison officers. The use of tribunals to resolve disputes is lower than average.

p.23

Statutory obligations

• Ensure that younger children take a more active part in the review of their statements of special educational needs.

p.23

SEN functions to support school improvement

59. At the time of the previous inspection this was unsatisfactory. It is now good.

p.23

SEN functions to support school improvement

60. School improvement is central to the LEA’s approach to SEN. General school advisers and advisers with specialist responsibility for SEN work closely together and the school self-evaluation procedure for SEN, which has been adopted in all schools, provides a sound assessment of schools’ needs for support. The support is helping to raise standards. School inspections show that, in all key stages, pupils with SEN learn more and make better progress than their counterparts in similar authorities and in the country as a whole. The LEA makes very effective use of performance data to monitor provision and to challenge schools to improve further. Its ‘performance indicators of value added target setting’ system provides a sophisticated analysis of the progress made by pupils with SEN against a range of benchmarks.

p.23

SEN functions to support school improvement

61. The SEN Code of Practice is being implemented consistently and schools’ co- ordinators are supported by good guidance and training, particularly in the production of pupils’ individual education plans. Support for the co-ordinators is complemented by support for other teachers and classroom assistants. Schools use their delegated funds to purchase support from the LEA. They are generally satisfied with the support they receive but are critical of inconsistencies in the quality of support provided by educational psychologists. Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

p.23

SEN functions to support school improvement

February 2004 Page 22 These result, in part, from recruitment and retention problems which the authority is endeavouring to solve.

p.24

SEN functions to support school improvement

• Improve the quality and consistency of the support provided by educational psychologists across all areas of the authority.

p.24

Value for money

62. This is now satisfactory. Since the previous inspection, the LEA has increased its delegation to schools significantly, and its improved budgetary control is having a positive effect. Nevertheless, spending on SEN is high. The LEA has increasingly sophisticated mechanisms for monitoring pupils’ progress, part of which relates pupils’ performance to spending. More generally, however, the authority does not have a mechanism for relating pupils’ progress to the resources allocated to them. As a result, it is not able to evaluate consistently whether or not the amount of money delegated to mainstream schools and the means of its distribution are effective.

p.24

Value for money

• Work with schools to evaluate the effectiveness of the reasons why SEN funding is delegated to mainstream schools. Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

p.24

Summary table of judgements

The bar represents the grade awarded to the LEA, the triangle represents the LEA’s self-evaluation grade, the vertical line represents the LEA’s previous grade and the diamond represents the average grade of all LEAs inspected in the last year. 1 = Very Good, 2 = Good, 3 = Highly Satisfactory, 4 = Satisfactory, 5 = Unsatisfactory, 6 = Poor, 7 = Very Poor.

p.25

The LEA’s strategy for social inclusion

63. The strategy remains highly satisfactory. The council gives a high priority to social inclusion and the education service is concerned to raise the attainment of all groups and to promote equality and diversity. Its inclusive continuum plan is based on an audit of needs, builds on good practice and allocates resources clearly to priorities. Its underlying principles accord very closely with those of Every Child Matters . The allied operational plans have detailed success criteria and precise schedules for implementation. They focus on helping schools and local communities develop their own solutions to problems. This helps to meet the diverse needs in the county, but the focus on districts and areas sometimes makes it difficult to identify the wider issues, for example in relation to exclusions. Some plans are recent and have not yet had time to have a measurable effect.

p.25

The LEA’s strategy for social inclusion

64. Councillors and officers work closely together on implementing the strategy, for example in the joint working group on equality and diversity. There is also effective partnership with schools. Headteachers are highly appreciative of the way that members of the scrutiny committee visited schools to explore the practical implications of the inclusion policy. There is strong collaboration with a range of external agencies, including the police, the Area Child Protection Committee (ACPC), the regional consortium for Traveller education, the Islamic Council of Mosques, Black and Asian women’s groups, the Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) and the Forum of Faiths group. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

p.25

The LEA’s strategy for social inclusion

The overall effectiveness of the LEA's strategy for promoting social inclusion

p.25

The LEA’s strategy for social inclusion

The LEA provision for pupils who have no school place

p.25

The LEA’s strategy for social inclusion

Support for health, safety, welfare and child protection

p.25

The LEA’s strategy for social inclusion

The effectiveness of the LEA in combating racism Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

p.25

The LEA’s strategy for social inclusion

February 2004 Page 24 65. In the main, resources are deployed effectively. The arrangements for the distribution of the grant for minority ethnic achievement are particularly effective. However, the costs for the education of children other than at school are high and, although this issue has been identified by the council, spending has yet to be brought under control.

p.26

The LEA’s strategy for social inclusion

66. Schools know what support and training are available to support inclusion and how to gain access to the services. Advisers are well trained in data analysis and interpretation and apply these skills effectively to support schools’ self-evaluation and challenge them to improve their practice. However, there are weaknesses in the day-to-day relations between schools and social workers.

p.26

The LEA’s strategy for social inclusion

67. The positive impact of support is reflected in: improved tracking processes and increased reintegration for pupils with no school place; a reduction in permanent exclusions at primary level; major improvements in approaches to combating racism; and improved performance at Key Stage 4 by looked after children. However, there has been an increase in permanent exclusions at secondary level and in fixed-term exclusions in both secondary and special schools. The personal education plans of looked after children are not monitored rigorously.

p.26

Provision for pupils educated other than at school

68. This has improved and is now highly satisfactory. The recommendation in the previous report has been acted on and there is a very effective system for tracking pupils. It includes both detailed register checks and thorough follow-up procedures with social services and neighbouring authorities.

p.26

Provision for pupils educated other than at school

69. All pupils have a guarantee of at least the required minimum education provision and have access to a flexible curriculum in Key Stage 4. The quality of provision by both public and private providers is thoroughly assessed. The short stay schools (pupil referral units) now have stronger management committees and are more accountable. Advisers use the strongest teachers to spread good practice across the service.

p.26

Provision for pupils educated other than at school

70. Reintegration is increasingly successful. Most schools work co-operatively to develop approaches to prevent exclusions and to promote reintegration. The education department is very supportive of these initiatives. Costs, though still high, are declining and further rationalisation is planned.

p.26

Support for behaviour

71. Support for behaviour continues to be satisfactory and increasing progress is being made, supported by the unified approach to SEN and behaviour.

p.26

Support for behaviour

72. Good training and support have been provided for schools and governors to develop their capacity to maintain pupils at risk of exclusion and to develop behaviour management policies. In addition, guidance for early years, on the care and control of pupils and behaviour change is being developed. Learning mentors, support assistants and learning support unit staff are provided with differentiated professional development programmes. Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

p.26

Support for behaviour

February 2004 Page 25 73. The LEA has developed a range of partnerships to address issues of behaviour. These include a headteacher study group which has produced discussion papers on maintaining pupils in mainstream schools and reducing exclusions, groups of headteachers are working in districts to manage pupils at risk of exclusion and to promote multi-agency co- operation. There is an increasing recognition that local issues need local solutions. The primary and Key Stage 3 national strategies are used effectively to focus on the essential links between learning and behaviour.

p.27

Support for behaviour

74. Permanent exclusions and the days lost through fixed-term exclusions from primary schools are reducing. Secondary permanent exclusions are increasing and fixed-term exclusions in both secondary and special schools are also increasing. The authority has detailed data on exclusions but it recognises that it does not analyse and present this information with sufficient consistency and clarity to assist officers and schools in focusing on key outcomes.

p.27

Support for behaviour

• Improve the analysis of data on exclusions so as to establish the reasons for them and provide a basis for their reduction.

p.27

Support for health, safety, welfare and child protection

75. The LEA provides satisfactory support. There is good multi-agency work at corporate and senior officer level and a full contribution by the LEA to the ACPC.

p.27

Support for health, safety, welfare and child protection

76. A good training programme is available for designated teachers and assistance is offered to schools in the development of their child protection policies. The few schools that have yet to participate in training, or do not have working policies, are being allocated additional support. Training is also available for governors and other adults who work with children. The current handbook of guidance and procedures has been brought up to date. Schools have confidence in the support and advice provided by the child protection officers and the guarantee of a response to queries within two hours is a particular strength. The work of the team has been effective in heightening awareness of child protection issues in schools.

p.27

Support for health, safety, welfare and child protection

77. Relations between schools and social workers are poor in some parts of the county. This is partly the result of a shortage of social workers and partly due to the lack of a common understanding of the threshold for referral. This is undermining the confidence of some schools in the process. The child protection team is analysing responses to referrals to form the basis for discussion with social services.

p.27

Support for health, safety, welfare and child protection

78. Support for health and safety and welfare, though not subject to detailed fieldwork, is highly satisfactory.

p.27

Support for health, safety, welfare and child protection

• Establish a common understanding of the grounds for referral between the education and social services departments. Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

p.27

Provision for looked after children

79. The support for looked after children continues to be satisfactory. The training and support made available to schools have been well delivered and are appreciated by the schools. Officers have successfully raised the profile of these vulnerable children.

p.28

Provision for looked after children

80. Challenging targets are set and progress has been made. Key Stage 4 results, for example, have shown significant improvements over the last three years. The personal interest of the leader of the council in the achievements of these children is appreciated by both the children and their carers.

p.28

Provision for looked after children

81. Elected members’ support is strong and the co-operation between the education and social services departments is developing well at strategic level. The departments jointly fund the team responsible for the education of looked after children, which has a wide brief. Serious understaffing for the last 12 months has restricted its ability to deliver a full programme of support.

p.28

Provision for looked after children

82. An improved format for the personal education plans was introduced last year with good guidance and supporting materials. However, although every child has a plan in place within a reasonable length of time, the education department does not know the quality of these plans because there is no adequate system for monitoring and evaluating them.

p.28

Provision for looked after children

• Establish clear procedures for monitoring and evaluating personal education plans and improve their quality where necessary.

p.28

Promoting racial equality

83. The LEA’s work in promoting racial equality is very good. It is based on close collaboration between the LEA and the community. The officers who provide the support are highly regarded by schools. Schools are not allowed to be complacent, regardless of the nature of their intakes. The race equality scheme is all embracing and all schools have their own policies. Very good practical guidance and training on handling racist incidents are provided to schools. There are very good links with different agencies, communities and services. The collaboration with the police’s East Lancashire Community Cohesion Board to keep track of levels of racial tension in sensitive areas is particularly strong.

p.28

Promoting racial equality

84. The reporting of racist incidents in schools has improved each year and the LEA is already close to its target of receiving a report on racist incidents or a nil rating from all schools. The system is clear and widely understood. It is sensitively, but firmly, enforced. Training for governors has been very successful and has been fostered further by the publication of a bespoke edition of the governors’ newsletter. This has received national interest, as have other initiatives such as the understanding Islam Project, instigated by and jointly funded with the Council of Mosques and supported by the SACRE. The LEA is continually planning further improvements. These currently include the production of a race equality charter. Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

p.28

Appendix A: Record of Judgement Recording Statements

Name of LEA : Lancashire Local Education Authority

p.29

Context of the LEA

1 The socio-economic context of the LEA 4

p.29

Overall judgements

0.1 The progress made by the LEA overall 3

p.29

Overall judgements

0.3 The LEA’s capacity for further improvement and to address the recommendations of the inspection

p.29

Section 1: Corporate strategy and LEA leadership

1.1 The effectiveness of corporate planning for the education of children and young people

p.29

Section 1: Corporate strategy and LEA leadership

1.2 The implementation of corporate planning for education 2

p.29

Section 1: Corporate strategy and LEA leadership

1.3 The effectiveness of LEA decision-making 3

p.29

Section 1: Corporate strategy and LEA leadership

1.4 The extent to which the LEA targets resources on priorities 4

p.29

Section 1: Corporate strategy and LEA leadership

1.5 The extent to which the LEA has in place effective strategies to promote continuous improvement, including Best Value

p.29

Section 1: Corporate strategy and LEA leadership

1.6 The leadership provided by elected members (including quality of advice)

p.29

Section 1: Corporate strategy and LEA leadership

1.7 The quality of leadership provided by senior officers 2

p.29

Section 1: Corporate strategy and LEA leadership

1.8 The effectiveness of partnerships and collaboration between agencies in support of priorities Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

p.29

Section 1: Corporate strategy and LEA leadership

February 2004 Page 28 1.9 Support for early years' education 1

p.30

Section 1: Corporate strategy and LEA leadership

1.11 The effectiveness of the LEA in discharging asset management planning

p.30

Section 2: Strategy for education and its implementation

2.1 The LEA's strategy for school improvement 2

p.30

Section 2: Strategy for education and its implementation

2.2 The progress on implementing the LEA's strategy for school improvement

p.30

Section 2: Strategy for education and its implementation

2.4 The extent to which the LEA has defined monitoring, challenge and intervention 2 NF

p.30

Section 2: Strategy for education and its implementation

2.5 The effectiveness of the LEA's work in monitoring schools and challenging them to improve, including the use made of performance data 2 NF

p.30

Section 2: Strategy for education and its implementation

2.6 The extent to which the LEA's support to schools is focused on areas of greatest need 2 NF

p.30

Section 2: Strategy for education and its implementation

2.7 The effectiveness of the LEA's identification of and intervention in underperforming schools 2 NF

p.30

Section 2: Strategy for education and its implementation

2.8 The extent to which the LEA is successful in assuring the supply and quality of teachers 2 NF

p.30

Section 2: Strategy for education and its implementation

2.9 The effectiveness of the LEA in relation to the provision of school places

p.30

Section 2: Strategy for education and its implementation

2.10 The effectiveness of the LEA in relation to admissions to schools 4 NF

p.30

efforts to support continuous improvement

3.1 Support to school leadership and management, including support for schools' approaches to continuous improvement

p.30

efforts to support continuous improvement

3.2 Support for national initiatives to raise standards in literacy and numeracy at KS 1 and 2 2 NF

p.30

efforts to support continuous improvement

3.3 Support for information and communication technology 3 Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

p.30

efforts to support continuous improvement

February 2004 Page 29 3.4 Support for the national initiative to raise standards at KS3 2

p.31

efforts to support continuous improvement

3.5 Support for raising the achievement of minority ethnic pupils, including Gypsy and Traveller children

p.31

efforts to support continuous improvement

3.6 Support to schools for gifted and talented pupils 3

p.31

efforts to support continuous improvement

3.8 The planning and provision of services to support school management

p.31

efforts to support continuous improvement

3.8a The planning and provision of financial services in supporting school management 2 NF

p.31

efforts to support continuous improvement

3.8b The planning and provision of personnel services in supporting school management 3 NF

p.31

efforts to support continuous improvement

3.8c The planning and provision of property services in supporting school management

p.31

efforts to support continuous improvement

3.8d The planning and provision of information management services in supporting school management 3 NF

p.31

efforts to support continuous improvement

3.9 The effectiveness and value for money of services supporting school management

p.31

efforts to support continuous improvement

3.10 The planning and provision of services supporting school improvement, particularly inspection and advisory and/or school effectiveness services 2 NF

p.31

efforts to support continuous improvement

3.11 The effectiveness and value for money of services supporting school improvement, particularly inspection and advisory and/or school effectiveness services

p.31

Section 4: Support for special educational needs (SEN)

4.1 The effectiveness of the LEA's strategy for special educational needs

p.31

Section 4: Support for special educational needs (SEN)

4.2 The effectiveness of the LEA in meeting its statutory obligations in respect of SEN

p.31

Section 4: Support for special educational needs (SEN)

4.3 The effectiveness of the LEA in exercising its SEN functions to support school improvement

p.31

Section 4: Support for special educational needs (SEN)

4.4 The extent to which the LEA exercises its SEN functions in a way which provides value for money Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

p.31

Section 5: Support for social inclusion

5.1 The overall effectiveness of the LEA's strategy for promoting social inclusion

p.32

Section 5: Support for social inclusion

5.2 Provision for pupils who have no school place 3

p.32

Section 5: Support for social inclusion

5.5 Support for health, safety, welfare and child protection 3

p.32

Section 5: Support for social inclusion

5.6 Provision for looked after children 4

p.32

Section 5: Support for social inclusion

5.7 The effectiveness of the LEA in promoting racial equality 1

p.32

Section 5: Support for social inclusion

*NF' under fieldwork means that no fieldwork was conducted on this function during this inspection.

p.32

JRS numerical judgements are allocated on a 7-point scale:

Grade 1: Very good; Grade 2: Good; Grade 3: Highly satisfactory; Grade 4: Satisfactory; Grade 5: Unsatisfactory; Grade 6: Poor; Grade 7: Very poor Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

p.32

Context of the inspection

This inspection of Lancashire LEA was carried out by Ofsted in conjunction with the Audit Commission under section 38 of the Education Act 1997.

p.33

Context of the inspection

This report provides a summary of the inspection findings, including:

p.33

Context of the inspection

• the progress the LEA has made since the time of its previous inspection;

p.33

Context of the inspection

• the overall effectiveness of the LEA and its capacity to improve further;

p.33

Context of the inspection

• the LEA’s performance in major aspects of its work;

p.33

Context of the inspection

• recommendations on areas for improvement.

p.33

Context of the inspection

The summary is followed by more detailed judgements on the LEA’s performance of its individual functions, which set the recommendations for improvement into context.

p.33

Context of the inspection

All functions of the LEA have been inspected and judgements reached on how effectively they are performed. Not all functions were subject to detailed fieldwork, but in all cases inspectors reached their judgements through an evaluation of a range of material. This included self-evaluation undertaken by the LEA, data (some of which were provided by the LEA), school inspection information, HMI monitoring reports, and audit reports. In addition, the inspection team considered the earlier Ofsted/Audit Commission report on this LEA and a questionnaire seeking the views of all schools on aspects of the work of the LEA. In those areas subject to fieldwork, discussions were held with LEA officers and members, headteachers and governors, staff in other departments of the local authority, diocesan representatives, and other agencies and LEA partners.

p.33

Context of the inspection

The functions that were not subject to detailed fieldwork in this inspection were:

p.33

Context of the inspection

• the extent to which the LEA has defined monitoring, challenge and intervention;

p.33

Context of the inspection

• the effectiveness of the LEA's work in monitoring schools and challenging them to improve, including the use made of performance data;

p.33

Context of the inspection

• the extent to which the LEA's support to schools is focused on areas of greatest need;

p.33

Context of the inspection

• the effectiveness of the LEA's identification of and intervention in underperforming schools;

p.33

Context of the inspection

• the extent to which the LEA is successful in assuring the supply and quality of teachers;

p.33

Context of the inspection

• the effectiveness of the LEA in relation to admissions to schools; Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

p.33

Context of the inspection

February 2004 Page 32 • support for national initiatives to raise standards in literacy and numeracy in Key Stages 1 and 2;

p.34

Context of the inspection

• the planning and provision of financial services in supporting school management;

p.34

Context of the inspection

• the planning and provision of personnel services in supporting school management;

p.34

Context of the inspection

• the planning and provision of information management services in supporting school management;

p.34

Context of the inspection

• the planning and provision of services supporting school improvement, particularly inspection and advisory and/or school effectiveness services;

p.34

Context of the inspection

Inspection judgements are made against criteria that can be found on the Ofsted website. For each inspected function of the LEA an inspection team agrees a numerical grade. The numerical grades awarded for the judgements made in this inspection are to be found in Appendix A. These numerical grades must be considered in the light of the full report. Some of the grades are used in the Comprehensive Performance Assessment profile for the education service. Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

p.34

Context of the LEA

In overall terms, the county has social and economic characteristics similar to the nation as a whole. For example, the index of multiple deprivation in 2000 showed that 12% of its wards were in the most deprived 10% nationally. The 1991 census showed proportions of the population with higher education qualifications and in higher social classes in line with those nationally. Similarly the percentages of pupils entitled to free school meals in 2002 were 19 in primary schools and 15 in secondary schools. In 2001, 7.6% of pupils in primary schools and 6.9% in secondary schools were from minority ethnic groups. These proportions again are similar to those nationally.

p.35

Context of the LEA

Although these figures reflect national proportions, there are large differences between areas within the county. Some areas are prosperous, particularly in the north of the county. There are also areas of considerable disadvantage. These are on the coastal fringe and in Preston, but their main concentration is in the east. Three districts there, together with Preston, receive neighbourhood renewal funding by virtue of their level of deprivation. These are also the areas in which minority ethnic groups are concentrated.

p.35

Context of the LEA

In 2002, 3.3% of pupils in primary schools had statements of SEN. This proportion is well above the national figure. In secondary schools the figure was 4.8%, again above the national rate. The percentage of pupils in special schools in 2002 was 1.6 in the secondary age range and 1.3 in the primary age range. The figure for primaries is above the national average; that for secondary is below.

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Context of the LEA

The total population of the county is 1.1 million, and the school population is about 173,000. There are 26 nursery schools, 493 primary schools and 88 secondary schools, of which 17 have sixth forms. There are 32 special schools and 16 pupil referral units. Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

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The performance of schools

Pupils enter reception classes with attainment a little below that found nationally. At the age of seven their performance is in line with national figures. It continues so, up to and including age 16. Despite minor fluctuations, attainment has improved at the same rate as it has nationally and in similar authorities.

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The performance of schools

In 2003, at the end of Key Stage 2, 76% of pupils achieved Level 4 or above in English, compared with the national 74%. In mathematics the equivalent figures were 75% and 72%. These figures are about 6% below the LEA’s targets. The gap is a large one but the LEA has credible plans to close it. However, it will be unlikely to make its 2004 target. In science, 88% reached the expected level, compared with 86% nationally. The authority has already passed its 2006 target for science.

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The performance of schools

At the end of Key Stage 3, in 2003, 71% of pupils reached Level 5 or above in English, 73% in mathematics and 71% in science. English and mathematics missed their targets by about 3% and 2% respectively. The LEA is unlikely to reach its 2004 target. Science reached its target.

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The performance of schools

In the GCSE in 2003, 52.9% of pupils in the authority’s schools achieved at five or more A*- C passes. That was 3.1% below the target. The target for five or more A*-G was met.

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The performance of schools

The attainment of looked after children at age 16 is improving. The LEA’s target for five or more A*-C passes in 2003 was passed in 2002.

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The performance of schools

Attendance in primary schools is above the national average and has been so since 1998. In 2002 it was 94.6%. In secondary schools, attendance has been in line with national figures since 1997.

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The performance of schools

Exclusions in both primary and secondary schools have been in line with national rates since 1998. In 2001, the last year for which comparative data is available, the rate of exclusion in primary schools was 0.2 per 1000 pupils compared with 0.3, nationally. In secondary schools the rate was 1.9 compared with 2.1 nationally. Inspection Report Lancashire Local Education Authority

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Funding data for the LEA

Lancashire Statistical neighbours average County Average ENGLAND AVERAGE SCHOOLS BUDGET

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Funding data for the LEA

£ per pupil £ per pupil £ per pupil £ per pupil

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Funding data for the LEA

Individual schools budget 2,519 2,575 2,540 2,708

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Funding data for the LEA

Special educational needs 90 102 110 120

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Funding data for the LEA

Capital expenditure from revenue 17 17 28 24

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Funding data for the LEA

TOTAL SCHOOLS BUDGET 2,948 2,932 2,905 3,145

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Funding data for the LEA

Schools formula spending share 2,745 2,670 2,654 2,904

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Funding data for the LEA

Lancashire Statistical neighbours average County Average ENGLAND AVERAGE LEA BUDGET

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Funding data for the LEA

£ per pupil £ per pupil £ per pupil £ per pupil

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Funding data for the LEA

Capital expenditure from revenue 0 3 2 2

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