Setting

Reporting Inspector: Vic Chivers 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: Vic Chivers HMI

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

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Reporting Inspector: Vic Chivers HMI

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

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Reporting Inspector: Vic Chivers HMI

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

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Basic information

Name of LEA: East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

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Basic information

East Riding of Yorkshire County Council County Hall Beverley Address of LEA:

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Basic information

East Riding of Yorkshire HU17 9BA Reporting Inspector: Vic Chivers HMI

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Basic information

Date of Inspection: January 2004 Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

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Introduction

The East Riding of Yorkshire is a generally affluent area. However, pockets of social deprivation, the steadily rising inward migration from neighbouring urban districts, the remoteness of some parts of the region and relatively low funding levels all pose a challenge to the council’s services.

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Introduction

Standards of attainment in the schools are generally in line with those nationally, but present a mixed picture across the age range. Although attainment on entry to school is above average, by the age of 11 the pupils’ early advantage has not been entirely maintained. Whereas performance at Key Stage 2 has continued to improve nationally, in the East Riding attainment levels have plateaued. Good progress is made during Key Stage 3, but by age 16 levels of attainment are below most similar LEAs 1 and are not good enough. To meet the LEA’s 2004 target for pupils achieving five or more passes in the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) at grades A*-C (equivalent to Level 2), the improvement required is considerable. By age 19, attainment is also too low.

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Introduction

Since the previous inspection, the council has confirmed its support for education and schools as a high priority. The new director of lifelong learning was appointed in 2002 and is supported by a new directorate management team. A budget crisis in 2003 strained relations with the schools, particularly with secondary headteachers. Recent attempts have been made to address these difficulties and this is a measure of the LEA’s steadily improving capacity to support the schools.

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Introduction

1 The East Riding of Yorkshire’s statistical neighbours are: Somerset, Dorset, Shropshire, North Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Cornwall, Devon, Worcestershire and Herefordshire Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

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Main findings

Summary The overall performance of the East Riding of Yorkshire LEA is satisfactory. Since the previous inspection in 2001, the LEA has not made the progress expected, particularly in raising attainment at Key Stages 2 and 4 and in promoting social inclusion. The new education senior team has experienced some difficulty in discharging its full range of school improvement functions, especially in working with secondary headteachers. However, stronger corporate leadership and improved relationships with schools have slowly been having an impact, giving confidence that the LEA can implement the recommendations of this report effectively.

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Corporate leadership of education

• Priority given to education by the council • Corporate planning • Improved leadership by elected members • Partnerships with other agencies • Support for school infrastructure • Relationships with secondary school headteachers • Response to diversity and some ethnicity issues • Strategic planning for 14-19 education

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Strategy for education and its implementation

• Support for primary schools in difficulties • Curriculum support provided by consultants • Arrangements for pupil admissions • Attainment at Key Stages 2 and 4 not improving in line with other LEAs • Consistency in challenging schools to raise standards

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Support to improve education in schools

• Implementation of the Key Stage 3 strategy • Support for governors • Provision of financial services • Quality, consistency and transparency of funding of service level agreements (SLAs) • Enabling schools to be discerning, effective purchasers of services

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Support for special educational needs

• Steps taken to meet statutory obligations in respect of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) • Support for some aspects of SEN • Transparency of SEN funding arrangements • Clarity about the future role of special schools

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Support for social inclusion

• Support for attendance in schools • Provision for looked after children • Impact of the strategy for social inclusion too variable in supporting different pupil groups • Coherent use of pupil data in monitoring progress of various pupil groups • Support for schools in managing pupil behaviour • Effectiveness in promoting racial equality Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

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Key recommendations

• In partnership with schools and other stakeholders, raise teachers’ and pupils’ expectations in order to maximise the percentage of young people achieving five or more GCSE passes at grades A*-C and A*-G . • Work with all headteachers and governors to develop a common protocol outlining the respective roles of schools, LEA officers and elected members in helping to raise pupils’ attainment. • With key partners, further develop the social inclusion strategy to build on corporate intentions and focus action on raising the attainment of young people by age 19.

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Corporate leadership of education

Corporate planning: enable elected members to play a greater role in challenging the performance of schools and the support provided for schools by officers. Targeting of resources: improve the longer term management of school budgets by reconsidering the decision to undertake only incremental changes to the school funding formula. Senior officers: improve relations with secondary headteachers, in order to achieve a common agenda for maximising pupil attainment by 16 and 19. Early Years: make the support for raising attainment more coherent. 14-19: improve the strategic planning for 14-19 education; ensure that pupils on the alternative learning programme are taught in registered provision and that schools retain responsibilities for these pupils.

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Strategy for education and its implementation

Key Stages 2 & 4: improve the use of performance data to challenge schools and raise attainment of all groups of pupils. Underperforming schools: clarify with the schools the specific amount of support to be provided and the strategy for discontinuing support once the necessary improvements have been achieved.

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Support to improve education in schools

Key Stage 2: improve evaluation to identify the strategies which have the greatest impact on raising pupils’ attainment. Management support services: improve information for schools on the services provided and the funding available for these; extend and accelerate the programme for developing schools as effective purchasers. Value for money, school management: improve schools’ capacity to make effective purchasing decisions by including detailed costing and charging information in all SLAs.

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Support for special educational needs

SEN: review progress of the current strategy and draw up a new action plan for supporting pupils; accelerate arrangements for monitoring the use of resources in schools. SEN value for money: improve the transparency of budgetary information relating to support for pupils with SEN.

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Support for social inclusion

Strategy: further develop the social inclusion strategy to focus action on raising attainment of all young people by age 19, improve monitoring to evaluate the impact of the strategy and its implementation and improve procedures for using data. Children with no school place: meet all legal requirements in full and improve procedures for monitoring and reintegration. Behaviour: map current provision for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties and rewrite the behaviour support plan. Racial equality: work with schools to expand multi-cultural education and ensure that all racial incidents in schools are recorded and reported to elected members. Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire 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. Since the previous inspection, the council has refocused its aims and has confirmed education as a high priority. Satisfactory progress has been made in implementing the recommendation in the previous report and support for school improvement is now at the heart of the council’s planning. As a result, planning and the implementation of corporate plans have improved and both are now satisfactory. A major budget crisis in 2003 threatened relationships with schools and both elected members and the new lifelong learning management team have been tested in rebuilding trust over recent months. While this has been mostly successful with primary schools, relationships with some secondary school headteachers remain strained and this is impeding collaborative efforts to raise pupils’ attainment.

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Corporate planning for education and its implementation

2. Corporate plans generally reflect a shared and agreed vision for development and priorities are reflected in operational plans. The Best Value Performance Plan supports an improved performance management framework informed by the council’s five-year change programme, ‘Striding Ahead’. Corporate plans are mostly clear, well-sequenced, affordable and achievable and the financial planning cycle is linked coherently at all levels. Planning is thorough and well organised. The council has sound arrangements for co-ordinating work across different departments and there are strong partnerships with a wide range of outside agencies. In the most recent corporate assessment (Audit Commission, 2003), the council 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

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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 East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

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Corporate planning for education and its implementation

January 2004 Page 9 was recognised as an excellent authority for the planning and delivery of its services. The council has ambitions to be among the top 10% of councils by 2006. To this end, all services have been set targets to achieve this level of performance within the next three years.

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Corporate planning for education and its implementation

3. The corporate management team, the cabinet and the lifelong learning overview and scrutiny committee undertake formal, planned monitoring of progress in implementing corporate plans. A comprehensive range of performance indicators is used and follow-up action plans are mostly implemented in a timely way to help improve service delivery. Every effort is made to ensure that corporate priorities are reflected in and are driven from service and team plans. Since the previous inspection, members have sharpened their interest in schools’ performance and they have better access to information. Although they still tend to react to events, members are becoming better placed to challenge the work of both schools and LEA officers.

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Corporate planning for education and its implementation

4. There is now more visible political leadership within the local strategic partnership. However, there is a lack of thrust in some aspects of the strategic leadership for education. As a consequence, some plans and policies, such as the action plan for 14-19 development and the recent policy for school improvement, do not have the full support of schools. The director has made attempts to improve communication and consultation with schools, but with only partial success. Some elements of the Education Development Plan (EDP) are not sufficiently sharply focused. In contrast, the plan for most secondary schools to achieve specialist status is progressing well.

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Corporate planning for education and its implementation

5. The recent corporate assessment highlighted the council’s lack of confidence when dealing with diversity and ethnicity issues. This finding is compounded by the weak impact of the LEA’s strategy for social inclusion. Many relevant initiatives to support inclusion are managed discretely, with the result that the approach is unco-ordinated and does not appear strategic. Similarly, some plans are written as aspirational, rather than providing practical strategies. In contrast, the setting up of a Children’s Trust is a promising development, providing a good platform for addressing the broader children’s services agenda.

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Corporate planning for education and its implementation

• Work with all headteachers and governors to develop a common protocol outlining the respective roles of schools, LEA officers and elected members in helping to raise pupils’ attainment.

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Corporate planning for education and its implementation

• Enable elected members to play a greater role in challenging the performance of schools and the support provided for schools by officers.

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Decision-making

6. Progress has been made since the previous inspection in improving the transparency of council decision-making and this is now highly satisfactory. All elected members have access to information and advice from officers. Decisions are made in a timely manner and there is a clear scheme of delegation to officers. The formation of the headteachers’ advisory group and the inclusion of headteachers on the senior management team have helped to improve consultation and relationships with schools. However, while the scrutiny process Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

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Decision-making

January 2004 Page 10 works well as an overview function, it has not been sufficiently challenging on the more difficult issues, such as the lack of progress in improving pupils’ attainment at Key Stage 2.

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Targeting of resources

7. The LEA’s targeting of resources to priorities continues to be satisfactory. Since the previous inspection, the authority has continued to fund education above the Standard Spending Assessment (SSA) and Education Funding Spending Share (EFSS) and has fully passported annual increases to schools. It has established an effective and challenging schools forum, improved the quality and transparency of its financial planning and decision- making information to schools and has continued to lobby strongly for additional funding allocations. Asset management planning is good. For example, the LEA has secured and delivered a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) in Bridlington and has invested substantial capital resources to improve its school buildings.

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Targeting of resources

8. Despite these improvements, the LEA has not yet secured fully the confidence of all its schools in the allocation of resources to education priorities. There is a lack of clarity over the proportion of funding allocated to central service departments to support education. The criteria for allocating funds to individual schools part-way through the financial year are also unclear. Although education remains a strategic priority for the council, the funding of education has moved from being above SSA/EFSS to being at EFSS, in line with the corporate financial strategy. At the time of the inspection an overdue comprehensive review of the school funding formula in 2004/05 had been deferred, following concerns raised about its possible impact on schools’ budgets. However, an incremental review of the formula dealing with social deprivation and special educational needs had been planned and agreed

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Targeting of resources

9. Some schools were seriously affected by the impact of the 2003-04 budget settlement which led to a substantial increase in the number of schools applying to agree deficit budgets. An evolving deficit management policy and improved challenge and support by the LEA at individual school level have reduced the number agreed.

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Targeting of resources

• Improve the longer-term management of school budgets, by reconsidering with schools a comprehensive review of the school funding formula.

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Strategies to promote continuous improvement, including Best Value

10. The LEA’s strategies for promoting continuous improvement are highly satisfactory. The inspection endorsed the LEA’s self-evaluation in half the functions explored and disagreed significantly with the LEA’s assessment in only a small minority of cases.

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Strategies to promote continuous improvement, including Best Value

11. The council uses the corporate assessment methodology effectively to evaluate its services and uses the outcomes to review improvement priorities and service planning. A comprehensive performance management system with individual service improvement plans includes clear improvement targets and timescales, and service performance is benchmarked against comparative authorities. Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

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Strategies to promote continuous improvement, including Best Value

January 2004 Page 11 12. Best Value reviews have mostly led to improvements in services, notably in catering. However, the pace for implementing the recommendations of the review on services to schools, particularly with regard to the costs of central services and SLAs, has been too slow.

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Leadership by elected members and advice given to them

13. The leadership by elected members has improved to highly satisfactory overall. However, there is some way to go to build relationships with some key stakeholders, particularly secondary school headteachers and governors. There is also still a lack of clarity in some schools about the role of elected members and a belief that officers run the council.

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Leadership by elected members and advice given to them

14. Lead members have a clear vision for education with lifelong learning as one of the authority’s key priorities in the corporate plan “Striding Ahead”. They are knowledgeable about the education agenda, have a firm grasp of many of the issues facing the directorate and have begun to be more proactive in challenging officers and schools. The scrutiny process works well as an overview function and a start has been made on challenging the council’s performance on, for example, the lack of improvement in Key Stage 4 results. Portfolio holders have given strong support to the setting up of the Children’s Trust, although some aspects of social inclusion and race equality have not been given a high enough priority.

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Leadership by elected members and advice given to them

15. The arrangement, owing to the political balance of the council, to appoint two portfolio holders for education seems to work well, but it is far from clear that this model is sustainable in the longer term. Many members participate fully in regional and national networks and collaboration between the two largest political groups is mostly good.

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Leadership by senior officers

16. The current team of senior officers is providing satisfactory leadership. The LEA has made some progress in improving consultation at a strategic level and involving schools at an earlier stage in corporate policy-making, budget-setting and action planning. Progress has also been made in addressing previous concerns about overall communication with schools. New structures have been put in place and, though at an early stage, are beginning to be effective. However, attempts to engage secondary headteachers have only been partly successful. While bilateral relations with the headteachers as individuals are generally sound, dealings with the same headteachers as a group remain difficult and are being frustrated by mistrust. This is making it hard to achieve a common strategic agenda for supporting pupils and is hampering progress. In contrast, relationships with primary headteachers are more

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Leadership by senior officers

17. Leadership of senior officers is generally purposeful and there is an improved focus on challenging schools and improving departmental performance. Senior officers consistently demonstrate their commitment to school improvement and this reinforces the work of the school improvement service. Elected members are provided with clear and well- informed advice, although some policy alternatives, for example, relating to the delegation of funds to schools and strategies to raise pupils’ attainment, have been too limited and the evaluation of policies has been too narrow in scope. However, increasing use is made of value-added data and deprivation indices to review and ensure the most effective focus for Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

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Leadership by senior officers

January 2004 Page 12 supporting schools. This has assisted senior officers, for example, in contributing to plans for the new Excellence Cluster, covering Withernsea, Bridlington and Goole. Following careful analysis of data, targeted intervention in a number of schools is helping to prevent failure and promote good practice.

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Leadership by senior officers

18. The lean structure of the directorate and some long-term absences, have meant increased workloads for staff. Schools commented that slowness in recruiting to some key posts has affected the team’s capacity to respond to the schools’ and pupils’ needs.

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Leadership by senior officers

• Improve relationships with secondary headteachers, in order to achieve a common agenda for maximising pupils’ attainment by 16 and 19.

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Strategic partnerships

19. The LEA has highly satisfactory links with the majority of its partners, who thereby contribute added capacity to the delivery of various council services. Relations with the police, health authorities, the lifelong learning partnership and the dioceses are very positive. Health authorities and social services have collaborated on a wide range of children’s issues for some time. Education, on the other hand, is developing its contribution to this work - a timely investment in view of the Every Child Matters agenda.

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Strategic partnerships

20. The activities of the lifelong learning partnership are consistent with the council’s priorities and outcomes are monitored both through ‘Striding Ahead’ and the community plan. In contrast, joint strategic planning with the local Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is underdeveloped and this is impeding the LEA’s capacity to respond to the 14-19 agenda. The council works closely with the police and schools to tackle issues of truancy and anti-social behaviour. Links with the Connexions service are also helping to support pupils’ attendance and improve their motivation.

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Strategic partnerships

21. Elected members and officers participate in many of the partnerships, which are seen as providing important strategic links for the authority. However, there is little evidence that the effectiveness of the partnerships is being scrutinised.

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Support for Early Years

22. Support for early years education has developed well since the time of the previous inspection and is now highly satisfactory. All four-year-olds have local access to free nursery education and, by April 2004, it is estimated that 92% of three-years-olds will also have access, exceeding both the authority’s and the national targets.

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Support for Early Years

23. A comprehensive audit of need enables provision and support to be targeted appropriately. All settings have an identified SEN policy and early identification of special needs is encouraged by the area special needs co-ordinators, working with other partners, including the pre-school learning alliance. Every setting, including schools, has received training in the foundation stage profile. The early years and childcare development plan links well with the EDP. However, despite much effective activity, links are insufficiently strong between early years’ professionals and the mainstream work of the school improvement Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

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Support for Early Years

January 2004 Page 13 service. This weakens the coherence of support for improving pupils’ attainment at the foundation stage.

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Support for Early Years

24. There are sound arrangements which link strategic planning and line management arrangements both for the early years team in social services and staff in the school improvement service. The authority provides good support for the very effective Early Years and Childcare Development Partnership, both through planning and provision. The various focus groups of the partnership also effectively promote collaboration between settings.

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Support for Early Years

• Make the support for raising attainment at the foundation stage more coherent, by co- ordinating the advice given to early years’ settings with the work of the school improvement service in primary schools.

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Support for 14-19 education

25. The LEA’s support for 14-19 education is unsatisfactory. Although a three-year action plan for 14-19 development has been drawn up, this does not show in sufficient detail how the strategy will be implemented and resourced and has not secured the commitment of key stakeholders, including some secondary schools. The LEA has decided to channel its support for post-14 developments mainly through the local learning partnership. While this has been effective in promoting co-operation with some stakeholders, the weakness of the LEA’s strategic links with the local LSC has hampered the partnership’s capacity to stimulate new learning opportunities for young people. The LEA is participating fully in the current local 16+ strategic area review and this is providing an opportunity for closer links with the local LSC to be developed.

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Support for 14-19 education

26. Promoting collaboration and improving the quality of teaching and learning are key themes in the LEA’s approach. A model of good practice has been identified in Withernsea. While this approach illustrates the benefits of collaborative working, it represents only one possible model, which may or may not be replicable across the rest of the largely rural authority. Links with the Connexions service are developing well and these are helping to bring advice and support closer to young people and reduce the number not participating in education and training beyond the age of 16. Post-16 staying-on rates are high overall at over 90%. However, these mask local variations and the relatively high drop-out rates of young people who enrol on inappropriate programmes. Access to data for tracking the progress of pupils up to the age of 16 is mostly good, but beyond 16 it is very patchy.

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Support for 14-19 education

27. Standards at the end of Key Stage 4 are below similar LEAs and by the age of 19 too few young people achieve a qualification at Level 2 or above. Trends in value-added scores show that many Key Stage 4 pupils do not make progress in line with their prior attainment. The large gap, seven percentage points, between current performance and the LEA’s 2004 target for pupils achieving five or more GCSE passes at grades A*-C suggests that, at the current rate of improvement, this is unlikely to be met. The LEA has identified that a limited range of teaching styles is hampering learning in some schools and has begun to tackle this. The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) Increased Flexibility Programme has become well established and is helping to open up new learning pathways. The alternative Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

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Support for 14-19 education

January 2004 Page 14 learning programme is also helping to provide access to a wider range of accreditation, training and employment for vulnerable 14-16 year-olds. However, because current arrangements allow for pupils to be removed from school rolls, the programme does not fully comply with the statutory requirement for all pupils to be taught in registered provision. It also encourages schools to relinquish their responsibilities for these pupils.

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Support for 14-19 education

• In partnership with schools and other stakeholders, raise teachers’ and pupils’ expectations to maximise the percentage of young people achieving five or more GCSE passes at grades A*-C and A*-G.

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Support for 14-19 education

• Working with the local LSC and other key stakeholders, explore different models to enhance the learning opportunities for pupils from the age of 14 and improve the strategic planning for education in order to maximise the percentage of young people achieving at least a Level 2 qualification by the age of 19.

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Support for 14-19 education

• Ensure that pupils following the alternative learning programme are taught in registered provision and that schools retain their responsibilities for these pupils. Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire 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

28. The LEA’s work in this area remains satisfactory. Progress has been hampered by difficulties in forging relations with some schools, particularly secondary schools. Primary schools trust the leadership of the education senior management team and acknowledge that senior officers have tried to improve communication and collaboration. In contrast, while secondary headteachers understand the LEA’s strategy for education, many have yet to be convinced that it will help them improve provision in their schools. Recent improvements in consultation and the management of national strategies have, however, started to have a positive impact.

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The strategy for school improvement and its implementation

29. The LEA’s strategy for education sets out clear priorities, reflecting national and local needs. The EDP is based on a satisfactory audit of performance and arrangements for monitoring and evaluation of its implementation are sound. However, some specific activities do not identify clear actions to remedy weaknesses: for example, how the education service will close the gap between the LEA’s targets and the schools’ aggregated targets for English at Key Stage 2 and for GCSE at Key Stage 4. There is also a lack of coherence in the strategies aimed at raising the achievement of vulnerable pupils.

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The strategy for school improvement and its implementation

30. The EDP links with other school improvement activities, including those of the Education Action Zone (EAZ) and those for schools in challenging contexts in receipt of the leadership incentive grant (LIG). The support of curriculum consultants and curriculum project managers is particularly effective. School self-evaluation is encouraged and advisers 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 East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

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The strategy for school improvement and its implementation

January 2004 Page 16 use the annual monitoring visits generally effectively. However, the depth of challenge offered to schools lacks consistency.

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The strategy for school improvement and its implementation

31. Since the previous inspection, the LEA has tightened up its criteria for intervening in schools and this aspect is now highly satisfactory. Support is now sharply focused on areas of greatest need. Intervention in schools causing concern remains satisfactory. However, within the last twelve months, the LEA did not intervene effectively enough in three schools, two requiring special measures and another with serious weaknesses. Recent improvement in interpreting the intervention criteria has meant that this work is now being carried out more effectively.

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The strategy for school improvement and its implementation

32. Senior officers are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the school improvement service and the LEA has good capacity for further improvement. Staffing of the school improvement service, although tight, is now relatively stable and staff are highly committed. Work with underperforming schools has recently become more focused and better co- ordinated.

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support

33. This area of the LEA’s work continues to be satisfactory. The level of support that each school can expect is now clear and matched closely to need. The LEA provides good guidance and data to schools to support self-evaluation and these inform the annual monitoring visit. Link advisers are increasingly effective in the use of data, and challenge to primary schools is especially robust. However, in part because of the uneven expertise of link advisers in the use of data, the quality of the challenge to schools still lacks some consistency. There is also insufficient attention paid to the achievement of specific groups of pupils.

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support

• Improve the analysis and use of performance data to challenge schools consistently and thereby raise attainment of all groups of pupils, especially at Key Stages 2 and 4.

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schools

34. The LEA’s work in supporting underperforming schools remains satisfactory. In addition to schools in special measures or with serious weaknesses, the LEA has identified a further twelve schools in need of intensive support. These figures reflect the need to improve attainment at Key Stages 2 and 4. The criteria for a school to be designated a cause for concern are now shared with headteachers and chairs of governing bodies.

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schools

35. Support for schools causing concern is well co-ordinated and the LEA takes effective action to remedy weaknesses. The support for primary schools in difficulties is strong. Link and senior advisers regularly review progress and provide reports for headteachers, governors and elected members. Where schools are at the point of being removed from the category of concern, support is reduced. However, while this process is understood by advisers, it is sometimes not sufficiently clear to the school concerned. Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

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schools

January 2004 Page 17 Consequently, some schools believe that there is no limit to the support available. This then impedes the LEA’s efforts to develop the schools’ autonomy.

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schools

• Clarify with the schools in difficulties the specific amount of support to be provided and the strategy for discontinuing support once the necessary improvements have been achieved.

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Supply and quality of teachers

36. Inspection of this aspect focused on the critical views expressed by secondary headteachers in the school survey. No evidence was found to support these concerns and provision was judged to be highly satisfactory. Recruitment strategies are in place to address forthcoming pressures, particularly in the light of the high percentage of teachers due to retire over the next ten years.

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Supply and quality of teachers

37. Arrangements to support schools in implementing the reform of the school workforce are in place and developments, although recent, are now gathering pace. An area has now been created on the e-Riding website which should enable better dissemination of good practice and more effective sharing of information. A lead officer has recently been appointed and progress is now satisfactory. The LEA is rapidly developing its capacity to support schools by offering practical guidance, briefing events and staff training. A particular strength is the effective collaboration with local union representatives.

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Providing school places

38. The LEA’s planning of school places has improved. It is now highly satisfactory. Fieldwork focused on the accuracy of the projections of pupil numbers. Although the accuracy of last year’s projections was not in line with the standards recommended by the Audit Commission, the LEA consistently monitors such variations, identifies where factors have changed over time, and adjusts its formula and methodology to incorporate trends. The LEA is working with the health authority to improve the quality of pre-school population data. The LEA is also monitoring closely the effect of changing patterns of families moving into the area, particularly from Hull, York and Leeds. Officers regularly share detailed individual school projections, trend analyses are regularly shared with schools, and clear policies for place reviews enable early discussions on the effect of falling numbers or continued growth.

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Providing school places

Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire 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

39. Support for school leadership and management was satisfactory at the time of the previous inspection and remains so. The Key Stage 3 strategy has been introduced very successfully, leading to improved levels of attainment. The LEA’s knowledge of its schools is improving, enabling it to focus support more accurately on need. In particular, support to school governors and financial services to schools are good. However, there are weaknesses, including the lack of consistency in the quality of some services, some lack of budget clarity and the slow development of approaches to promote schools’ self-management, particularly in the area of procurement.

p.20

Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

40. The effectiveness of the LEA’s support is affected by its working relationships with schools. This report has already noted the difficulties involving secondary schools and their decision in 2003 not to purchase the LEA’s school improvement services has impacted on the networking of schools and teachers and the ability to share good practice. The LEA has tried 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

p.20

Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

The planning and provision of services to support school management

p.20

Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

The planning and provision of financial services in supporting school management

p.20

Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

The planning and provision of HR services in supporting school management

p.20

Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

The planning and provision of property services in supporting school management

p.20

Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

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

p.20

Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

The effectiveness and value for money of services supporting school management

p.20

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 East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

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Support for school leadership, management and continuous improvement

January 2004 Page 19 to improve relationships and is committed to developing these further. For their part, some schools mistrust the LEA and are critical of both the quality of its services and its approach to consultation. While some of these criticisms are fair, others are not.

p.21

Support for the implementation of national initiatives at Key Stages 1 and 2

41. Support for implementation of the national strategies at Key Stages 1 and 2 is highly satisfactory. There is, however, a significant difference in progress at the two key stages. At Key Stage 1, improvement in attainment has continued since the previous inspection when the support was judged to be good. However, levels of attainment at Key Stage 2, while broadly comparable with statistical neighbours and the national average, have not improved.

p.21

Support for the implementation of national initiatives at Key Stages 1 and 2

42. The LEA has found it difficult to identify the reasons why overall attainment at Key Stage 2 is not improving. Although it has undertaken a school-level gap analysis to identify those with the greatest differences between target and attainment, focused on teaching in years 3 and 4, and analysed the performance of some targeted groups, it has been unable to identify which strategies are most effective in raising standards. The team of consultants is well regarded and good use is also made of a large team of leading teachers. Training is well focused and generates positive feedback from schools. The primary strategy is being steadily developed and is bringing greater coherence across the two key stages.

p.21

Support for the implementation of national initiatives at Key Stages 1 and 2

• Improve the quality of evaluation at Key Stage 2 to identify which strategies are having the greatest impact on raising pupils’ attainment.

p.21

Support for information and communication technology (ICT)

43. Support for ICT is satisfactory. Significant progress has been made since the previous inspection in improving provision and usage, but the LEA’s awareness of pupils’ standards across the key stages is limited. The overall strategy is not fully understood by all schools, but there is a growing confidence in the quality of support. A number of important initiatives are underway, but progress has not been fast enough in improving support for the curriculum.

p.21

Support for information and communication technology (ICT)

44. The introduction of broadband communications, linked to the council’s “People’s Network”, has been well managed and initiatives such as the ‘digital school’ project have been well conceived. The ratios of computers to pupils and schools have improved and are now in line with the national average.

p.21

Support for information and communication technology (ICT)

45. The ICT strategy is well integrated into the EDP, including the priorities for raising attainment and inclusion, but the success of the strategy is dependent on accurate pupil level attainment data that cannot yet be provided. As a result, the LEA has made insufficient progress in implementing the recommendations of the previous report. Guidance on schemes of assessment for judging pupils’ attainment and progress accurately, is still underdeveloped. Work on the introduction of baseline assessment has also only just commenced. Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

p.21

Support for the national initiative at Key Stage 3

46. Support for the national initiative to raise standards at Key Stage 3 is good. The strategy is securely in place and is strongly supported by the school co-ordinators. Attainment at level 6 and above is improving at a faster rate than in both similar LEAs and nationally. Support from the LEA’s strategy team is differentiated following careful analysis of performance data and effective consultation with schools. Consultants’ time is allocated according to a clear and well-understood formula. In discussion with inspectors, headteachers were supportive of the LEA’s management of the strategy, in sharp contrast to the more negative attitudes expressed in the school survey.

p.22

Support for the national initiative at Key Stage 3

47. There is a strong team of consultants whose expertise is recognised and welcomed by schools. Each school has a named consultant which helps to ensure consistency and coherence across the various strands. Sharing of good practice was good until impaired by decisions by all schools not to purchase the SLA covering network meetings for school co- ordinators. Improvements in performance data enable the LEA to focus on the differing needs of schools and, with value-added data, on the performance of individual pupils and groups. The current work to develop links with Key Stage 4 is also timely.

p.22

Traveller children

48. Support for raising achievement of minority ethnic pupils, including Traveller children, remains highly satisfactory. The LEA continues to meet the needs of the Traveller population and the very small number of pupils from other minority ethnic groups. Levels of attainment by Traveller pupils continue to rise, although numbers of pupils entering national tests are low. Work is in progress to provide a differentiated curriculum, based on an improving knowledge of attainment achieved through comprehensive monitoring. The LEA monitors attainment data annually for Traveller pupils, retaining this information in the event of any movement of the pupils between schools. The strategy to support other minority ethnic pupils focuses on providing support in response to need.

p.22

Traveller children

49. Fieldwork focused on the apparent difference between the LEA’s self-evaluation and the views of schools in the school survey. No evidence was found of deterioration in the quality of support although some schools are still coming to terms with the sound decision to focus support on Travellers living on settled sites by building capacity in mainstream schools. However, the LEA’s support to schools in promoting racial equality is less satisfactory.

p.22

Support for school governors

50. Support for school governors is good. Recommendations from the previous inspection have been implemented and the training offered is comprehensive and well received. Up-to-date information is communicated through the termly governors’ forum and newsletters, and governors have their own page on the LEA website. Governor recruitment and retention are good; attempts to boost recruitment from minority groups, however, have been less successful. All Ofsted school reports are monitored by the governors’ support service and follow-up support or training is offered when required. Experienced governors support the governing bodies of schools causing concern. Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

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Support for school governors

January 2004 Page 21 51. The clerking service offered through the school improvement service, and taken up by over 90% of schools, offers a strong link between the LEA and governing bodies. The LEA has a good knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses in governing bodies at any time and governors have easy and quick access to support and information. Training is offered both to individual schools and to clusters of schools and tailored to their respective needs. New governors receive a clear and comprehensive induction pack and information on available training courses.

p.23

Support for school governors

52. New chairs of governors are offered joint training with their headteachers. Feedback from this training is very positive. A governors’ development steering group, which oversees and monitors all governors’ training, and which includes governors’ representatives, formulates the agenda for the forum. All governing bodies have usefully undertaken a self- assessment exercise, based on Ofsted’s ’Making it better’ scheme. Feedback from the LEA has also enabled each governing body to compare its performance with that of other governing bodies across the authority overall.

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Services to support school management

53. The planning and provision of management services are unsatisfactory. The council’s progress in this area is behind that of many other authorities. The recommendations from the previous inspection on the provision of information about services to schools and on ensuring clarity about the amounts available to schools to purchase support for school management, have not been fully implemented. The consultation on the proposals for brokerage provided very limited information on what this would involve. SLAs are only now being brought into a consistent format and, at the time of this inspection, these had not been issued as a single package to schools. The costing and charging mechanisms for some services also remain unclear.

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Services to support school management

54. Schools still lack confidence that they have sufficient funding in their budgets to meet the costs of the various SLAs. Some agreements are insufficiently flexible and require the schools to purchase a core package in order to access additional services. The council provides limited advice and training in procurement and has been slow in helping schools, particularly primary schools, to develop as confident purchasers from a range of providers.

p.23

Services to support school management

55. Since the previous inspection, the LEA has completed a comprehensive Best Value review of services to schools and has started to implement its action plan, albeit too slowly. In the future, the LEA will provide services at full cost and opportunities have been made available for schools to contribute to the development of the new SLAs. Plans are in place to provide targeted training for headteachers, governors and school administrators on procurement and securing Best Value, and there has been consultation on developing brokerage arrangements. The council is also in the process of procuring a public private partnership for some support services which includes clear requirements for meeting schools needs. While these are sound developments, they are too recent to have made a significant difference to schools. Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

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Services to support school management

• Implement fully the recommendations of the previous inspection on providing information about services to schools and the funding available for these.

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Services to support school management

• Accelerate, as necessary, implementation of the action plan developed following the Best Value Review of services to schools.

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Services to support school management

• Extend and accelerate the programme for developing schools as effective purchasers.

p.24

The effectiveness and value for money of services to support school management

56. The effectiveness and value for money of services to support school management are unsatisfactory. Pending the outcome of a review of the charges made to the lifelong learning directorate and to schools, the full costs of central services remain unclear. Schools are not provided with comparative costs of services against which to benchmark their purchasing decisions and the authority does not provide schools with information on quality-assessed alternative providers. SLAs are not yet fully consistent in setting out performance standards. Schools are unlikely to see progress on these issues until the next round of agreements is published.

p.24

The effectiveness and value for money of services to support school management

57. In contrast, the Best Value review of services to schools has initiated a number of necessary improvements to the management of these services. The council now requires that services are provided at full cost and performance management arrangements are clear and effective in targeting underperformance.

p.24

The effectiveness and value for money of services to support school management

• Include detailed costing and charging information in all SLAs for schools.

p.24

The planning and provision of human resources services

58. Support for schools in managing human resources remains satisfactory. Fieldwork focused specifically on workforce remodelling, the implementation of electronic personnel forms and staffing numbers.

p.24

The planning and provision of human resources services

59. The council’s arrangements for implementing workforce remodelling have taken account of previous criticisms from schools on how the national agreement on pay and conditions for support staff was implemented. Electronic personnel forms were introduced without sufficient training or attention to their impact on schools’ management information systems, but these difficulties have now been overcome. It is, however, too early to assess whether recent changes to the organisation and training of human resources staff will enable sufficient support to be provided to schools at busy periods.

p.24

The planning and provision of information management services

60. The planning and provision of information services to schools are satisfactory. The focus of the inspection was the LEA’s management of information requests and its electronic Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

p.24

The planning and provision of information management services

January 2004 Page 23 communications. The council has implemented a clear protocol for managing electronic communications with schools. An information management plan, based on the phased implementation of an education management system, is in place and compatible with schools’ management information systems. However, this plan is not a single strategic development plan, as recommended in the previous report. It neither identifies nor quantifies resource implications and deadlines for implementation have not been met. On-line guidance for using the education management system is in place and is clear and easy to follow. Increasing use is made of the council’s website and intranet for providing access to strategic plans, policy documents and minutes of meetings relevant to schools’ interests.

p.25

Services to support school improvement

61. Planning and provision of services to support school improvement remains satisfactory. Following a review in 2003, there is now a better match between service priorities and the needs of the schools. Consultants and advisers have a high level of curriculum expertise. However, the level of challenge provided by link advisers is inconsistent and has had only limited success in addressing underperformance at Key Stages 2 and 4.

p.25

Services to support school improvement

62. The LEA’s effectiveness and value for money of services to support school improvement continue to be satisfactory. Services offered are specifically targeted to support priorities in the EDP and schools receive clear information on the charges for traded services. Schools have flexibility in purchasing levels of support as well as choosing to purchase an agreement for between one and three years. However, benchmarking against other providers has shown that the school improvement service has previously been provided at well below the market rate. To address this, schools have been notified of increased costs for the current and next two years. Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

p.25

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 SEN

63. The strategy for SEN remains satisfactory. SEN support is well planned in most respects and service plans are well linked to the EDP, which addresses the need to raise attainment of SEN pupils. Activity involving education and social services is well co- ordinated, with some good examples of successful shared management arrangements. The pathfinder Children’s Trust and the plans for multi-agency teams have been important recent developments. The LEA’s provision for meeting its statutory obligations is highly satisfactory. Staff engagement in regional activities is also good.

p.26

The strategy for SEN

64. Despite these positive aspects, there have been difficulties. The LEA has not implemented fully the previous inspection recommendation to develop a long-term action plan. Thus, although the principles for the development of SEN support were initially clear, there has been a loss in focus and schools, particularly secondary and special schools, no longer have a good understanding of the strategy. The schools have found it difficult to identify the LEA’s long-term vision for SEN support and its place in promoting greater inclusion. The proposed transfer of two special schools to a neighbouring authority and the closure and disposal of a third, have had an unsettling effect. While the LEA’s inclusion strategy, of which SEN support is a major part, provided a timetable for future development, priorities and actions have been changed without detailed plans being revised. This has meant that the objectives of the LEA’s approach have become unclear to schools. For

p.26

The strategy for SEN

example, the future role of special schools, although mentioned in the inclusion plan, has not been spelt out in detail. Senior management has improved and has begun to address these issues. This gives confidence that the LEA has the capacity to re-focus its strategy and drive it forward. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

p.26

The strategy for SEN

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

p.26

The strategy for SEN

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

p.26

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 East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

p.26

The strategy for SEN

• Re-engage with schools and other partners to review progress of the current strategy for SEN.

p.27

The strategy for SEN

• Refocus priorities and draw up a new action plan for supporting pupils.

p.27

SEN functions to support school improvement

65. The effectiveness of the LEA in exercising its SEN functions to support school improvement has declined and is now only satisfactory. There has been some improvement, including the development of individual education plans, the use of ‘p’ scales, joint work to develop capacity in supporting pupils with communication skills, and the development of the parent partnership. However, monitoring of the progress of the lowest attaining pupils in each year group has developed too slowly. Strategies to improve continuity between school improvement and SEN services have also lacked pace. Although the quality and availability of services are satisfactory overall, a lack of strategic coherence mitigates against the effective management of change.

p.27

SEN functions to support school improvement

66. Although the LEA is developing pupil level information, it currently has only limited knowledge of the attainment of individual pupils. Despite the recommendation of the previous inspection, only slow progress has been made in developing arrangements to monitor the effective use of SEN resources and their impact on learning. Links between the school improvement service and SEN services are developing, but there is insufficient emphasis on SEN in annual monitoring visits.

p.27

SEN functions to support school improvement

• Accelerate the development of arrangements for monitoring and evaluating the use of SEN resources in schools .

p.27

Value for money

67. The extent to which the LEA exercises its SEN functions to give value for money is satisfactory overall, but with some important weaknesses. The LEA performs its statutory functions effectively, but has been slow to implement the recommendations of the previous report. The LEA has conducted a thorough evaluation of the impact of resources delegated to schools in consultation with them, but the outcomes of this evaluation are only just emerging. Responsibility for the SEN transport budget and its management has been brought together as recommended in the previous report, but the budget remains volatile and its control has not received the necessary attention.

p.27

Value for money

68. The presentation of the SEN budget to schools lacks transparency and the basis on which delegated funds are matched to need is unclear. Work has begun through the schools forum to proceed with the delegation of resources for statemented pupils in 2005. However, this development has not yet been effectively communicated to all schools. Plans for the LEA to develop a brokerage role are also being considered but are at an early stage. Overall, costs are below those of similar authorities. Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

p.27

Value for money

• Improve the transparency of budgetary information relating to support for pupils with SEN. Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

p.28

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 LEA strategy for social inclusion

69. The strategy for promoting social inclusion is satisfactory overall, although its role in driving development has been too limited to date. Since the previous inspection, further work has been undertaken to focus on the needs of vulnerable groups. Some groups of pupils at risk are appropriately and well supported including, for example, looked after children and Travellers. There has also been consultation to build on and extend the good work with pupils with SEN. The recently established multi-agency teams and the drawing up of a shared draft local preventative strategy are providing a context within which previous good practice in cross-agency working can be built upon, as well as helping to broaden understanding of social inclusion issues.

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The LEA strategy for social inclusion

70. Despite this progress, there is still not an authority-wide understanding of the meaning of inclusion and its implications. This has resulted in fragmentation of some action to support vulnerable pupils. While the pace of progress has been satisfactory in meeting the needs of some pupils, the focus has not been sufficiently sharp or sustained for pupils such as those with emotional and behavioural difficulties, especially boys, and those who are vulnerable to racism.

p.29

The LEA strategy for social inclusion

71. Corporate and directorate documentation demonstrates the commitment to tackling social inclusion at senior levels within the authority. However, differing views about what this means in practice has meant that aspirations have not always been expressed in a coherent and co-ordinated way. In addition, difficulties in accessing systematically collected, consistent and authority-wide data on all groups of vulnerable pupils have made it difficult for accurate targeting to be built into thinking and planning across schools, support teams and other agencies. There have also been some delays and false starts in developing new and extended support provision and in the bringing together of what had previously been quite 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

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The LEA strategy for social inclusion

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

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The LEA strategy for social inclusion

The LEA provision for pupils who have no school place

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The LEA strategy for social inclusion

Support for health, safety, welfare and child protection

p.29

The LEA strategy for social inclusion

The effectiveness of the LEA in combating racism Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

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The LEA strategy for social inclusion

January 2004 Page 28 separate teams. Schools, in particular secondary and special schools, are critical of the amount and nature of support available in a number of areas. This is partially because the LEA is unclear about the respective roles and responsibilities and how it intends to move forward in the future. There is also a lack of transparency relating to funding and the difficulties which schools experience in gaining access to some services.

p.30

The LEA strategy for social inclusion

72. While some teams have felt themselves to be adrift in terms of clarity of overall purpose and their place in future plans, a number of effective partnerships have developed at both strategic and operational levels. Recent appointments have been designed to bring additional expertise into the authority, to increase its capacity and to lead a change in direction where there are concerns. Alongside some inconsistencies and gaps in service provision, there is also evidence of much good practice on which to build both in schools and within the directorate.

p.30

The LEA strategy for social inclusion

• With key partners, further develop the social inclusion strategy to build on corporate intentions and focus action on raising the attainment of all young people by age 19.

p.30

The LEA strategy for social inclusion

• Regularly monitor and evaluate the impact of the strategy and its implementation to ensure that good practice is shared and timely remedial action is taken as necessary.

p.30

The LEA strategy for social inclusion

• Establish consistent processes and procedures for collecting, analysing and using data to set targets for improvement that are shared across the system.

p.30

Provision for pupils educated other than at school

73. The LEA provision for pupils who have no school place is unsatisfactory. Progress since the last inspection means that all pupils out of school for medical reasons now have access to a minimum of 10 hours education from the home tuition service. The procedures and provision in place to support teenage mothers and those being educated at home are also satisfactory. In contrast, the needs of some other groups of pupils are not being met. For example, provision for and the progress of young people permanently excluded from school are of variable quality and the provision for pupils excluded for a fixed term of more than 15 days is not being monitored. Some pupils attending the alternative learning programme are doing so in unregistered centres, which is not in line with DfES guidance. The level of resources available to support pupils out of school is considerably below that in most other authorities.

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Provision for pupils educated other than at school

74. Poor access to, and the inadequate analytical use of, secure and comprehensive data on the progress and attainment of young people out of school and the provision made for them impede support. Information on where pupils are is available and well monitored by the education welfare service. However, the suitability and effectiveness of the provision in building on prior achievement are not rigorously and regularly monitored. For example, while the alternative learning programme is effective in preventing exclusion and in improving the motivation and attendance for many young people, there is no systematic evaluation of its impact on levels of attainment. However, funding has now been identified to help improve progress monitoring. Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

p.30

Provision for pupils educated other than at school

January 2004 Page 29 75. While the authority has taken swift action to increase to the minimum legal requirement the amount of time provided for permanently excluded pupils out of school, prior to the inspection this was not recognised as an urgent issue. This, together with difficulties and delays in reintegrating secondary pupils back into mainstream or other appropriate provision, has disadvantaged some young people. The LEA has identified the need to review the reintegration procedures and protocols agreed with schools and other admissions authorities through the admissions forum. It has also taken action to resolve a number of staffing and recruitment difficulties. This has included the appointment of a headteacher to manage the two pupil referral units (PRUs) and to improve the quality of provision.

p.31

Provision for pupils educated other than at school

• Ensure that all legal requirements are met for all pupils out of school for more than 15 days.

p.31

Provision for pupils educated other than at school

• In collaboration with headteachers, improve procedures for recording, monitoring and evaluating the nature and quality of provision for pupils who have no school place and for accelerating reintegration into mainstream provision.

p.31

Support for attendance

76. Support for pupils’ attendance remains good. Overall attendance levels are above those in similar authorities and nationally in both phases. While there has been a slight increase in authorised absences in primary schools over the last year, in the secondary sector there has been continuing improvement, particularly in reducing unauthorised absences. In the previous inspection, the service was identified as providing good value for money and this continues to be the case.

p.31

Support for attendance

77. The effectiveness of the local authority’s work in support of attendance owes much to the culture of continuing improvement within the education welfare service. The collection of comprehensive data enables them to share information with schools and to target individual pupils and groups appropriately. Schools are challenged where concerns are identified and access to the legal process is used effectively where there is need to challenge parents or carers. Training and consultancy are carefully targeted to support schools, including governors, in the development of policies and practice. Good relationships exist between the education welfare service and other key services including the school improvement service, the police, the Connexions service and social services. Joint activities, such as truancy sweeps and work with schools causing concern, have led directly to improvement in attendance.

p.31

Support for behaviour

78. The LEA’s support to improve pupils’ behaviour has declined and is now unsatisfactory. Many stakeholders are unclear how the LEA’s support for behaviour fits into a wider strategy for social inclusion. While the overall percentage of exclusions is in line with the average in similar authorities and nationally, both permanent and fixed-term exclusions are on an upward trend, particularly for boys. Referrals to the pupil referral service have Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

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Support for behaviour

January 2004 Page 30 increased considerably and the amount and quality of support provided to schools have been too variable.

p.32

Support for behaviour

79. The behaviour support plan has been reviewed, as recommended by the previous inspection. The LEA has begun to change its strategic focus towards prevention and, in the primary sector, has established two nurture groups to support pupils at risk of exclusion. A restructuring to bring together services that previously operated separately, to provide a more holistic approach to supporting schools, is also under way.

p.32

Support for behaviour

80. Fragmentation of data collection, together with a lack of co-ordination and mapping of the resources available to support behavioural improvement, has made it difficult to plan effectively. This is evident within the support plan, which provides neither a costed agenda nor clear targets for improvement.

p.32

Support for behaviour

81. Many schools have demonstrated, through their Ofsted inspections, that they manage behaviour well and have appropriate procedures in place. In addition, developments such as the EAZ and the establishment of learning support units in nearly half the secondary schools provide evidence of improvement in, for example, targeting poor attendance and reducing exclusions. Good practice and experience in these new ways of working are increasingly being shared across schools and are beginning to support the development of effective partnerships with key agencies such as the police and the Connexions service.

p.32

Support for behaviour

• Map the support currently available for pupils with, or at risk of, emotional and behavioural difficulties and review with other stakeholders its appropriateness, adequacy and effectiveness.

p.32

Support for behaviour

• Rewrite the behaviour support plan, to include clear targets for different groups of vulnerable pupils and a detailed breakdown of the resources available to meet pupils’ needs.

p.32

Support for health, safety, welfare and child protection

82. Support for health, safety and pupil welfare remains highly satisfactory. The authority takes reasonable steps to meet its statutory responsibilities in all areas. The inspection focused particularly on support for child protection, which was also found to be highly satisfactory.

p.32

Support for health, safety, welfare and child protection

83. Schools are kept well informed on child protection issues through the area child protection committee and good regional links. A register of teacher and governor co- ordinators for each school is updated only annually rather than termly, but links with other agencies, especially social services and the police, are good. Focus groups were unanimously positive about the support they receive and no reason could be found for the adverse response by secondary schools in the school survey. Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

p.32

Provision for looked after children

84. Provision for the care, welfare and attainment of children looked after by the local authority continues to be good. While the focus for fieldwork was limited to the meeting of targets and overall quality of support, there is no reason to believe that other aspects of provision have deteriorated.

p.33

Provision for looked after children

85. The attainment of the pupils is in line with or better than in other similar authorities and nationally. Appropriate targets have been set in a range of areas and attainment at Key Stages 1 to 3 has continued to improve as the number of exclusions has reduced. Although the 2003 targets for Key Stage 4 were not met, there was considerable improvement in the percentage of pupils achieving five or more GCSE passes at grade A*-C. The pooling of resources between education and social services has enabled each pupil, whether educated in or outside of the county, to be allocated to one of two education programme workers. Their responsibility is to work in partnership with the pupil and key groups, including headteachers, to monitor progress regularly against the personal education plan and to take action to secure optimum conditions for improvement.

p.33

Provision for looked after children

86. Improvements in provision are largely as a result of the systematic collection of comprehensive data on looked after children, which provide a wide range of key management and improvement information. This is used effectively to monitor progress and to inform planning and the use of resources on an individual as well as service basis. Close collaboration between education and social services ensures consistency and coherence of message between the two agencies at a strategic level, while enabling each child’s requirements to be identified at an early stage. Grant funding is also used effectively and creatively to meet specific needs.

p.33

Promoting racial equality

87. The LEA’s support to schools to promote racial equality is unsatisfactory.

p.33

Promoting racial equality

88. The majority of the work on the promotion of race equality is undertaken corporately within the authority, which results in a lack of prioritising of the issues within the education directorate. Elected members and officers do not have sufficient understanding of the importance of this agenda. This is highlighted by the fact that racial incidents in schools are not reported to members and are, therefore, not monitored and challenged. The LEA has made little progress in promoting multi-cultural education in schools. Training in this area has only had a limited take-up, although there are examples of good initiatives in individual schools, with some using the citizenship curriculum to tackle multi-cultural and racial issues.

p.33

Promoting racial equality

• Work with schools to expand the coverage of multi-cultural issues in the curriculum, building on good practice, both locally and nationally.

p.33

Promoting racial equality

• Ensure that all racial incidents in schools are recorded and reported to elected members. Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

p.33

Appendix A: Record of Judgement Recording Statements

Name of LEA : East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

p.34

Context of the LEA

1 The socio-economic context of the LEA 3

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Overall judgements

0.1 The progress made by the LEA overall 5

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Overall judgements

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

p.34

Section 1: Corporate strategy and LEA leadership

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

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Section 1: Corporate strategy and LEA leadership

1.2 The implementation of corporate planning for education 4

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Section 1: Corporate strategy and LEA leadership

1.3 The effectiveness of LEA decision-making 3

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Section 1: Corporate strategy and LEA leadership

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

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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

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Section 1: Corporate strategy and LEA leadership

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

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Section 1: Corporate strategy and LEA leadership

1.7 The quality of leadership provided by senior officers 4

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Section 1: Corporate strategy and LEA leadership

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

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Section 1: Corporate strategy and LEA leadership

January 2004 Page 33 1.9 Support for Early Years' education 3

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Section 1: Corporate strategy and LEA leadership

1.11 The effectiveness of the LEA in discharging asset management planning 2 NF

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Section 2: Strategy for education and its implementation

2.1 The LEA's strategy for school improvement 4

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Section 2: Strategy for education and its implementation

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

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Section 2: Strategy for education and its implementation

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

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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

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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 3 NF

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Section 2: Strategy for education and its implementation

2.7 The effectiveness of the LEA's identification of and intervention in under-performing schools

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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

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Section 2: Strategy for education and its implementation

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

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Section 2: Strategy for education and its implementation

2.10 The effectiveness of the LEA in relation to admissions to schools 2 NF

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efforts to support continuous improvement

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

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efforts to support continuous improvement

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

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efforts to support continuous improvement

3.3 Support for information and communication technology 4 Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

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efforts to support continuous improvement

January 2004 Page 34 3.4 Support for the national initiative to raise standards at KS3 2

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efforts to support continuous improvement

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

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efforts to support continuous improvement

3.6 Support to schools for gifted and talented pupils 3 NF

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efforts to support continuous improvement

3.8 The planning and provision of services to support school management

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efforts to support continuous improvement

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

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efforts to support continuous improvement

3.8b The planning and provision of HR services in supporting school management

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efforts to support continuous improvement

3.8c The planning and provision of property services in supporting school management 3 NF

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efforts to support continuous improvement

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

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efforts to support continuous improvement

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

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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

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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

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Section 4: Support for special educational needs (SEN)

4.1 The effectiveness of the LEA's strategy for SEN 4

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Section 4: Support for special educational needs (SEN)

4.2 The effectiveness of the LEA in meeting its statutory obligations in respect of SEN 3 NF

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Section 4: Support for special educational needs (SEN)

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

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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 East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

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Section 5: Support for social inclusion

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

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Section 5: Support for social inclusion

5.2 The LEA provision for pupils who have no school place 5

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Section 5: Support for social inclusion

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

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Section 5: Support for social inclusion

5.6 Provision for looked after children 2

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Section 5: Support for social inclusion

5.7 The effectiveness of the LEA in promoting racial equality 5

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Section 5: Support for social inclusion

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

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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 East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

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Context of the inspection

This inspection of East Riding of Yorkshire LEA was carried out by Ofsted in conjunction with the Audit Commission under Section 38 of the Education Act 1997.

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Context of the inspection

This report provides a commentary on the inspection findings, including:

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Context of the inspection

• the progress the LEA has made since the time of its previous inspection in 2001;

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Context of the inspection

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

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Context of the inspection

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

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Context of the inspection

• recommendations on areas for improvement.

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Context of the inspection

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

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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, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate monitoring reports, and audit reports. In addition, the inspection team considered the earlier Ofsted/Audit Commission report on this LEA and the results of a survey 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 elected members, headteachers and governors, staff in other departments of the local authority, diocesan representatives, and other agencies and LEA partners.

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Context of the inspection

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

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Context of the inspection

• the effectiveness of the LEA in discharging asset management planning; • the extent to which LEA support is focused on areas of greatest need; • the effectiveness of the LEA in relation to admissions to schools; • support for gifted and talented pupils; • the planning and provision of financial services to support school improvement; • the planning and provision of property services to support school improvement; • the effectiveness of the LEA in taking steps to meet its statutory obligations in respect of SEN. 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 Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

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Context of the inspection

January 2004 Page 37 of the grades are used in the Comprehensive Performance Assessment profile for the education service. Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

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Context of the LEA

The East Riding of Yorkshire is the largest unitary authority by area in England. From the narrow coastal strip to the East, it extends through the largely rural Wolds to the more urban hinterland to the South and West. Much of the population lives in the towns of Bridlington, Goole, Beverley and Driffield. The area is generally affluent, but there are pockets of severe social deprivation, both in some of the towns and in some of the physically more remote districts, where there is economic and social isolation. The steadily rising inward migration from neighbouring urban authorities and the high percentage of the population that is of pensionable age are posing new challenges for the council’s services.

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Context of the LEA

The number of pupils on roll in maintained mainstream schools has fallen marginally from 50,975 in 2001 to 50,955 in 2004. The percentage of the school population from minority ethnic group is well below that found nationally. Entitlement to free school meals, at primary and secondary levels, is also below the national average. The proportions of primary and secondary pupils with statements of special educational needs, at 2.3% and 2.9% respectively, are below the national averages.

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Context of the LEA

Education provision in a variety of settings is available for over 90% of three and four year- olds whose parents seek it. The council maintains 163 schools, including many small rural primary schools. There are four nursery schools, 17 infant schools, 15 junior schools, 103 primary schools, seventeen 11–18 secondary schools, one 11–16 secondary school, five special schools and two PRUs. Forty primary schools have nursery units attached, 15 of which are peripatetic. Two schools have Beacon status, one secondary and one primary. Seven schools have specialist status, including three for technology, one for performing arts, one for modern foreign languages, one for science and one for sports education.

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Context of the LEA

The East Riding of Yorkshire council was formed in 1996. Although no single political party currently has an overall majority, the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties have reached agreement about joint leadership and the chairing of committees. The new Director of Lifelong Learning was appointed in 2002 and is supported by a new directorate management team. Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

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The performance of schools

Pupils’ attainment in the East Riding of Yorkshire presents a mixed picture. Pupils make a very good start. Their attainment is above average on entry to school and they achieve results above statistical neighbours at age 7. By the age of 11, however, they achieve only slightly above the national average and in line with statistical neighbours. The rate of improvement at Key Stage 2 has not followed the national rising trend.

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The performance of schools

At age 14, attainment shows a steady improvement and is well above statistical neighbours in English, above in science and in line in mathematics. In 2003, attainment at the higher levels, level 6 and above, was above statistical neighbours in English, mathematics and science. The rate of improvement was also above the national figure.

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The performance of schools

By the time pupils leave school at age 16, attainment is too low and below that of statistical neighbours. Results improved steadily up to 2000, but since then, attainment has remained static while the national trend has improved. Rates of improvement post-16 are also too slow; at age 19, results at the General Certificate of Education Advanced (A) level are below statistical neighbours.

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The performance of schools

In 2003, the LEA did not achieve its key targets at either Key Stage 2 (pupils achieving Level 4 and above in English and mathematics) or Key Stage 4 (pupils achieving five or more passes at GCSE grade A*-C). The rates of improvement needed to meet both these targets in 2004 are also considerable.

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The performance of schools

Attendance rates in primary and secondary schools are above the national average and exclusion rates are below the national average. Ofsted reports show a higher proportion of good schools than the national average. There are, however, two schools in special measures and one school with serious weaknesses. The percentage of s c hools causing concern to the LEA remains stable. Inspection Report East Riding of Yorkshire Local Education Authority

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Funding data for the LEA

East Riding of Yorkshire Statistical neighbours average Unitary 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 2,529 2,488 2,613 2,708

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Funding data for the LEA

Capital expenditure from revenue 23 29 20 24

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Funding data for the LEA

TOTAL SCHOOLS BUDGET 2,789 2,844 3,024 3,145

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Funding data for the LEA

Schools formula spending share 2,517 2,616 2,808 2,904

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Funding data for the LEA

East Riding of Yorkshire Statistical neighbours average Unitary 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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Funding data for the LEA

Source: DfES Comparative Tables 2003-04 Note: All figures are net

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