The London Challenge: transforming outcomes for disadvantaged children and

young people

Presentation to the Danish National Centre for Social Research 26 May 2015

Professor David Woods CBE

London Challenge / evidence and evaluation

• 1820 primary schools

• 417 secondary schools

• 146 special schools

• 63,500 teachers

• 43,000 support staff

• 33 Local Authorities

• 300 languages

• 38% EAL across London (50% inner London)

• 30% FSM across London (43% inner London)

Context and scale

(7% of London’s children are educated privately)

Close attention to narrowing gaps

PURPOSE, PASSION, PROGRESS AT A PACE

Effective partnership and networking

Challenge and support systems / Keys to Success schools

Structural and radical solutions

Strong accountability A relentless focus

on teaching and learning

Shared vision, purpose and objectives

Making full use of the data

System leadership and school-to-school support

London Challenge

RAISE THE BAR AND NARROW THE GAP

• Ambition, aspiration and moral purpose backed by shared leadership ‘Make London the world’s leading learning and creative capital city’ ‘Make London increasingly the place where it can be demonstrated that the link between deprivation and worse education outcomes can be broken’ Core objectives • Eliminate school failure and raise standards of performance

• Narrow attainment gaps and improve progression

• Create more good and outstanding schools

Shared vision, purpose and objectives

• A compelling and inclusive moral purpose and strong, shared values, principles and beliefs.

• Ambition, aspiration and the highest expectations to drive and secure improvement

The DNA of the London Challenge

• A clear focus on raising standards and closing attainment gaps between groups of pupils and schools so that all children and young people achieve their potential.

• Support and challenge through expert leaders and advisers designing strategies and brokering solutions

• System leadership which involved the best school leaders directly supporting other schools in strengthening leadership and teaching.

The DNA of the London Challenge

• Well mobilised intellectual, social and organisational capital maintaining vision, energy, depth and staying power to produce excellent educational outcomes

• Collaboration, partnership working and practitioner networks managing knowledge and sharing best practice through a range of activities and programmes.

• ‘Confront the brutal facts’ related to standards at pan-London, LA and individual school levels - Raiseonline

• Forensic tracking and analysis at every level using data and evidence to challenge assumptions and expectations.

Make full use of the data

• LA and school challenge, intervention, and support based on data and targets for improvement.

• Benchmarking through families of schools data sets based on prior attainment and deprivation factors with particular attention to ‘trend busting’ schools. (Now DfE ‘Similar Schools’)

X

Average of all schools

QUADRANT A QUADRANT B

QUADRANT C QUADRANT D

Rate of improvement over 3 years Family of schools of similar socio-economic background including prior attainment

14 X

15 X

17 X

18 X

16 X

7 X

8 X

6 X

9 X

5 X

4 X 3

X

2 X 1

X

12 X

11 X

13 X

10 X

Key Stage 2 or GCSE Key = X: These are 18 schools, numbered 1 - 18

Families of schools

• Performance of particular groups of students

• Between ‘similar’ schools, ‘similar’ LAs at a system level

• FSM link to attainment / sharing of best practice

Close attention to gaps

• Pan London EAL programme/ sharing of best practice

• Partnership with agencies re-vulnerable groups [Now the Pupil Premium]

“Give them teaching that is determined, energetic and engaging. Hold them to high standards. Expose them to as much as you can, most especially the arts. Root the school in the community and take advantage of the culture the children bring with them. Pay attention to their social and ethical development. Recognise the reality of race, poverty and other social barriers but make children understand that barriers don’t have to limit their lives… above all, no matter where in the social structure children are coming from, act as if their possibilities are boundless”

Charles Payne

The big message

• London Leadership Strategy – run by executive groups of Heads with a nominated leaders linked to Challenge Advisers and the National College.

• ‘Tugboats’ - ‘consultants’, NLEs leading NSS schools, and LLEs – partnered with underperforming schools – support for leadership, teaching and learning and specific issues.

• Programmes run by Heads and schools for other Heads and schools with Adviser support e.g. ‘Gaining Ground’, Good to Great’, Going for Great’, ‘VIP’, now ‘Securing Good’.

• A model of partner schools, inter-school visits, learning walks and innovation exchanges.

System leadership and consultant heads

• Challenge Advisers – a small group of experts attached to ‘Keys to Success’ schools (on or below floor targets or in OfSTED categories) and LAs to broker bespoke solutions as well as work on various strategies.

• Specialist Advisers on EAL and Behaviour plus ‘call off support’ e.g Education London.

Challenge and support systems – Keys to Success schools

• School Triage system – ‘ intervention and support in inverse proportion to success’.

• Raise Attainment Plans (RAPs) and School Improvement Partnership Boards with Governors.

• Intervention / support in LAs – five in 2003 – changes over time.

• Pan-London recruitment and retention programmes.

• Chartered London Teacher status.

• Teach First and Teaching Leaders.

• The Teaching and Learning syllabus – improving teacher programmes, outstanding teacher programmers – emerging Teaching Schools.

• Use of system wide expertise e.g. ASTs – moving knowledge and expertise around – [Now SLEs].

‘THE QUALITY OF AN EDUCATION SYSTEM CANNOT EXCEED THE QUALITY OF ITS TEACHERS…’

Relentless focus on teaching and learning

• The London Student Pledge (access to a range of extra-curricular opportunities).

• Improving behaviour and attendance.

• Support for EAL students.

The London student

• Provision for gifted and talented young people.

• Progression to Higher Education.

• Celebration and awards (includes parents).

• School-to-school and practitioner networks.

• Local Authorities and school improvement teams.

• National College / London Leadership Strategy.

• HE / School partnerships.

• Business partnerships.

• Partnerships with parents.

• Links to various Agencies. .

Effective partnership and networking

‘HARVEST AND HARNESS KNOWLEDGE, TALENT, CREATIVITY AND ENERGY’

• Holding people and systems to account at

• Individual school level • LA Level • Challenge Adviser level • Departmental level.

• Tight monitoring and review systems

• 2 weekly meetings • Termly reviews • Annual triage.

• Regular meetings with LAs.

• Reporting directly to senior civil servants and a Minister.

‘A COLLECTIVE SPIRIT COMBINED WITH A MASSIVE SENSE OF URGENCY’

Strong accountability

• Close or ‘fresh start’ schools. • Create sponsored Academies, some in Chains of

schools.

Structural and radical solutions

• Encourage Federations and School Partnerships.

• Develop Trusts.

Yorkshire and the Humber - 0.2

South West - 0.1

South East 0.0

East 0.0

West Midlands - 0.1

East Midlands - 0.2

North West - 0.1

North East - 0.3

London +0.3

How the regions measure up: modelling the new Progress 8 measure by region using 2013 data

Impact

Impact

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

1998-9 2001-02 2005-06 2009-10 2012-13

London Rest of England

Percentage of 5 A*-C GCSEs including English and maths

• A high level of ‘political’ will and accountability.

• A clear focus on raising achievement.

• A shared focus that involved the best local leaders and schools in directly supporting other schools in strengthening leadership and teaching.

• Support and challenge through expert leaders, advisers and

consultants brokering bespoke solutions. • Sufficient flexibility to respond to the specific needs and context of

the target area.

• Sufficient executive powers to take decisive action where improvement is too slow.

Unseen Children Report June 2013

Successful area-based initiatives / OfSTED

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