Education Leeds Annual Report 2007/2008

106900 StudentS/ 17769 School– baSed Staff/ 219 primary SchoolS/ 39 Secondary SchoolS/ 6 SpecialiSt incluSive learning centreS/ together we are brilliant/

AnnuAl RepoRt 2007—2008

Education Leeds Annual Report 2007—2008

together we achieve more/

4 Introduction from the chair6 Foreword from the

chief executive 8 Narrowing the gap for school-

age parents / Peer mentoring10 Attendance champions /

Building Schools for the Future (BSF)

12 Looked after children / Computers for pupils

14 Invest / 14–1916 Our next steps18 Appendices19 Financial information

www.educationleeds.co.uk

contentS Education Leeds achievements — winner of the beacon award for

healthy Schools 2007— winner of the bett award for

leadership and management innovation for bluewave Swift 2008

— first education team to gain the new customer excellence Standard 2008

— nominated for the carl bertlesmann prize ‘integration through education: fairness for all’ 2008

— recognised by the house of lords for work with international new arrivals

— recognised through one of ofsted’s thematic surveys as an example of good practice for social responsibility and community cohesion

— accredited by the national autism Society for our StarS autism outreach service

— awarded the vi Quality mark 2008 for our visually impaired team

— recognised as excellent practitioners by the house of lords for our chinese Supplementary Schools

Education Leeds is a not-for-profit company, formed in April 2001 and wholly owned by Leeds City Council. From 2001 to 2006, the company was a unique partnership between Leeds City Council and Capita and operated under a direction from the Secretary of State for Education and Skills. In April 2006 the Secretary of State withdrew their powers of direction and Leeds city council decided to continue the contract with Education Leeds. This ended the five-year strategic partnership with Capita.Through the contract with the council, Education Leeds is responsible for providing education support services for all children and young people of statutory school age.

Education Leeds Annual Report 2007—2008 www.educationleeds.co.uk

4_5 I am pleased to welcome you to the Education Leeds annual report for the 2007 to 2008 academic year, my first as chair of the Education Leeds board. This report records our successes and achievements over the past year, and sets out our priorities for the future.

Education Leeds has continued to develop, not only as a company, but as an increasingly strong and efficient partner within children’s services in Leeds. Strong relationships with our partners across children’s services, Leeds City Council, our colleagues, our schools, and our children and young people are helping to transform learning in Leeds and deliver improved outcomes. This year saw our best ever results in GCSEs and A-Levels, in addition to significant improvements in academic achievement, attendance, and behaviour.

Education Leeds has a strong, innovative vision for education in this city, made possible by the ongoing dedication and commitment of many talented people. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone for their hard work and energy — to all our young people who achieved so much in their exams this year, to the dedicated school staff who nurtured their potential and encouraged them to succeed, to Chris Edwards and his team of fantastic colleagues here at Education Leeds, and to my fellow board members.

I am proud to be working with Education Leeds as we face the changes taking place in education and the wider opportunities this will bring across the city. I very much look forward to making my contribution to creating a world-class learning experience in Leeds which meets the needs and aspirations of all our children and young people.

introduction from the chair of education leedS

Professor Stephen Parkinson, Chair, Education Leeds

together we perform/


This is our seventh annual report, which looks back at the progress we have made together over one of our most dynamic and exciting years to date. We have once again seen brilliant successes and record achievements for our children and young people, schools and Education Leeds itself.

Education Leeds remains at the cutting edge of children’s services. Through our strong partnerships we continue to improve outcomes and transform opportunities. Our reputation for creativity, innovation and delivery continues to grow, while powerful links with Stockholm and Helsinki are helping us on our journey to make Leeds a truly world-class city.

Working with our schools, we have again achieved our best-ever GCSE and A-level results. Over 61 per cent of our young people achieved five A*-C grades at GCSE, closing the gap with the national average to just one per cent, while A-level passes also increased by three per cent. We also opened two more fantastic secondary learning environments, benefiting over 1,900 young people.

Work continues to make sure our children and young people are happy, healthy, safe and increasingly successful. The number of schools awarded National Healthy Schools Standard in Leeds rose to 208, with 96 achieving Advanced Standard. Another 25 received the Stephen Lawrence Education Standard for their work to challenge racism and encourage tolerance and understanding. And 23 more schools achieved the Inclusion Chartermark, recognising their work with children and young people with complex and special needs.

Everywhere we look brilliant initiatives are making a real difference. From our STEPS (Steps to Excellence for Personal

Success) programme for parents and carers, to our Enterprise Programme for young entrepreneurs. From the first-ever Gypsy, Roma, Traveller History Month, to our success with Find Your Talent. From our intergenerational Building Bridges programmes, to our Wake Up Shake Up initiative.

Together with colleagues from children’s services we received a ‘good’ rating in our first ever Joint Area Review, with special recognition for our leadership and management, our strong focus on partnership and our innovative and creative approach to improving outcomes. We became one of the first education teams nationally to achieve the new Customer Service Excellence award, reflecting our commitment to customers, and were nominated and shortlisted for the prestigious Carl Bertelsmann ‘Integration through education: Fairness for all’ award.

This is an exciting time. We are preparing for new challenges which will change the shape of our educational provision; our 14+ review which will determine the agenda for post-16, higher and further education; our extended services programme which is opening up our fantastic learning places to their wider communities, and the Leeds Inclusive Learning Programme which will help us better meet the needs of every child and young person.

We must take time to recognise and celebrate the fantastic achievements and the incredible progress we’ve made this year. However, we must also maintain our belief that we can do even better. With persistence and determination we can continue to improve outcomes and make sure that no child is left behind… whatever it takes!

foreword from the chief executive

6_7

Chris Edwards Chief executive, Education Leeds

together we are one/


The teenage pregnancy and parenthood team at Education Leeds are working together in partnership to narrow the gap between the attainment levels of young women at school who are either pregnant or mothers, and their peers, to help improve their outcomes.

Nationally, over 40 per cent of teenage mothers leave school with no qualifications. This significantly reduces their ability to achieve economic wellbeing, and further impacts on their own children who are 63 per cent more likely to live in poverty.

Narrowing the gap in attainment and achievement between school-age mothers and fathers, and their peers, is a priority for the teenage pregnancy specialists at Education Leeds. The teenage pregnancy and parenthood team works to remove

barriers to education for these young people to make sure that they remain engaged in learning and achieve their full potential. This year saw a dramatic improvement in the GCSE results for pregnant young women and mothers at school in Leeds of 31 per cent. This is a massive achievement, even better than the increase achieved by their peers. Due to the hard work of the young women themselves, the support they receive from specialist learning mentors at Education Leeds, and from their schools and other agencies, this year has seen a big step towards narrowing the gap.

Narrowing the gap for school-age parents can make a huge difference to not only improving their own outcomes and opportunities, but those of their children as well.

As part of the anti-bullying initiative ‘Power of Me’, young people across Leeds schools are being trained to become peer mentors and help other young people who may be being bullied, feeling lonely, or having arguments with their friends.

The programme has been running at Adel St John the Baptist Church of England Primary School since June 2008, when Childline ran a training session with some then Year 5 students. The session involved looking at the attributes a peer mentor has, playing games to bring out those qualities, and discussing what it feels like to be targeted.

The inclusion manager at Adel St John the Baptist Church of England Primary School said: “The parents and all our staff support our peer mentors 100 per cent, and have faith in their maturity and

expertise not only to deal with problems, but to know when to talk to staff. Our peer mentors work as a team, so they have someone else they can talk to.”

“In addition to what it adds to the inclusiveness of our school, it’s great to see the life skills and confidence our young people develop through being peer mentors. They become very empathic, and good listeners, and they really get a buzz out of helping and making a difference.”

One of the peer mentors said: “I think people would rather talk to a peer mentor than they would to a teacher because it’s more their same age and they have had similar problems. I think when you sort out someone’s problems a peer mentor feels proud and happy that they have made someone happy.”

together we are engaging/

narrowing the gap for School-age parentS

peer mentoring

8_9

This year saw a dramatic improvement in the GCSE results for pregnant young women and mothers at school in Leeds.

“It’s great to see the life skills and confidence our young people develop through being peer mentors.”


Promoting regular school attendance continues to be a priority for Education Leeds and the city’s schools. Missing just 17 days in one school year can lead to a drop of an entire grade at GCSE.

Persistent absence in secondary schools has been a key government measure for the last two years. Leeds has seen a decrease of 22 per cent, representing almost 1000 more young people consistently attending school.

Working with partners, Education Leeds has developed innovative and exciting attendance initiatives to engage all children and young people.

The high impact ‘Give it 100%’ competition ran again this year, with the support of many partners from the business community. To enter, children and young people needed 100% attendance for the month of March. There were an amazing

24,000 entries from 205 schools. Prizes on offer included one-off experiences, such as visiting a studio recording at MTV, tickets for sold-out concerts, and MP3 players. As a result of this competition schools reported increases in attendance of up to 3 per cent, with one school noting a 5 per cent rise.

The ‘Reach for the Stars’ programme, working with Key Stage One and Key Stage Two students with poor attendance, continues to go from strength to strength. This year twice as many schools engaged with the programme, and the number is set to double once more in 2008—2009.

Families are also getting the message. It’s estimated that over 1000 school days were saved by families taking holidays outside of term time, thanks to the partnership with Cooperative Travel. In total, families benefited from discounts worth over £15,000 on their holidays.

together we grow/

attendance championS

10_11

As technology students at Cockburn College of Arts entered Leeds’ first state-of-the-art Building Schools for the Future (BSF) facilities in March, they became the first young people to experience a new era of learning in Leeds.

Three stunning facilities at Allerton High, Pudsey Grangefield and Rodillian have since been completed while progress continues on schemes to transform Cockburn and other secondary schools.

Each is a 21st-century environment created around the needs of young people. They contain flexible, innovative spaces, including break-out areas, ‘show and tell’ rooms, and unprecedented levels of technology to support ‘anytime, anywhere’ learning.

One teacher at the North West SILC’s Autism Resource Centre — which has moved to a purpose-built, increased capacity centre in Allerton High —

explains how the BSF programme can transform learning.

“The school and design team’s attention to detail has been amazing. The learning spaces, décor, ‘chill’ rooms…the whole environment promotes the calm our young people need to focus on learning.

“Even the school bell is in a tone which doesn’t cause our young people distress.”

The young people were involved in the design process so that they own and feel safe in the centre. Cutting-edge portable technology strengthens the interaction with the main school and supports every young person’s individual learning needs.

The teacher added: “The centre’s design and high-profile position in the school reflect that every child matters, and our young people are more confident in the new school’s wide, light, open spaces. We expect them to flourish here.”

building SchoolS for the future

Working with partners Education Leeds has developed innovative and exciting attendance initiatives to engage all children and young people.

Three stunning facilities have been completed while progress continues on schemes to transform Cockburn and other secondary schools.


together we help each other/

Around 1350 Leeds children are looked after children, meaning that they are in the care of the local authority. Education Leeds is committed to helping every Leeds student achieve successful outcomes, and the Stepping Stones programme is designed to contribute to the efforts of Leeds City Council to release the potential of our children and young people in public care.

The key aims of the Stepping Stones programme are to promote the educational successes of looked after children, to raise their aspirations, and to widen participation in further and higher education. To achieve this, the Stepping Stones programme runs transition programmes for students moving from Year 6 to Year 7 and continues with homework support sessions, summer schools and mentoring schemes through Years 9, 10 and 11. Stepping Stones’ mentoring schemes have been a great success. The programme employs 18 mentors who offer academic

and personal support and a further 18 mentors assist with homework help sessions. Many of these mentors are undergraduates themselves so can offer valuable first hand advice and inspiration to looked after young people.

In the 2007—2008 academic year, Stepping Stones celebrated the outstanding achievement of a student who, having achieved 9 GCSE A-C grades with the help of the programme, has gone on to study four A-levels. The student has also taken part in several national conferences, in addition to gaining a national Aimhigher award for her achievements. She also plans to become a mentor herself.

In the 2007 inspection of children’s services, inspectors highlighted the Stepping Stones programme as an excellent example of raising attainment, saying: “Programmes such as Stepping Stones have helped raise aspirations and as a result, 40 care leavers are currently attending university, five of whom are studying at Masters Level.”

looked after children

12_13

Children and young people across the city have benefited under the £2.7m Computer for Pupils programme. Through the scheme, Education Leeds has provided laptops to over 2,350 11-16 year olds whose families would not otherwise have access to a computer. A further 950 laptops will be distributed under the scheme.

The computers, which allow safe and secure internet access, give these young people the opportunity to benefit from all the advantages of digital learning. Pupils are able to use the internet as a research tool to aid their studies and can access the secure education platform Leeds Learning Network. After the Computers for Pupils scheme launched in Summer 2007, with the first computers delivered in December 2007, the network was recording up to 588 first time visitors per week.

The deputy headteacher of Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School said of the positive impact of the scheme: “The Computers for Pupils scheme has enhanced pupils’ learning in terms of developing research skills and giving depth to their work.

“Teachers are able to set computer-based homework, as they know that every child has access to a computer. In some subjects pupils can even submit their work electronically and have it marked online.”

As well as benefiting our children and young people, families and parents are also able to make use of the laptops. As a result there has been increased uptake in free adult ICT courses in Leeds.

computerS for pupilS

Education Leeds is committed to helping every Leeds student achieve successful outcomes.

The computers, which allow safe and secure internet access, give these young people the opportunity to benefit from all the advantages of digital learning.


together we improve/

INVEST (Introduction to volunteering in educational settings training) is a unique programme aimed at increasing parents’ and carers’ participation in Leeds primary schools. Now in its third year, it recognises the importance of engaging parental support for and in schools at an early stage, and the impact that this can have on helping children to achieve their potential.

The Education Leeds families and schools together team (FASTT) deliver the introduction to volunteering programme in two hour-long sessions, over six weeks, with the aim of encouraging good relationships between a school and its parents and carers. FASTT have now delivered 26 programmes in 15 Leeds primary schools.

At the end of the programme, participants have the option of writing a short portfolio to achieve accreditation through the Open College Network.

Most of them complete the accreditation, a massive achievement for them as many have not undertaken any formal qualifications since leaving school. The programme also helps them to develop their own learning and enhance their own self-esteem, confidence and aspirations.

Feedback from participants and from headteachers has been overwhelmingly positive. Schools and local community members report better communication, mutual support, respect and understanding, as well as a greater sense of belonging and partnership.

One parent at New Bewerley Community Primary, who had previously blamed the school for a breakdown in the home-school relationship with her eight year-old son, became a regular volunteer in school through INVEST and now works in partnership with them to help her son improve his behaviour.

inveSt14_15

This year saw some of the most significant changes to the 14 to 19 curriculum in decades. Education Leeds continues to work with partners in schools, colleges and businesses to develop opportunities for all young people to achieve and succeed.

Vocational and work-related learning qualifications have made a significant contribution to excellent progress in raising attainment levels in the city. Education Leeds will continue to deliver better outcomes for all learners through increased choice, flexibility and personalisation of the curriculum.

It’s an approach that’s worked for GCSE history students at John Smeaton Community College. This year’s course used a mix of traditional academic and vocational techniques which saw the subject pass mark rise past 70% – about four times higher than the previous year’s A*-C rates.

The headteacher said: “This curriculum really engaged our students, and proved a tremendous motivator for students and teaching staff alike. Students created documentaries from the viewpoint of individuals in history and shared them with an audience. Assessment methods gave them more control and confidence. This approach took them to a different level.

“We’ve seen that the vocational route puts things into a context that students can relate to. We’re trying to get the right mix of personalised approaches which will give young people the skills and confidence they need to succeed in further education and the workplace. Feedback from our partners show we’re heading the right way.”

14–19

Vocational and work-related learning qualifications have made a significant contribution to excellent progress in raising attainment levels in the city.

Schools and local community members report better communication, mutual support, respect and understanding, as well as a greater sense of belonging and partnership.


together we make progreSS/

16_17 We want all children and young people to enjoy brilliant learning that gives them the confidence, knowledge, understanding and skills to thrive and achieve their potential.We want all Leeds schools to be brilliant learning places — to be good schools, improving schools and inclusive schools where every child and young person can be happy, healthy, safe and successful, and where no child is left behind.

This year has seen record levels of GCSE attainment for our young people in Leeds, with a rise of more than 5 per cent in the numbers of young people achieving five or more A*-C grades at GCSE, closing the gap between Leeds and the national average to just 1 per cent. Many of our schools also had individual achievements way above this level. A-level results were the best ever in Leeds with a 3 per cent increase in passes.

We will continue to build on our successes in GSCE achievement, with a target of even more young people gaining five or more A*-C grades in 2008—2009, with specific targets for young people from black and ethnic minority communities. We will continue to help our schools set and achieve more ambitious targets for children and young people to make sure they leave school with the skills, knowledge and experience they need to make their next step in life.

Our missionTo build brilliant learners and to achieve brilliant outcomes — whatever it takes!

Our priorities — Build partnerships for transformation. — Lead personalisation and curriculum

innovation. — Develop transformational leadership. — Revolutionise learning environments. — Champion the needs of those at risk of

poor outcomes. — Nurture learning communities.

Our values— To put the interests of all children and

young people first.— To respect and respond to all individual

needs and aspirations.— To listen and involve children and

young people, staff, schools and their communities.

— To encourage openness and trust in our partnership working.

— To always keep our promises and commitments.

— To bring passion, optimism and dynamism to all that we do.

— To empower people to take responsibility, get on with the job, and take risks.

— To identify, understand and meet customer needs.

— To ensure quality in our service provision.

our next StepS…

We will continue to help our schools set and achieve more ambitious targets for children and young people.

This year has seen record levels of GCSE attainment for our young people in Leeds.


together we move forward/

18_19 Listening to our customersEducation Leeds delivers services to a wide range of people and we are committed to all our customers. There are over 106,900 young people in our schools, who along with their parents and carers, and around 17,769 school-based staff are all our customers. Other key stakeholders are Leeds City Council, members of the public, the statutory, business and voluntary sectors, and external agencies such as the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), and Ofsted.

Education Leeds continues to record and monitor compliments and complaints. This year we received 11 complaints, less than half the number received in the previous year (29). 523 complaints were received against schools, which is quite a substantial increase on the 2007—2008 figure of 297, but this may be due to improvements in accurate recording. During this time we also received 44 compliments.

Between April 2007 and April 2008, the number of Local Government Ombudsman cases that Education Leeds received has continued to fall. 26 cases were received compared to 37 the previous year.

We continued to consult widely on initiatives and strategies affecting schools and communities in Leeds. In 2007—2008 consultation and engagement with children and young people was a particular focus, and this will continue to be a priority for the company. We continued to engage with ethnic minority communities and staff.

Equalities, policies and practice Education Leeds is committed to policies and action to ensure that its employees and the people it serves are not discriminated against on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnic origin, age, sexuality or gender.

Education Leeds celebrates and promotes the rich cultural, linguistic, ethnic and religious diversity of Leeds, and is committed to making sure that we take equal opportunities into account at every stage of our work. Together with Leeds City Council, we are working towards the Equality Standard which incorporates the six equality strands, and works across principles of quality, leadership, customer focus and community involvement.

We have already made progress against the targets set at Equality Standard Level 3 for race, gender and disability, and by 2009 we will have made progress against targets for sexual orientation, age, religion and belief for Equality Standard Level 4.

Total company income in 2007—2008 amounted to £73,745,000 (2006—2007 £68,672,000) comprising:— £60,639,000 through the contract

with Leeds City Council;— £4,095,000 from schools under specific

service level agreements; and— £9,011,000 for work undertaken

on behalf of schools which was over and above that specified under service level agreements, work on behalf of departments of Leeds City Council, grants and contributions from other partner bodies and interest on investments.

Expenditure in 2007—2008 of £73,571,000 (2006—2007 £68,302,000) was incurred including making provision for future depreciation costs for fixed assets purchased during the year. This resulted in an operating surplus of £174,000 (excluding pensions adjustments) which has been carried forward to 2008—2009.

The operating surplus arose largely due to savings for the following reasons:— home to school and college transport

particularly in relation to taxis for pupils with special educational needs;

— staffing savings arising from delays in the filling of posts and staff turnover;

— additional grant income, course fees and other traded income;

— higher than anticipated investment income due to an increase in investment rates and cash flow management.

These savings were partially offset by additional costs in the following areas:— home to school and college transport

costs for mainstream pupils relating to school and college cards;

— reduced income for ICT and school improvement;

— a contract reduction to realign resources to children’s services.

The average number of staff employed by Education Leeds during the financial year was 965 full time equivalents (2006—2007 985). This reduction was mainly due to reduced posts in the finance, psychology and community language teams.

The premises used by Education Leeds are rented from Leeds City Council.

The information provided above does not constitute the company accounts. A copy of the audited company accounts is available on the Education Leeds website www.educationleeds.co.uk

appendiceS financial information

Education Leeds celebrates and promotes the rich cultural, linguistic, ethnic and religious diversity of Leeds.

There are over 106,900 young people in our schools, around 17,769 school based staff and 1129 Education Leeds employees.

Our boardEducation Leeds has a board of non-executive directors. The board members during 2007 to 2008 were:Stephen Parkinson / Chair and non-executive director (February 2008 onwards)Leslie Wagner / Chair and non-executive director (until December 2007)Parin Bahl / Non-executive directorNeil Evans / Non-executive director and director of neighbourhoods and housing, Leeds City Council Alan Gill / Non-executive directorDave Page / Non-executive director and deputy chief executive, Leeds City Council

Further InformationFor further information please visit: www.educationleeds.co.uk Email: [email protected], phone: 0113 395 0687, or write to: Communications team, Education Leeds, 10th Floor West, Merrion House, 110 Merrion Centre, Leeds LS2 8DT.

This publication can also be made available in large print, on computer disc and audio cassette. Please call 0113 395 0687.

If you do not speak English and need help in understanding this document, please call 0113 395 0687 and state the name of your language. We will then put you on hold while we contact an interpreter. We can assist with any language and there is no charge for interpretation.

All photographs have been posed by models

Documents

Education Leeds Annual Report 2007/2008