Spring 2016 Dear Colleagues Firstly, let me take this opportunity to wish you all a a positive and successful 2016. I hope that the new term is going smoothly for all of you. Secondly, I’d like to welcome you to Edition 3 of our termly Hsis School Improvement Update. We have had very positive feedback from headteachers, teachers and governors about our previous editions and I hope that you will find this Spring 2016 edition just as helpful and informative. The 2015 autumn term was certainly a busy and interesting one, coming as it did on the back of Havering’s best ever key stage results in the summer. We have had to get used to a new and different Ofsted inspection framework and although we have not had many inspections under the new regime, we have learnt a great deal from colleagues who have been through the process. We certainly hope to reflect these lessons through our Hsis training sessions, subject networks, forums and publications. We have also been adjusting to a new curriculum as well as assessment systems without levels. This has been a significant challenge for all of us, but it is clear that many schools have now developed sophisticated, innovative and effective ways of assessing children’s attainment and the progress that they are making. In addition, the need to develop whole school tracking systems that demonstrate not only how individual children are performing but also classes, groups and key stages, has been a huge challenge - but I am confident that schools in Havering are leading the way in this area. We are very mindful in the Hsis team that many of you are this term considering your SLAs for 2016-17. We very much hope that the range of flexible packages that we offer for school improvement will help you to meet your needs in the coming year. Once again, we will offer a wide range of courses, networks and forums for school staff at all levels, as well as bespoke in-school support to meet your specific areas of development. We are always looking to improve the scope of our offer, as well as ensuring that Havering schools and academies receive the high quality service they deserve. We have a long and proud tradition in Havering of supporting schools and academies to excel. I hope that this partnership will continue to thrive. With very best wishes to you all
Grahame Smith School Improvement Manager
School Improvement Update Issue 3 Addressing teacher recruitment – a local approach
Schools across the Local Authority are facing serious challenges with teacher recruitment. The reduction in Initial Teacher Training (ITT) students trained from the local higher education institutions has further compounded the issue, and there is a general move towards school led teacher training. As such, Havering LA is in the process of establishing an ‘offer’ to teachers in all stages of their career, including ITT. A briefing was held for schools in November 2015, as well as information being shared at Hsis Headteacher Forums, to discuss the issues and to develop a programme of support. The 2015 Talent Management Strategy has been distributed to schools, and covers six key aspects that we feel are important in ensuring the right quality and quantity of teachers in Havering. The strands are; Workforce Planning, Talent Acquisition, Performance Management, Learning & Development, Retention & Engagement and Succession Management. To date, our work has focused-on establishing an ITT offer to grow teaching talent locally. Schools HR and Hsis are working together in developing this offer, and work has begun to establish a Schools Direct programme in Havering in partnership with the TES Institute, as well as further work with the Teach First programme. As an LA, we are also planning to work in partnership with a company to recruit overseas trained teachers to start in September 2016 to help ease the shortage that we fear schools will face in the coming year. It is the aim of the LA to put Havering ‘firmly back on the map’ in terms of being an employer of choice for teachers, and we are hosting marketing and advertising workshops as well as a planned recruitment campaign over the next year. For further information, to comment or to register an interest in any of the programmes mentioned within the Talent Management Strategy, please email adele.dsilva@havering.gov.uk Adele D’Silva Team Manager – Schools HR Business Development and Recruitment