London Education ConferenceStop Meddling with the Middle

Band B, Workshop 8

John FowlerPolicy Manager, LGIU

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/housingbenefit/claims-processing/information-flow/docs/laceo-letter-sep08.pdf

Workshop Agenda• What is the middle tier?• Brief History• Current policy• Current practice – your say

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/housingbenefit/claims-processing/information-flow/docs/laceo-letter-sep08.pdf

What is the middle tier?• Bodies which mediate between

schools and central government.• Squeezed middle and accountability• Local authorities• Collection of schools working together –

federations and chains• Local authority delegated functions,

including privatisation, charities, employee mutuals, Community Right to Challenge

• Sub-regional – voluntary as well as forced• Regional

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/housingbenefit/claims-processing/information-flow/docs/laceo-letter-sep08.pdf

Brief History from May 2010• Coalition Agreement (May 2010)

• Academies Act (July 2010)• Ministerial Advisory Group on

Role of LAs in education• Importance of Teaching White

Paper (November 2010)• “In a more autonomous school system, local authorities

have an indispensable role to play as champions of children and parents, ensuring that the school system works for every family and using their democratic mandate to challenge every school to do the best for their population. ...

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/housingbenefit/claims-processing/information-flow/docs/laceo-letter-sep08.pdf

2012 – Year of reports• ADCS: The Future Role of Local Authorities in School

Improvement (April 2012)• SOLACE: Filling the gap: the Championing Role of English

Councils in Education (April 2012)• NCSL: The Growth of Academy Chains (March 2012)• NCSL thinkpiece: Towards a self-improving system: the role

of school accountability (April 2012)• Ministerial Advisory Group: Local authority role in

education: ISOS final report (July 2012)• RSA: The missing middle (July 2012)• NAO: Managing the expansion of the academies

programme (November 2012)• Policy Exchange: Competition Meets Collaboration

(November 2012)• RSA-Pearson Academies Commission Report: Unleashing

Greatness (January 2013)

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/housingbenefit/claims-processing/information-flow/docs/laceo-letter-sep08.pdf

LGiU, NUT and UNISON reports

• The Future of Local Government’s Role in the School System (September 2011)

• Should we shed the middle tier? (September 2012)

• Standing Room Only: have we enough school places? (September 2013)

• David Laws: 24,000 schools cannot be run from Whitehall; local government is best-placed to deliver key “middle tier” functions in the education system

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/housingbenefit/claims-processing/information-flow/docs/laceo-letter-sep08.pdf

Ofsted: A good education for all

• Proposed January 2012• “Satisfactory” judgement became

“Required to improve”• “If you've got academies that are

underperforming, do something about it” (Sir Michael Wilshaw – July 2013)

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/housingbenefit/claims-processing/information-flow/docs/laceo-letter-sep08.pdf

History prior to May 2010

• Centre couldn’t do it all – now: IT revolution, 24/7 news.

• Dislike of centralisation – disappeared

• Confidence in local democratic decision-making and management – control of schools

• Issue of size – continuing debate• Rise of local decision-making and

institutional autonomy

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/housingbenefit/claims-processing/information-flow/docs/laceo-letter-sep08.pdf

Current Policy• Local authorities Local authority statutory functions still in place• Sufficient schools – fair admissions• Promote high standards – school

improvement• Children in need – special educational

needs, children’s social care• Accountability – democracy, coherence

and coordination

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/housingbenefit/claims-processing/information-flow/docs/laceo-letter-sep08.pdf

Government policy• Ignore the middle tier issue• DfE – 8 regional schools

commissioners• EFA – 10 regional offices• Ofsted – 8 regional directors

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/housingbenefit/claims-processing/information-flow/docs/laceo-letter-sep08.pdf

DfE Regional Commissioners

• Monitoring performance of academies and intervention

• Decisions on new converter academies

• Sponsors (to avoid use of word chain)

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/housingbenefit/claims-processing/information-flow/docs/laceo-letter-sep08.pdf

Academies and governance

• Funding agreements – contract to the SoS

• Different types of academies• Single Academy Trusts• Umbrella Trusts• Multi-Academy Trusts – chains“Academies are born free, and everywhere are in chains”

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/housingbenefit/claims-processing/information-flow/docs/laceo-letter-sep08.pdf

Opposition• Blunkett Review

• “The national education system is "chaotic" and needs to be glued back together after becoming too fragmented under the coalition government” Guardian 06-02-14

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/housingbenefit/claims-processing/information-flow/docs/laceo-letter-sep08.pdf

School improvement - One, two, many tiers

• The McKinsey Report How the World's Most Improved School Systems Keep Getting Better (2010)

• NFER: What works in enabling school improvement? The role of the middle tier (April 2013)

• “school-led system improvement” needs a ‘middle tier’ - diverse range of bodies that operate between schools and central government to support school-led improvement.

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/housingbenefit/claims-processing/information-flow/docs/laceo-letter-sep08.pdf

Accountability• local government• local or regional commissioner

(democracy?)• local or regional body (democracy?)• chains of schools• school-to-school support• Teaching School Alliances• education trusts and partnerships

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/housingbenefit/claims-processing/information-flow/docs/laceo-letter-sep08.pdf

Current practice• Your say:

• What’s going on? - Examples of practice

• What do you want?

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/housingbenefit/claims-processing/information-flow/docs/laceo-letter-sep08.pdf

Contact• Feedback• 07872 989646• john.fowler@lgiu.org.uk