Reading and Wokingham are to continue considering proposals for shared school improvement services which will cater for schools in both boroughs in the future.
School improvement teams provide schools with a number of services which help aid them in driving up performance, including challenging and supporting schools that may be underperforming, or drafting in expertise in a particular area where schools may need to improve.
Recent actions to re-shape school improvement teams, address national policy changes including cuts in Government grants and the expansion of the academy programme have required Local Authorities to work more collaboratively in sharing the delivery of services.
Reading and Wokingham school improvement teams are already working together and are now engaged in initial discussions about the possibility of a shared service, which would continue to provide both of the boroughs’ schools with the high quality and professional school improvement services they are used to. Both boroughs remain fully committed to making sure there is a good school for every child.
Wokingham Borough Council’s Executive on October 27th and Reading Borough Council’s Cabinet on October 31st have nowboth approved a proposal to support further work with partners on the development of a shared service.
This work would include detailed consultation with all relevant stakeholders, including Headteachers and Chairs of Governors in each borough - including academies and free schools - Diocesan Education Teams, all school improvement staff in Reading and Wokingham and their unions.
Cllr John Ennis, Reading’s Lead Councillor for Education and children’s Services, said: "We are proud here in Reading of the Council’s track record of working closely with schools to drive up standards. Recent changes in funding and the fact schools are becoming academies mean that we need to look carefully at how we can best deliver the school improvement services. I would urge as many headteachers and Governors as possible to give us their feedback and I look forward to more detailed proposals coming forward at a later stage."
Cllr Rob Stanton, Wokingham’s Executive Member for Education Services said: "In Wokingham we have built strong partnership working between the Local Authority and all our Schools and we are proud of the high standards that are achieved. I think this proposal is a very sensible next step that will allow us to strengthen further the improvement services that we currently offer to schools in both Boroughs. I look forward to receiving the feedback from partners and to the final business case following the consultation."
