���Suffolk Education Partnership

Purpose, Structure, Impact

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Andrew Berry & Deri O’Regan

Purpose

The purpose of the Suffolk Education Partnership is to create a strong sector-led strategy that delivers excellent education and outcomes for learners in Suffolk through shared principles and strengthened working relationships within and between local authority officers, leaders of maintained schools, leaders of trusts and other providers.

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The focus of our shared work is to answer the question ‘What do we want and need to achieve together that we cannot achieve as well separately, so that all learners in Suffolk secure the best possible outcomes?’

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Purpose

The purpose of the Suffolk Education Partnership is to create a strong sector-led strategy that delivers excellent education and outcomes for learners in Suffolk through shared principles and strengthened working relationships within and between local authority officers, leaders of maintained schools, leaders of trusts and other providers.

​

The focus of our shared work is to answer the question ‘What do we want and need to achieve together that we cannot achieve as well separately, so that all learners in Suffolk secure the best possible outcomes?’

​

Purpose

The purpose of the Suffolk Education Partnership is to create a strong sector-led strategy that delivers excellent education and outcomes for learners in Suffolk through shared principles and strengthened working relationships within and between local authority officers, leaders of maintained schools, leaders of trusts and other providers.

​

The focus of our shared work is to answer the question ‘What do we want and need to achieve together that we cannot achieve as well separately, so that all learners in Suffolk secure the best possible outcomes?’

​

Purpose

The purpose of the Suffolk Education Partnership is to create a strong sector-led strategy that delivers excellent education and outcomes for learners in Suffolk through shared principles and strengthened working relationships within and between local authority officers, leaders of maintained schools, leaders of trusts and other providers.

​

The focus of our shared work is to answer the question ‘What do we want and need to achieve together that we cannot achieve as well separately, so that all learners in Suffolk secure the best possible outcomes?’

​

Structure

Elected Steering Group – representing MATs, Local Authority Officers, LA schools, Primary, Secondary and Special school Headteacher Associations.

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Task Groups – led by Steering Group appointed people, engaging those with interest and understanding in the focus.

Impact

• Greater collaboration within and between LA, LA schools, MATs and MAT schools
• Attendance improved
• Clear guidance on actions to take before PEX
• 157/175 now savable, printable, feedback on mutli agency working
• Improved feedback to schools following a referral (rather than just ‘no further action’)

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Working more effectively with parents

There are significant barriers affecting the relationship between parents and schools at the moment

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We need your thoughts

Suffolk Parent Carer Forum guidance

1. Promote to school staff and to parents the guidance being developed by the EP service on ‘barriers to education’.
2. Amongst the many strands of work by schools on the national priority to increase pupil attendance, ensure that the time EWOs work with schools includes helping school leaders and staff understand the perspectives and circumstances of parents finding it hard to get their children to attend school.
3. Greater transparency is needed with parents/carers regarding teaching topics that could be viewed as contentious, e.g. gender and sex education.
4. Rather than the discord that can follow a parent covertly recording a meeting, school leaders could offer that a meeting can be recorded so that a parent can remind themselves of what was said, which could be particularly helpful when a parent is anxious.
5. When schools arrange meetings with parents, do so in the same way as one would with a professional, ie offer a few dates so a convenient date can be chosen,
6. As soon as emails become confrontational (in either direction), stop emailing and find time to meet.
7. All schools to include links to Suffolk Parent Carer Forum newsletters in their communications to parents.

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Headteachers have reported:

There are significant barriers affecting the relationship between parents and schools at the moment Here are some that some headteachers have reported:

• Parental complaint process being used too frequently and unproductively
• Not enough engagement with school communication
• Failure to attend important meetings
• Unable to get children into school
• Unable (or unwilling) to support uniform
• Unreasonable SEND demands
• Abusive or confrontational communication
• Taking term time holidays

Discuss some of the challenges faced with engagement with parents and rank the top three.

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aberry@tilian.org.uk

or@king-ed.suffolk.sch.uk