Contact:

Ros Cooper Head of School Effectiveness - Primary Tel: 01438 844820 Email: ros.cooper@ hertscc.gov.uk

Being a School Improvement Professional in Hertfordshire

As a SIP in Hertfordshire you will be a part of a team.

In each of our strategic areas, one of our secondary effectiveness advisers (SEAs) will co-ordinate the work of SIPs who are likely to have all 'their' schools in one geographic area. This arrangement will promote collaboration with respect to:

• 14-19 developments
• extended school provision (particularly once primary SIPs are appointed).
• education improvement partnerships.

and enable strategic thinking to be a part of the process of supporting and challenging schools.

The area SEA will be responsible for the quality assurance for SIPs in the area. The LA will be following national guidance on a QA process. It will be supportive and essentially light touch. However, in the first year of operation, each SIP will be observed by the SEA during a visit to one school.

Once appointed (whether substantively or subject to final accreditation) an induction programme will begin - probably towards the end of the Easter Term. As a part of the national regional training, there will be a locally organised focus and we shall concentrate particularly on the skills of conducting face-to-face discussions with colleague headteachers as well as on the need for focussed, concise reports.

Deployment of SIPs to schools will be centrally organised. At present it is likely that each school will be allowed to veto a suggested SIP but will be expected to accept the next nomination. SIPs themselves will not be informed of 'their' schools until this process is completed.

Before beginning work in any individual school, each SIP will be fully briefed by the school's existing SEA. Our principle is that no SIP should be in a worse position than an SEA would be with regard to access to data, trends etc in each school. SIPs will be expected to set up a date for an initial visit to each school.