RSC SESL Newsletter

Edition 16: 16 September 2016

Sent to all academy and free school heads in
South East and South London (SESL)

Welcome to the new

academic year I hope
term has started well for
you. I am also pleased to
welcome 40 new
academies that opened
on 1 September.

Find out about the RSC online

Here is an update on
various issues, starting
with a message from Sir
David Carter.

Trafalgar House, 1 Bedford Park,

Croydon, CR0 2AQ

Follow me @RSC_SESL on
Twitter
Email:
rsc.sesl@education.gsi.gov.uk

Message from Sir David Carter, National Schools Commissioner

As we start the new academic year, I would like to share with you an important message on
KS2, an update on MAT growth audits and my plans for engagement with the sector over
the coming months.
I would like to reassure you that the key stage 2 (KS2) results as published in the SFR on
the 5th July 2016 do not mean a significantly larger proportion of schools being classed as
being below the floor. A primary academy/school will only be judged to have performed
below the floor target if they have failed to meet both the attainment and progress
elements. It is important to remind colleagues that my team of RSC will be proportionate in
their response to the 2016 outcomes and will take into account the levels of success from
2014 and 2015 as well. We would not expect to routinely intervene with a primary
academy/school on the basis of the 2016 outcomes only. That said, there is a considerable
amount of learning to be shared across the sector from the 2016 KS2 testing and
assessment process. I have asked each of the RSC to lead a primary performance
evaluation in their region that shares as many of the strategies that led to success in 2016
so that all schools can benefit from this in 2017.
Many of you will have attended my NSC Roadshows in June and July. At these I spoke
about the MAT Growth Audits that I see as being integral to enabling trusts to grow
strategically and with confidence. The first pilots of the audit took place in July, and
between now and Christmas my aim is to complete a further 30-40. The learning and
feedback from these will inform the final development of the programme, which we will roll

out from January 2017.

It is my intention to continue to take advantage of as many opportunities as I can to bring
MAT and Academy leaders and trustees from across the country together. Over the course
of the next 12 months I will be emailing you to give you information about the following
activities;

A seminar for Chairs of MATS from across the country to attend

A national MAT leaders and trustees conference that will aim to bring colleagues
together to share practice and consider the next stage of this model of system
leadership
I also intend to repeat the NSC Roadshows but this time for leaders in LA
Maintained schools so that I can talk about the advantages of becoming an
academy, as well as leading or joining a MAT
This year I will continue to publish a monthly column in the TES, which will be
accompanied this month by a piece on the role of MAT CEOs.

For those of you on twitter you can find me @Carter6D. I use this account regularly to
share articles, communicate key messages and engage with followers. Finally, I would like
to thank you for all your hard work, and wish you all the best for the year ahead.
Headteacher Board
My HTB and I have become aware of the need to add to our knowledge around special
schools. To address this, I am pleased to announce that Alison Beane, Headteacher at
Mary Rose Academy in Portsmouth and Executive Headteacher of the Solent Academies
Trust has been co-opted on the Board to help expand our knowledge in this area.
The region will benefit hugely from Alisons co-option for her specific background and
expertise in SEN, Teaching Schools Council experience and her knowledge of the Solent
coastal region. The Headteacher Board reconvened this week for the first meeting of the
academic year. Thanks to all of you have offered to host a meeting we have had lots of
offers!
Sub-regional fora
Last year, I held three sub-regional fora in the South East which helped build strong links
with MATs, Dioceses, and LAs in the region. These sessions also heard from academy
Trusts themselves on the challenges they faced and the work they were doing at Trustlevel to address these challenges. This was an excellent opportunity for the groups to apply
local context to help identify creative solutions for schools in challenging areas.
We will now set up similar groups in South London. I am sure over the next year these fora
will be an invaluable source of insight into both the strengths and challenges faced by
Trusts in SESL. I will update in my November newsletter.
Sponsor roundtables in the Autumn Term
In the last academic year, 27 new sponsors were approved to support underperforming
schools in SESL. I am keen for this number to continue to grow to meet the regions
growing need for strong academy sponsors. If your Trust is considering academy
sponsorship, I will be running roundtable sessions throughout the year. These will give

Trusts the opportunity to hear from an established sponsor and their experiences of
academy sponsorship in an informal setting and understand the sources of support
available. If you would be interested in attending, please contact my office.
Trust Partnerships in SESL
Does your Trust have any stories of very strong partnerships within SESL that have
delivered impact for children? If so, we would like to hear from you! My team is currently
developing a set of case studies that I plan to share widely. If you have an example, and
would be interested in working with a member of my team to develop it into something to
be shared across SESL, please contact my office.
Developing your academy trust
We have published a selection of resources for developing your academy and to support
those who want to expand their academy trusts. This provides links to sources of support
and guidance for new and existing multi-academy trusts. 70% of all academies in SESL are
now part of multi-academy trusts.
Cash Savings for Schools
To find out more about the DfE offer of the chance to save publicly funded schools money
on energy, ICT and multi-functional devices, please see here.
Mandatory Pay Gap Reporting
The Government has launched a consultation on how pay gap reporting can be applied to
public sector organisations which will close on 30 September. The Government is
particularly interested in the views of academies/Trusts with over 250 employees as the
scheme is intended to apply only to larger employers. For more information, and to give us
your views, please click here.
Coasting Schools
You will be aware that the Education and Adoption Act 2016 introduces new powers to
identify and intervene in coasting schools. Further information about this process is set out
in the DfEs Schools causing concern guidance. We will identify and write to all coasting
schools once the performance tables containing the revised 2016 results have been
published. In the meantime if you have any questions, contact us.
Green Paper
As you will be aware, the Government launched a consultation last week with proposals to
expand radically the number of good school places available to families. If you wish to
respond, you can do so here.
Calling all History teachers in Kent and Sussex!
Turner Schools and the Altius Teaching School Alliance would like to invite you to a
Teaching History Conference on Saturday 1 October 2016 between 10:00 and 15:00. This
session will include lectures and seminars on the principles of great academic and inclusive

history, teaching British History, effective assessment for ages 11-18 and many more.
If you are interested in attending, please contact altius@claremont.kent.sch.uk. Please
note that a contribution of 5 will be collected on the day to cover the cost of refreshments
and speakers.
Governance support for Trusts
Academy Ambassadors helps improve school governance by appointing strong leaders
onto the Boards of Trusts. If you think your Trust would benefit from this, please visit
https://www.academyambassadors.org
Inspiring Governance is a new programme with a specific new focus on supporting
Boards of Trusts to recruit governors. This service includes an online self-matching service
as well as dedicated regional staff to support your Trust. For more information, please visit
http://inspiringgovernance.org/about-the-alliance/
Changes to DfE Contact details
Please note that from 1 October, all DfE email addresses will have the .gsi removed. New
email addresses will follow the format firstname.surname@education.gov.uk.
Stay in touch
Thank you for all you do. We also really welcome any questions or feedback on our work.
Please forward this newsletter on to your Chair of Trustees or members of staff.

Dominic Herrington