Aldington Federation: using the federation process to improve standards

Summary

Aldington Federation is a group of four schools covering the infant to secondary phases. The federation has raised standards through collaboration and by pooling financial and leadership resources to support the Every Child Matters (ECM) agenda.

Key learning and outcomes

In a targeted inspection of school leadership in 2008, Ofsted rated the federation’s overall effectiveness as outstanding.
Milton Junior School, which had been put in special measures in June 2007 and joined the federation in November 2007, was rated ‘satisfactory’ in 2008.
Shearland Infant School joined the federation in 2007 and was rated ‘outstanding’ in January 2009.
Brookside Primary School has greatly improved Key Stage 2 results for 2008. It was rated ‘outstanding’ and ‘good’ in key components in November 2007 after joining the federation in January.
Brookside had been named the worst primary school in the country and had been without a head for 18 months and a deputy head for 14 months. Federation, and the support of the federation leadership team, has significantly improved recruitment of leaders and senior staff.
Alder School is a National Challenge school but now reports its highest ever GSCE results.

Background

Aldington Federation was formed in 2007 and serves a disadvantaged urban area, with serious deprivation in some wards. It is an equal partnership of four schools covering the infant to secondary phases.

The federation’s schools have retained their individual image and character because they serve very different communities. However, they share a governing body and chief executive, and their collaborative arrangements work to support staff effectively.

Key challenges and issues

The sheer volume of work in running a federation is a significant challenge.
The director of finance is not a member of the federation leadership team. Effective communications are therefore needed to ensure he receives any information that has an impact on budgets.

Solution or approach

Senior leadership

The federation’s leadership team consists of a chief executive, the four school heads and the vice-principals’. The team’s strategic role means that each of the heads has an equal say in the running of each of the schools.

The four heads are responsible for the day-to-day running of their schools. The chief executive is based at the secondary school and visits all the schools daily.

Leadership capacity and succession planning

Staff often teach and work across sites, which increases their experience of leadership in all of the phases, and helps their career development.

The federation identifies leadership potential and tries to encourage and develop it, for example through in-house leadership courses across all the schools. Succession planning is very active in identifying recruitment needs and planning to fill roles by nurturing home-grown talent.

“What we are trying to do is to develop leaders who have the ability and capacity to lead federations regardless of phase.” (Senior leader)"

Governance

As each school joined the federation, its governors were incorporated into the federation governing body. Only one school, which was opposed to federation, had its governors replaced.

The federation encourages governors to think as leaders of all the schools and to undertake monitoring visits across the federation.

Role of senior support staff

The federation does not employ a school business manager. However, a director of finance, an IT manager and a premises manager take on many responsibilities across the federation that were previously carried out by the school heads.

The finance director maintains the budgets in liaison with the four heads of school but is responsible to the chief executive. He is a member of the senior management team but not the federation leadership team.

Inhouse payroll arrangements

Collaboration within the federation allows the financial flexibility to improve processes such as payroll, which is now handled inhouse rather than outsourced.

Every Child Matters

The federation recognises the widespread deprivation in its communities and has established an integrated education, health and social programme that supports the delivery of the Every Child Matters (ECM) agenda. This is financed by pooling resources from all four schools and through additional external funding.

Police services visit the schools regularly. Social workers are trained on site as part of a university training scheme and referrals from individual headteachers to social services occur almost daily. Social workers and nurses work with parents at home and in school on parenting skills. Other initiatives, such as an internet café, also encourage parents into school.

“It [ECM] underpins everything that we are doing, it permeates our strategic improvement plan, it permeates how we employ staff, how our curriculum is developed.” (Senior leader)’