Case study
Key theme: role of cluster coordinator
Developing an effective cluster in an unusual context
How a strong and determined cluster co-ordinator crafted an effective extended services cluster from a group of schools that would not naturally have formed a collaborative alliance.
Summary
<p>Birmingham introduced clusters in phases for the purposes of extended services collaboration. School leaders had some choice about which clusters to join as they came into each phase. The Selly Oak cluster was formed in the final phase. The schools had not allied themselves to other clusters as they had formed and so, when their turns came, they were grouped together by the local authority. </p>
<p>Such is the geography of the area that this is not a natural cluster: for example, the primary schools do not feed the secondary school. The cluster co-ordinator was determined to build a cluster that could offer effective extended services for the children of the schools involved. From the beginning, the co-ordinator enjoyed the active support of some of the schools involved.</p>
Key learning/outcomes
<p>The role of the cluster co-ordinator as a leader has been critical in the cluster&#8217;s success:</p>
<ul><li>She has:
<ul><li>kept in regular phone contact with the heads</li>
<li>filtered all email correspondence so heads know that what they receive is worth reading</li>
<li>worked primarily with those who are enthusiastic in the hope that others will follow their success</li>
<li>taken on practical organisation of projects to reduce headteachers&#8217; workloads</li>
<li>ensured all extended service activities are mapped against each school&#8217;s improvement plan</li>
<li>agreed a cluster action plan and reported regularly on this</li></ul></li>
<li>Characteristics of her leadership are:
<ul><li>providing a strategic framework &#8211; linked to school improvement</li>
<li>offering a vision of extended services working well</li>
<li>fielding an action plan for agreement by all which helps bring contributors to the table</li>
<li>making sure things happen on the ground so that benefits are visible</li>
<li>tackling new initiatives; eg, setting up structures and applying for additional funding</li>
<li>explicitly aiming for high quality; eg, excellent social inclusion in the pupils&#8217; forum</li></ul></li></ul>
Background
<p>At the start of the National College&#8217;s Promoting Collaboration project, the Selly Oak cluster had only been in existence less than a year but was already well established - with much of the ground work undertaken by the cluster co-ordinator having been completed. However, the journey the cluster had taken up to the point of involvement in the project holds many lessons. The nature of the cluster co-ordinator&#8217;s role has been the focus of enquiry and research for the project.</p>
<p>The cluster was formed from schools surrounding the University of Birmingham with many transient children due to the high student population and many children attending the schools from outside the area (67 per cent). The socio-economic profile of the children does not, as a result, match the socio-economic profile of the geographical area. &#160;Primary schools do not generally feed the secondary schools so there were no obvious links. Although not all of the schools in the cluster have the same levels of engagement, extended service activities across the cluster, and engagement of both schools and community, is now strong and growing.</p>
<p>In Selly Oak, the collaborative leadership structure is built around a steering group, which involves representation from the schools and a variety of other services including health, inclusion services, youth services and community groups. Also feeding into this are representatives of key forums, which have been set up in order to ensure all stakeholders&#8217; voices are heard. The cluster co-ordinator (who is self-employed) is contracted for four days per week by the schools using devolved extended services funding and is line managed by the local authority co-ordinator. She effectively leads the work of the steering group, producing agendas, chairing meetings and managing the operational outcomes of decisions.</p>
<p><a href="promoting-collaboration-videos/promoting-collaboration-videos-selly-oak.htm" title="Selly Oak">Short video on the role of the cluster co-ordinator and the impact of their work on pupil leadership and inclusion</a></p>
Key challenges and issues faced by the cluster on start up
<ul><li>Little sense of belonging to the neighbourhood on the part of many children and families &#8211; especially at secondary level.</li>
<li>No community facilities; eg, community centres or leisure facilities. </li>
<li>Two lottery funded sports halls attached to schools are too expensive for extended service provision to access.</li>
<li>No children&#8217;s centre in the area.</li></ul>
Solution or approach
<p>The cluster co-ordinator used three sets of levers to promote collaboration:</p>
<ul><li>Reasons to form a cluster
<ul><li>Ofsted requirement &#8211; how were schools going to be able to demonstrate ECM and the core offer?</li>
<li>Funding &#8211; how would schools be able to access/make best use of available funding?</li></ul></li>
<li>Internal mechanisms to encourage collaboration once the cluster was formed
<ul><li>Steering group involving all heads (most attend) and about 20 other agencies.</li>
<li>Headteachers&#8217; forum set up: meets about every two months and heads agree which extended services activities being planned will meet their own school improvement priorities and therefore agree which schools will be involved in which projects or activities.</li>
<li>Governors&#8217; forum set up: recently formed and used TDA governors&#8217; resources, which they found helpful.</li>
<li>Pupils&#8217; forum: 24 children from 3-19 years. Drawn from the schools and from a residential home and hospice. This has been externally evaluated and deemed effective and a prime example of inclusion.</li>
<li>Parents&#8217; forum set up in the summer term.</li>
<li>Two actions plans in place, in line with local authority requirements &#8211; one for the cluster and one for a school improvement plan with cluster objectives.</li>
<li>Parent support advisers: three in place, working across the schools according to need.</li></ul></li>
<li>Demonstrable benefits from working collaboratively
<ul><li>Data collected on targeted children shows that over two years they have exceeded predictions on attainment.</li>
<li>Having a cluster co-ordinator and steering groups in place means heads have a quick and easy route through to other agencies.</li>
<li>Working as a cluster strengthens the voice of schools and helps put pressure on other agencies to improve performance and services.</li>
<li>Children have access to provision that would be beyond the scope of a single school acting alone.</li>
<li>Heads find the idea of targeting activities for particular groups of children easier to justify when it is a cluster decision.</li></ul></li></ul>
Next steps
<ul><li>Evaluate the effectiveness of the cluster action plan and cluster school improvement plan.</li>
<li>Evaluate the parents&#8217; forum to decide which time of day is most likely to attract most parents.</li>
<li>Participants were surprised during a review of the role of the co-ordinator. This review, undertaken as part of the project, revealed that the co-ordinator&#8217;s role had changed from its original concept and now carries far wider responsibilities than first envisaged. The role will be kept under review and a more active role for headteachers in the management of the cluster will be considered. </li></ul>
Further information
<p>For further information contact:</p>
<p>Cluster Co-ordinator, Alison Selvey<br>07805 190022<br>0121 464 5238<br><a href="mailto:alison.selvey@yahoo.co.uk" title="alison.selvey@yahoo.co.uk">alison.selvey@yahoo.co.uk</a></p>
<p><br>Birmingham Extended Services Co-ordinator, Lyn Reynolds <a href="mailto:lyn.reynolds@birmingham.gov.uk" title="lyn.reynolds@birmingham.gov.uk">lyn.reynolds@birmingham.gov.uk</a></p>
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