Lessons from London Insights on Improving Schools

Lessons from London Insights on improving schools Tim Brighouse Jon Coles Christine Gilbert Emma Lewis and Ben Cooper Jules Pipe Barry Quirk Paul Robinson Contents Foreword 2 by Cllr Peter John Local authorities and the London Challenge 4 by Tim Brighouse Collapse the levels of the system: the local authority role in London Challenge 11 by Jon Coles Heathmere: a London primary school 22 by Emma Lewis and Ben Cooper Hackney’s education story 30 by Mayor Jules Pipe Turning around Tower Hamlets 37 by Christine Gilbert How the local authority turned around performance in local schools 47 by Paul Robinson Re-imagining the role of councils in supporting London’s schools 56 by Barry Quirk Insights on improving schools 1 Foreword by Cllr Peter John We must never forget that London’s children Like all global cities, London presents and young people face very tough challenges challenges as well as opportunities to growing up and when they leave school they its young people. My own borough of enter a world of employment where they will Southwark is not unlike others in London. compete against some of the world’s best, The lives of the children and young people not just the best from our city. are characterised by high concentrations of deprivation, a high proportion of workless The education system which supports them households and a high number of families in doing so has transformed itself out of with English as a second language. all recognition over the past 25 years. It consistently outperforms all other regions Despite this, disadvantaged children and in the country against national performance young people in London are more likely than indicators. The scale of that transformation is their peers outside of London to do well at staggering. As Professor Tim Brighouse points key stage 2 and key stage 4 and our schools out in his essay, in 1989, the year before the are now seen as the destination of choice boroughs took over their responsibility from for parents across the income spectrum, the Inner London Education Authority, less including the Prime Minister himself. The than 9 per cent of pupils in inner London transformation and success of the London secondary schools achieved 5 or more higher education system is a subject of great grades at GCSE compared to 17 per cent interest for researchers, policy makers and nationally. Today the comparable figures are political parties all of whom are looking for 70.5 per cent for London, and 63.8 per cent the mystery ingredients. nationally. London Councils commissioned this The new challenge for everyone with a collection of articles from a range of stake in London’s education – the boroughs, education experts to delve deeper into the businesses, parents, teachers, the Mayor role played by the London boroughs. It is not of London and central government. – is to a policy document. Rather it offers insights transform London’s education system again. into the local leadership provided by London It is not good enough that London’s children boroughs and other partners to improve the are better served than their parents were. education system. We hope that by doing They need schools which equip them to so it offers lessons as to how London might survive and thrive in the environment they transform its education system again to meet find themselves in today. the challenges of today. 2 Insights on improving schools These articles remind us of the importance of local leadership across the education Cllr Peter John has been the Leader of system and what has worked well for Southwark Council since May 2010. He was London. Although the theme of this first elected to the council in 2002 and has publication is unashamedly local, I hope been the Leader of Southwark Labour Group we have avoided the pitfall of producing an since 2004. inward looking and retrospective collection. Instead, we have brought together contributions from key players from the classroom to Whitehall, all of whom write freely about their experience and lessons learned from their involvement in the improvement journey. We have also looked forward to the challenges we have not yet overcome. At the same time, system leaders must also adapt to external changes whether they be government reforms, parental expectations or stiffening international competition for jobs, the type of leadership needed must evolve too, to meet the emerging challenges. In many respects, London must also measure itself by a different standard, and our achievements to date mustn’t diminish our determination to do even better for our children and young people who are competing for opportunity in an ever expanding pool of global talent. To be at the forefront of this debate, the publication sets out not only what has worked well, but how this can be built on going forwards to support the London education system to continue to be the education powerhouse of England and equip our young people to be a success in the 21st Century. Peter John London Councils’ Executive Member for Children, Skills and Employment Insights on improving schools 3 Local authorities and the London Challenge by Tim Brighouse When the London Challenge was announced who played the greatest and vital part, in 2002, some London boroughs and their for without their skill, commitment and leaders probably felt, as they so often do energy nothing would have happened. about central government initiatives, ‘Oh That the London Challenge coincided with here we go again, another solution to a considerable and nationally exceptional problem we haven’t got.’ Indeed when, as improvements in pupil outcomes is not Commissioner of London Schools, I first now disputed. What is disputed is why it attended a meeting of the ALC Education happened. Committee I was told as much by one councillor who was so unimpressed that, Some, for example the Bristol University after a bit of a polemic and some personal economist Professor Simon Burgess, put remarks, he swept up his papers and left it down to a single issue – in his case a the room. change in the ethnic mix of the pupils in London schools with disproportionate Thankfully all his colleagues were gains from having the children of parents pragmatic enough to give the Challenge who have travelled from other countries the benefit of understandable doubt. I say seeking a better future for their families. ‘thankfully’ because with a long career in Quite apart from the flaws in the research local government administration behind which fails to acknowledge the differential me, I knew that without the goodwill and impact of migrants from different countries co-operation of the London boroughs and or for example, the extent that ‘English as the City any real success in transforming an Additional Language’ needs of different standards in London schools was remote. groups at different ages will impact on Without the ‘shining and focused bright outcomes, it seems unlikely that one factor light of ordinariness’ which the best local alone will be the main driver of change in councillors bring to matters and particularly a matter as complex as education of the the local knowledge of context, not to young. At the start of the London Challenge mention in this case the considerable we assumed that many factors were officer expertise, especially in school involved among them what teachers and improvement, very little would have their leaders do on a daily basis in schools been possible. and it was on that factor and how we could influence it for the better that we focused. If the London Challenge was a success it First therefore it might be helpful to set out is of course the schools and their teachers what we tried to do. 4 Insights on improving schools In essence the London Challenge involved which could and do contribute to school an exercise in bringing about change for success, including universities, employers, the better in a very loosely organised the churches and faith groups and an array schooling system. At its heart was a ‘culture of organisations in the rich world of the change’ at various levels but principally arts. It is small wonder that communication in schools and their classrooms and in at looms large as a perennial issue for least part of the Department for Education improvement. Any leader of complex and Skills (DfES) which was funding and change, especially complex cultural change, orchestrating the change. has calmly to accept that communication will fail from time to time and that it needs To be successful, complex cultural change constant attention. of this sort needs to be underpinned by a grasp of three elements. First, to In the London Challenge we thought long be successful any intervention needs to and hard about these three elements of allow for differences in context. What change. But we also recognised a fourth will work in one place – whether school element of successful change, namely or city or part of a city - will need to be the need to get the right people in the tweaked to work in another. That requires right place doing the right things at the a deep understanding of what are the key right time. This last factor would affect differences and how to allow for them. the running of all aspects of the Secondly, it is helpful to have a shared Challenge including of course vitally map and language, in this case of ‘school schools themselves. improvement’, so that there is less chance of misunderstanding when people are It might be worth reflecting for a moment trying to learn from each other in order to on why the government launched the improve their practice.

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