Annual Review 2017/18 Camden Learning: excellence and impact Our Vision Contents We want Camden to be a place where everyone has a chance to learn and nobody gets left behind. This means ensuring that every child enjoys learning and achieves well, so they leave school as confident, successful learners and good citizens. Our Partnership Promise Camden Learning will: make sure every child is known, valued and thrives support early learning as the foundation for success Introduction 4 create opportunities so every teacher enjoys teaching and keeps improving Camden Learning – excellence and impact 6 build connections to support school and area improvement, innovation and excellence Our core offer to schools 7 share intelligence and act on evidence Our schools 8 welcome challenge Delivering our strategic priorities Building Camden Learning as a force for improvement 10 celebrate success Developing great teachers and inspiring learners 14 work with other public services, such as health and housing Attracting, developing and keeping the best leaders 20 learn from, and contribute to, the best practice in the world. Enriching learning in Camden 21 Performance and Impact 23 Finances 28 “If I moved anywhere else in London I’d be missing Looking Forward 29 out on this opportunity of schools working together.” Our Board of Directors 30 Issy Ives, Year 1 Teacher, Brecknock School List of Camden Learning Members 31 2 3 Introduction Camden Learning is a new local partnership created It was great to see primary schools continue to for the benefit of children and schools. This annual perform strongly at KS2 where the combined scores review highlights the achievements of our first year, in Maths, English and Reading are now above the 2017/18. London average. Our members are committed to working together for Improvements were also made in KS1 results and at the good of all Camden children. By working with A Level, and we sustained previously good outcomes shared and determined endeavour, we aim to ensure at GCSE. that no pupil is left behind and all schools do better than they would on their own. Compared to schools nationally, there is no doubt that Camden schools and our pupils are achieving We have made good progress in building Camden well. But we are ambitious for our learners and want Learning and developing greater capacity for a to be amongst the best in London too, where the bar self-improving system. We have brought teachers, is at its highest. headteachers, governors and others together to share expertise, drive improvement and develop We are steadfastly determined to reduce the better practice. We are ambitious for Camden differential in outcomes for vulnerable groups, children and passionate about creating schools and especially ‘white British’ young people. And we are settings that enable every child to enjoy learning and focussed on diminishing inconsistencies and growing achieve well. good practice amongst our network of schools. We have much to do in reducing the variation that exists We have built on the council’s strong relationships in attendance across our schools. If children don’t with school leaders and education professionals and attend school, they don’t learn as much as they put the architecture in place to provide stronger and should. This remains a top priority for us all this year. more creative connections between our schools. By harnessing the talent and potential of those Our thanks go to everyone in Camden Learning who work in our schools, we are sharing learning, for helping us make a strong and purposeful start. brokering peer-to-peer working, and providing Although much remains to be done, this year has the systematic rigour needed to create better - shown that bringing teachers, headteachers and and sometimes more innovative - practice in our other education practitioners together is energising, classrooms. motivating and making an important difference to the quality of education in Camden. We look forward to Ninety-six per cent of our schools are good and working with you this coming year to strengthen that outstanding, 10% above the national average, continuing drive for excellence in all our schools. with more than twice as many outstanding primary schools (40%) compared to the country as a whole. Sixty per cent of special schools are outstanding, compared to 38% nationally. This is a credit to the hard work of all involved and especially, the school leadership teams. Results are also showing improvement, although we are not yet keeping pace with the best in London. Last year saw gains in early years outcomes and in narrowing the gap between rich and poor. Christine Gilbert Jon Abbey Independent Chair Managing Director 4 5 Camden Learning – excellence and impact Our core offer to schools Leadership and Management We also offer: About us “We have a sharp focus By creating a strong partnership • annual standards meeting • support for middle leaders • support for inspections on how teachers teach between schools, the council, • two Camden Learning and governors • brokerage of external support Camden Learning is a not-for- and children learn. We and others with an interest in Professional Partner visits • help with temporary cover profit company set up as a joint use evidence to improve education, Camden Learning • support for emergencies • safeguarding compliance venture between local schools what happens in the helps to enrich learning, • annual conferences for • briefings and updates and the council. As a schools-led raise standards and drive classroom.” key groups organisation, we draw on a pool improvement. This makes sure of skills and experience within our that every child gets the right members, for the benefit of all. support to thrive and reaches We bring teachers, headteachers their potential. and other education professionals together to share expertise and drive improvement: not only for Our school the good of their own school but improvement offer also for the collective benefit of all We have been commissioned and local schools. funded by the council to offer a Teaching and Learning range of improvement services Camden Learning is a company • statutory moderation limited by guarantee. We to support all schools. There is • twice termly headteacher briefings do not have share capital or a basic entitlement of support shareholders, instead we have for each school but those with We also offer: ‘members’, our schools, who the greatest need have more • school results’ summaries have committed to establishing help. All schools receive our ‘no Camden Learning for the How we do it cost’ support service, funded by • learning hub memberships good of all children in local Camden Council and can buy • termly leadership breakfast briefings schools. We create development additional support. • teaching and learning business support opportunities for teachers, We also offer a tiered subscription Training and What we do headteachers, governors and other practitioners. We identify service to meet schools’ differing Development needs. Schools taking the highest Put simply, we work with outstanding practice and put level of subscription get the schools to improve teaching schools in touch with others to • health and safety broadest package of up-front and learning, sharing share learning and accelerate • best practice website support and the greatest discount responsibility for the achievement improvement. on additional training. of children and the excellence We also offer: of all schools. • preferential rates for We support schools with their additional training development and help to ensure they have the best people and practices in place. This means Support for Governance working to attract and retain the very best teachers, headteachers • expert advice and school leaders and • access to Governor Hub encouraging local practitioners to be creative and innovative. We also offer: • support for meetings and forums 6 7 Our schools Our 59 schools include... 39 Primary schools, 1 primary academy and 2 primary free schools 10 Secondary schools, including one standalone academy There is no inadequate provision 6 Special schools We have some of the 2 Teaching schools 96% of our best primary schools are good schools in 1 Alternative provider or outstanding London Our 22,534 learners... Half are from Black and Minority 31% Ethnic groups (BAME) represent our Plus nearly 3,000 cultural Nearly two-thirds (61%) Nearly a third children in our early and ethnic of primary pupils have English are living in low years settings…. diversity as their second language. income families Our 1,200 plus teachers... Plus teaching Included We have assistants, 94 Newly 94 three professional and Qualified National Leaders support staff Teachers in Education in last year our borough. Our governors… Play a vital Of the 814 governors in post And 368 role in all our at the year end… Co-opted schools… Governors and were parent governors… 161 1 National Leader of Governance For information on our performance and how we compare, see page 23 8 9 Building Camden Learning as a force for improvement Using intelligence Timely help when it’s Building capacity needed The strategic use of data and There is huge expertise within intelligence sits at the heart of A good example of school-to- Camden schools but not always our work. Every school has the school support and sector-led the capacity to free up staff to support of a Camden Learning improvement is our work with work with other schools. Supply Professional Partner who visits one secondary school. Here, cover is not the answer. We need twice a year. brokered support included a to find more creative ways of coaching programme which building capacity within schools. Early in the new school year, the used teachers from across We have made a good start with Managing Director of Camden Camden secondary schools with our support for Learning Hubs. Learning organises a standards a focus on improving the quality We resource them so schools meeting, with the headteacher of teaching.