|
|
|
|
 |
 |
| What Ofsted
said about Birmingham Education Service |
|
| Birmingham
LEA is very effective and has outstanding leadership. |
|
| Birmingham
local education authority is one of a very small number of
LEAs which stand as an example to all authorities of what
can be done, even in the most demanding urban
environments, according to a report published today by the
Office for Standards in Education. |
|
| The inspectors
say that the critical factors in the LEA’s success have
been its consistency of approach over a long period, a
high level of funding, dedicated and uniformly effective
work by officers, very capable |
|
| political leadership, and above all, the
energising and inspirational example set by the chief education
officer.
The following functions are
exercised particularly effectively:
 | the leadership for education
provided by senior officers and elected members; |
| corporate planning and
scrutiny of plans and performance in education; |
| the effectiveness of
strategies to promote continuous improvement; |
| the strategy for school
improvement and its implementation; |
| leadership and management of
services for school improvement; |
| targeting resources on
priorities; |
| definition of monitoring,
challenge and intervention; |
| monitoring schools and
challenging them to improve; |
| identification and
intervention in under-performing schools; |
| support for ethnic minority
groups including Travellers; |
| support to schools for gifted
and talented pupils; |
| support for school leadership
and management, and for assuring the supply and quality of
teachers; |
| provision of school places and
provision for pupils without a school place; |
| effectiveness of combating
racism; |
| support for early years; |
| partnership working including
partnership with schools. |
The following functions are
not performed adequately:
| support for children in public
care; |
| property services. |
Mike Tomlinson, Her Majesty's
Chief Inspector of Schools, said:
"Too often, challenging
circumstances are cited as grounds for indifferent
performance. However, this LEA has built on its earlier
Ofsted report, the excellent work of its officers and members
and the outstanding leadership of its chief education officer,
to use that challenge to deliver educational improvement.
Birmingham, the second city, has a first class LEA."
|
|
|
|
|
