The Learning Exchange Library
Twelve irresistible reasons for offering extended services, by Matthew Freeman.
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Multi-agency partnership working: pointers
What makes a good partnership? ContinYou's pages on partnership working includes questions to consider and publications for further reading.
Ofsted assessment of London Challenge The report has found the initiative has helped London schools improve at a faster rate due to the sharing of good practice and resources.
Children's trusts in an age of austerity A speech by Marion Davis, president of the Association of Directors of Children's Services, given at the National Children and Adult Services Conference in early November.
Improving outcomes for children and young people through partnership in Children’s Trusts This summary of Ofsted's report includes the key features of good practice found in six local authorities. The report found strong commitments to early intervention and prevention, evidence of services being redesigned around the needs of children and their families, and a range of integrated services in which professionals were clear about the benefits of joint working.
Hours of Opportunity This three-volume report from the Wallace Foundation presents lessons from five cities on building systems to improve outside-of-school-hours programmes, and how to use data and a systems approach to improve after-school programmes.
Literature review: analysis of current research, theory and practice in partnership working to identify constituent components of effective ITT partnerships An in-depth review from Brunel University exploring the benefits of partnership working and which aspects can ensure they are successful.
School libraries: a plan for improvement A report from the National Literacy Trust that advocates sharing library services amongst school clusters to improve pupil literacy and attainment.
Partnerships beyond children's services We should be open not only to obvious and established relationships when developing extended services, but also to working with more unusual partners.
The power of school-to-school partnerships Partnerships between schools are crucial for the future delivery of extended services. Here's a document that points out three case studies on the Learning Exchange which demonstrate this as well as three good models for how to manage school-to-school partnerships to sustain extended services.
Scottish government guidance on partnership working Putting into practice the Curriculum for Excellence and Getting It Right For Every Child.
Many teachers feel loyal to and value local education authorities' support The Northern Teaching Award finalists (2010) debate academy pros and cons with Baroness Shirley Williams.
What is to be gained through partnership? A report on ten years of research into the impact and benefits of collaboration between schools, colleges and employers.
Taking the wider view: Leadership of extended schools These pages on the NCSL website tackle three main areas of concern for leaders of schools that offer extended services. Find out more about about creative approaches to staffing to help deliver extended services (using remodelling); partnership working; and approaches to health and safety concerns.
Collaborative Leadership in Extended Schools: Leading in a multi-agency environment A guide from the National College of School Leadership
Partnership approaches to sharing best practice. A research paper by Peter Rudd, Anne Lines, Sandie Schagen, Robert Smith and Angharad Reakes. Among other things, this paper offers a good outline of the benefits of partnership working as well as the challenges. (The Local Government Association (LGA) commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to explore the range of partnership models now operating in English and Welsh local education authorities (LEAs). The focus was on partnership working in general, i.e. on the benefits and challenges for schools, regardless of the policy context.)
How good is our school? (from the Scottish HMIE Self-evaluation series) How well does your school work in partnership with parents? This self-evaluation guide will help you to evaluate your current practice and identify strengths and areas for further development.
Together for change An article from Schools ETC magazine by Deirdre de Barra about the importance of groundwork to school clusterworking - using the Limavady Learning Partnership in Northern Ireland as an example.
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Multi-agency partnerships: how do they work?
Trust in multi-agency partnerships: building it can be a slippery business... Anyone who has worked at building collaborative relationships in a multi-agency team will understand exactly what Andrew Coleman means in his LDR magazine article, How to build a trust fund. He says: ‘Trust is like gravity … the world cannot function without it … such is its essential nature, it is all too often taken for granted; [it] is largely intuitive and we know when it’s present, but it is also slippery and difficult to quantify. It takes time to build and is quickly lost.’
Integrated/multi-agency working: Collaborative Leadership in Extended Schools: Leading in a multi-agency environment A guide from the National College of School Leadership.
Multi-agency services: systems and processes Advice on the Department for Education website.
Integrated working: Sharing the journey The 2008 CWDC Share projects focused on integrated working themes such as Team Around The Child (TAC), The Common Assesment Framework (CAF), Involving children and young people in integrated practices. The role of the lead professional. This document contains the examples of integrated working in the children's workforce around the country. There is also a DVD.
Integrated working: Joining the pieces During 2009, the children's services integrated working sites in England focused on key themes including supervision in integrated settings, the role of the budget holding lead professional and integrating the wider children's workforce. Here are examples of innovative practice.
Integrated working: Painting the rainbow The 2010 CWDC Share projects explored different 'working together' themes: Shared identity, purpose and vision; common values and language; behaviours focused on positive outcomes for children and young people; integrated working practices; high-quality, appropriately trained workforce; complementary roles focused around children and young people; and capacity to deliver and keep children safe.
Integrated working: Common Assessment Framework (CAF)
Integrated working: CAF update The Children’s Workforce Development Council has consulted with practioners in order to bring the CAF into line with current policy and front-line practice. Download guidance, factsheets and forms here.
Integrated working: monthly update For real life examples and updates on integrated working policy and practice, sign up at the Children's Workforce Development Council or visit the archive to catch up on previous issues. (Please note that as far as the Learning Exchange understands, links to these resources will be available until March 2011 and we will let you know where you can find the documents and information after that date.)
Families in the driving seat This unique approach to multi-agency working with families in Swindon has shown some startling results.
Are family helplines any help? Four popular helpline services are investigated to find out whether the advice offered is any good. (March 2010)
Guns and gangs: Caught in the crossfire Youth culture has always been tribal, and there's periodically an edge of violence to that tribalism. Butin some areas of the UK's main cities, gang membership is becoming an established part of growing up and more young people are being killed as a result of inter-gang rivalry. In early 2009, Schools ETC magazine looked at how multi-agency working offers effective preventative approaches to combating the rise of gang culture.
Finding a common joint-working language: (Narrowing the gap - Final guidance: Year 1) This is guidance derived from the research programme that looked at how children's services can narrow the gap in achievement for disadvantaged children and young people. The document contains a glossary of definitions to reinforce a 'common joint-working language'; a clear analysis and overview of progress so far with messages for local and central government action; Twelve Top Golden Threads for action (an additional two focus on: the effect of communities on children’s outcomes combined with the need for community regeneration); and the critical importance of culture and behaviours which vitally underpin structures and processes.) It also offers shorter templates and a bank of case studies demonstrating how the gap has been narrowed across the country.