What is School to School Support?
The East Sussex Learning Collaborative Network is committed to improving outcomes for children and young people.
To achieve this, we work closely with schools to draw on experienced teachers and leaders within the county to work with others to bring about positive change.
The type of support offered covers a wide range, including
improving teaching practice, subject specific support, behaviour management, curriculum design, support for new leaders, leadership coaching, and help in identify where additional support should be targeted.
Our work covers Early Years, Primary and Secondary sectors.
We believe this model of peer-to-peer support is of the most benefit toschools and their staff, as the system leaders have invariably overcomesimilar challenges within their own settings and so are able to draw ontheir expertise and experience.
System leaders are defined as follows:
• Specialist Leaders of Education (SLE) are experienced middle or senior leaders with a specialism, who work to support other schools through coaching and sharing best practice. SLEs are recruited, trained and badged by the ESLCN.
• Local Leaders of Education (LLE) are successful headteachers who can support other headteachers to achieve sustainable school improvement through one-to-one coaching and mentoring. LLEs are recruited, trained and badged by the ESLCN.
• National Leaders of Education (NLE) are outstanding headteachers who, together with their national support school, work with schools in challenging circumstances. NLEs are recruited, trained and badged by the DfE.
• Local Support Governors (LSG) are experienced and skilled governors who are willing to support other governors and their governing boards in East Sussex. LSGs are recruited, trained and badged by the East Sussex Governor and Clerking Service.
• National Leaders of Governance (NLG) are effective chairs of governors who use their skills and experience to support chairs in other schools and improve the quality of governance. They are recruited and deployed by the DfE.
What is a Specialist Leader of Education (SLE)?
SLEs provide outreach support for classroom teachers or middle leadersin other schools to help them develop their classroom practice.
SLEs are strong classroom practitioners with a particular area of expertise such as a subject area, early years, behaviour or school business management, and a track record of bringing about improvement. They understand what outstanding leadership practice in their area of specialism looks like and can help colleagues to achieve it in their own context.
As practicing teachers themselves they bring experience and expertise to provide tailored solutions to individual situations and draw on well-developed interpersonal and communication skills to work sensitively and collaboratively with others.
Examples of SLE deployment include one-to-one peer coaching or facilitated group support, data analysis, coaching, professional development training or joint action planning.
SLEs are based in a range of schools or academies, including nursery, primary, secondary, special, pupil referral unit, independent or free school, or sixth form college. Whilst the individual must be an outstanding practitioner, their school does not have to have an Ofsted outstanding judgement. All SLEs are required to go through a rigorous ESLCN selection process.
As part of any deployment the impact of their work is evaluated in line with our quality assurance processes.
To ensure our SLEs are current and aware of recent approaches and developments, the ESLCN provides ongoing training and support.