New visits programme launched to help schools learn from the best

ENGLAND – Schools minister Vernon Coaker has recently announced a new programme to spread educational knowledge and best practice across the country through primary and secondary school-to-school visits.

The ‘Inside Knowledge’ scheme, which will be trialled in a number of schools from April this year, will allow heads and other school staff to take part in professionally managed visits to local schools that have excellent, cutting-edge practice in five important areas:

• Narrowing the gap for disadvantaged pupils.
   
• Sustainability.

• Effective use of assessment data for pupil progress.

• Best practice in pupils’ writing at Key Stage 2.

• Managing school budgets effectively to deliver best value.

Under the scheme, stakeholders – including local authorities - have been invited to nominate schools that excel in these areas.

The schools that are likely be the most effective hosts will be supported to deliver visits from September, with visiting schools able to give constructive feedback on their experience.

Every school in the country will be able to apply to visit a school in its own region, having found out about what’s on offer through an online prospectus, booking and feedback system.

Each visit will provide an opportunity for host schools to share their own experiences, and for visitors to learn from the best. Visitors – but also hosts – will gain from sharing the “inside knowledge” that the best schools have already acquired.

Schools Minister Mr Coaker said, “School standards have been transformed over the past 13 years. While the number of schools not achieving the GCSE floor target has dropped dramatically, we want all schools to be making good progress all the time.

“We were absolutely clear in our recent White Paper that getting schools to form better partnerships and to learn from each other is a surefire way of pushing standards to the next level – and there’s already strong evidence from Academies and federations to back this up.

“But we’re going even further, by getting the best schools and leaders in our system to apply to become Accredited Schools Groups and Accredited Schools Providers, to support and lead chains of schools and spread outstanding practice throughout the couantry.”