EXTENDED SERVICES

In our experience, headteachers do not need much convincing of the logic that underlies the Every Child Matters and Extended Services agenda. What worries them is how they are going to find time to address it while continuing to raise standards in Core and Foundation Subjects. There are therefore three distinct elements to the support that we offer

1. "Big Picture" Strategic Planning Workshops for Headteachers, Senior Team Members and Governors

Our 2006 Strategic Planning Workshop is designed to complement rather than compete with NRT training - as was the case with the successful Remodelling "Nuts and Bolts" Workshops we ran in 2004. Designed for headteachers and senior team members (with a parallel course for governors if required) our full day programme helps delegates make sense of the complete range of challenges that they need to face over the next three to five years - and to identify just one or two key strategic developments. The action-packed full day programme provides a mixture of authoritative briefing and group discussion aimed at identifying the implications of the following key government programmes. In our two pilot courses - attended by almost fifty Manchester and Gloucestershire senior team members - one of the key conclusions to emerge was the importance of establishing effective local structures for sharing work and ideas between schools. Amongst other things, we cover

• ECM and Extended Services
  
  
• The implications of the new short Ofsted inspection
  
  
• Frequent Leadership Structure Reviews - we share the radical new structures we saw developing during our work with over two thousand headteachers on the introduction of TLR's
  
  
• "Excellence and Enjoyment" and Curriculum Change
  
  
• Extended Career Structures for Teaching Assistants - and the importance of high quality professional development opportunities
  
  
• The Introduction of Annual Teaching & Learning Reviews
  
  
• Planned Changes to Performance Management and Performance Pay arrangements in September 2006
  
  
• Recruitment, Retention and the importance of a robust Work/Life Balance policy

A full day course for up to 20 headteachers costs £1500 plus travel, accommodation if required and VAT. Additional delegates (up to a maximum of 45 per session) are charged at £35 plus VAT each

2. Organisational Consultancy For Delivery Groups

The other massive challenge that headteachers face is in making sure that their workload remains within the borders of the conceivably possible - and that they don't spend their lives at meetings that cause them to take their eye off the standards ball.

Our work on TLR structures has enabled us to gather some interesting organisational models - and has convinced us that, in many cases, the pooling of budgets to create shared specialist posts represents the only viable way forward.

We will be happy to work with your delivery group to help it identify its strengths and development needs and to suggest appropriate organisational structures for it s consideration

3. Support For Established Delivery Groups

The changing organisational patterns brought about by the development of Extended Services will bring about a totally new series of support needs in areas such as HR, Facilities Management, Professional Development and Accountancy.

Our sister company Extended Services Support Ltd is currently working with a range of high profile organisations to develop a range of accredited packages that will address these new needs. The first of these will be available here from October 2006.