A1: The ISP is a school improvement programme designed to raise standards and improve teaching and learning in the context of the school as a professional learning community. The programme works in partnership with the LEA and the school. It is based on the cycle of audit and setting targets, action and review.

In summer 2002, 13 LEAs with a number of low attaining schools were invited to join the ISP, a two-year pilot to work with their schools in challenging circumstances. In 2004-5 the programme is being extended to 76 LEAs where there are at least 15 schools, or more than 15% of schools below 65% in English and mathematics in the end of Key Stage 2 tests. It will be in 855 schools.

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Q2: How does ISP support Excellence and Enjoyment?

A2: ISP endorses all the key themes of Excellence and Enjoyment. It aims to establish these schools as rich learning communities with high standards and good teaching through a consistent focus on four interrelated themes:

raising standards and accelerating progress;
improving the quality of teaching and learning;
improving the conditions for learning;
developing the school as a professional learning community.

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Q3: Which schools should be included in ISP?

A3: The key aim is of ISP is to raise standards and accelerate progress in low achieving schools, and particularly to reduce the number of schools that are achieving below the floor target of 65% by 2006. It is expected that LEAs will include schools that are persistently achieving below 65% in English and/or Mathematics at the end of KS2.

For these schools it is important that ISP is identified as their key school improvement initiative for the year so that they chance to establish and see the impact of the themes and instruments of the programme.

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Q4: Why do these schools need something else?

A4: The majority of these schools have already received substantial input from the NLS and NNS, and also from their LEAs. This support has often been well evaluated by the school and LEA but the impact has not led to sustained improvements in the school. These schools often face complex and challenging circumstances.

The programme aims to draw together existing good school improvement practice in LEAs and schools in order to maximise impact. It is designed to help schools to integrate their work on literacy and mathematics into a more coherent whole school programme. The ISP consultant and linked LAI work with the schools to establish sustainable systems to plan and review the term's work on raising attainment and support the implementation through planned staff meetings that introduce class curricular targets, teaching focuses and opportunities for staff reflection on progress.

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Q5: What is the expected length of the programme?

A5: The ISP extension is funded through the Standards Fund for the year 2004-5. It is a short-term programme that is designed to support schools to establish self-sustaining systems that enable them to raise standards and improve teaching and learning. The extension has been able to build on the ISP pilot and is well placed to start in summer 2004 with a very clear view of the mechanism that most effectively supports schools to move forward with the programme.

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Q6: What funding is available for the ISP?

A6: Each of the 76 ISP LEAs will receive funding through the 2004-05 Standards Fund to work with 10 schools (10 LEAs have received funding to work with 20 schools). Funding is for:

the appointment of an ISP consultant (normally from their exiting team of consultants with the post ‘backfilled’)
additional LAI days to support the ISP schools (20 days per LEA)
additional funding (£2,500) for the 10 identified schools to support them to implement the programme

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Q7: How does the ISP link up with the Primary Leadership Programme?

A7: ISP and the Primary Leadership Programme (PLP) are complementary to one another. The PLP introduces the processes to strengthen and support leadership in primary schools. ISP provides the focus for the work within the school and also supports the establishment of the effective management systems through the focus on regular monitoring and review of progress against planned actions.

The Primary Leadership Programme in 2004-2005 is closely aligned to the national remodelling agenda and ISP consultants and LAI will be briefed on this to ensure that the two programmes remain complementary.

We would not normally expect ISP schools to be taking part in the Primary Leadership Programme, although we recognise that in some cases a school that has been in the leadership programme in 2003-2004 may be selected for the ISP in 2004-2005. LEAs may plan to use ISP as an exit strategy from the leadership programme or vice versa or to have them running side-by-side in a school. LEAs will make these decisions based on the needs of their particular schools.

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Q8: How does the ISP link up with the PNS Behaviour and Attendance, EAL and Whiteboard pilots?

A8: ISP, like the EAL and Whiteboard pilots, is a whole school initiative and, a prerequisite for the successful implementation of these initiatives is that the school commits time (and energy) to the programme.

LEAs will want to identify all the initiatives that are available to them for 2004-5 in order to rationalise and make best use of the support available for the schools. It would be best for ISP school not to be in the EAL, Behaviour and Attendance or Whiteboard pilot unless there are specific reasons why this would benefit the school. If the LEA proposes to have an ISP school also in the EAL, Behaviour and Attendance or Whiteboard pilot this would need to be discussed with the ISP Regional Director. The ways of working within ISP and the pilots are similar and again could be used as exit strategies for ISP schools.

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Q9: How does ISP link with the Excellence and Enjoyment: Learning and teaching in the primary years?

A9: These are a set of continuing professional development materials for schools to support them to develop a framework for learning and teaching to help to raise standards further and improve pupil performance in Foundation Stage and key stages 1 and 2. These materials complement the ISP focuses: they will be disseminated to ISP consultants through their training, and the Assessment for Learning materials will be part of the ISP focus for the Autumn term 2004.

ISP schools will have the opportunity to look closely at the links and school in the second year of the programme will look closely at how they can embed the learning and teaching materials as part of the support infrastructure offered through the programme.

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Q10: What about other LEAs not in the programme?

A10: The aim is to continue to disseminate the findings and materials from ISP so that they are widely available and can contribute to the focus in all LEAs on schools below 65%.

The ISP publication (handbook and video) was published in April 2004 and has been disseminated through Primary Strategy Manager and Literacy and Numeracy line managers in all LEAs. It is available to LEAs through Prolog. (Ref: DfES0037-2004) The video and staff meeting materials are also available to schools.

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