How effectively does the local authority plan for school reorganisation and federation arrangements?
When vacancies arise for school leaders, local authority officers encourage governing bodies to consider collaborative arrangements led by an executive headteacher. Currently, a third of primary schools across Caerphilly work together under the leadership of an executive headteacher, either as a federation or as a collaboration. There is a shared appreciation across the authority, including in schools, of the value and benefits of this strategy. In addition to the financial efficiencies, it promotes good working relationships between the authority, school leaders and governors, and provides worthwhile professional development opportunities for staff. The approach brings stability to schools and supports their sustainability, which has a positive impact on their pupils and their communities at a time of uncertainty. The use of executive headteachers has also been used effectively to support schools causing concern and secure swift improvements where necessary