Origins of the Plymouth Place-Based School Improvement (PBSI) Initiative
Pre-pandemic in 2018, Plymouth’s secondary schools were aware of the need to improve outcomes for all children – attendance, exclusions, managed moves and progress were identified as major issues across the city. Plymouth is not a large city, but seven MATs operate within it. There was a self-evident need for a place-based initiative to foster collaboration between these organisations (‘place-based’ refers to collaboration in the local area to identify and address mutual issues). The initiative that resulted was a highly effective enabler of collaboration during the pandemic.
The Place-Based School Improvement initiative was led by the Place-Based Coordinator, Tony Bloxham; a respected independent leader who convened regular meetings between the city’s school leaders, council officers, university academics and DfE representatives. The project was also supported by the Plymouth Learning Partnership, a co-operative community interest company owned by its cross-phase member schools to provide school services across Plymouth and surrounding districts. Ten school improvement targets were agreed by headteachers, each considered relevant to all children attending the 19 secondary schools and one alternative provision provider.
In 2022, the Department for Education (DfE) and Plymouth City Council (PCC) commissioned a Joint University Evaluation of Place-Based School Improvement (PBSI)[1]. From the outset, the Plymouth Place-Based initiative had been funded by PCC and the Regional Schools Commissioner (now Director), enabling the work of the Place-Based Coordinator and providing schools with access to a number of shared school improvement initiatives. The project’s impact is summarised in the following findings from focus group meetings led by the joint university evaluation team:
- Bespoke school improvement plans designed to each school’s specific situation were considered to be impactful. This initial needs-led approach to supporting school improvement resulted in the beginnings of the cross-city approach, by supporting schools across the seven Multi-Academy Trusts.
- Cross-city training for teachers and school leaders was particularly well received, as were the additional resources that were made available as part of the whole-city approach. PBSI funding was well received and made impact.
- There was an increased atmosphere of collaboration and collegiality between schools and between MATs. School leaders reported a much closer working relationship – being able to ’pick up the phone‘ to fellow headteachers/MAT leaders and openly seek advice.
- PBSI inspired increased feelings of shared responsibility between schools and MATS, with school and MAT leaders reporting development of a ’culture across Plymouth’; ’a growing realisation that Plymouth challenges are only going to be solved by Plymouth solutions’. As suggested by one MAT leader, PBSI helped to garner collegiality across the city; a realisation that, as educators, ’we might not be in the same boat, but we are in the same storm’.
- Place-based work saw increased data sharing across the city, with development of a new cross-city ‘Inclusion Scorecard’ seeing 100% of schools sharing data with the local authority in 2022.
- Demonstrating increased sharing of best practice between Plymouth schools and MATs, the centralised place based Continuing Professional Development (CPD) offer, led by MATs, was well received and impactful. Not all schools were able to engage, but those who did reported significant impact.
- There was clear agreement across all groups that there had been considerable school improvement across the city since the start of the PBSI Strategy; students, teachers and leaders commented with enthusiasm on improvements in their schools.
- Leaders recognised the importance of place-based, cross-city collaboration, but suggested that attainment and school performance should not be the top priority for this work. Instead, they prioritised utilising the increased connectivity, collaboration, data sharing and shared sense of responsibility developed during PBSI toward a stronger cross-city focus on inclusion, drawing attention to the rising levels of absence, suspensions, exclusions and pupil movement being seen across the city.
Emerging Challenges