New Community Schools Prospectus

New Community Schools Prospectus

Piloting

Development projects
In preparation for the pilot programme which will begin in April 1999, a number of small-scale development projects have been identified to operate in the current financial year. These projects build on existing activity in relation to integrated approaches and illustrate some practical aspects of the New Community School model. They are not as yet the fully developed model although ideas and experience from these schools will inform the subsequent piloting. The development projects are based at Peterhead Academy, Aberdeenshire; Baldragon Academy, Dundee; Lochend Secondary School, Glasgow; Burnfoot Community School, Scottish Borders; and Braidfield High School, West Dunbartonshire.

The Department will be willing to consider further proposals for development projects based in the primary sector to get underway this financial year.

Pilot programme
Funds for the pilot programme will be in the form of a specific grant from The Scottish Office Excellence Fund. The resources to be made available for the next 3 financial years are:

1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02
£6,000,000	£8,000,000	£12,000,000

Subject to authorities submitting satisfactory proposals, the Government wishes to support at least two New Community Schools in the area of each local authority.

The grant for each pilot project will be subject to a ceiling of £200,000 per year.

A pilot project may be centred on a single school or on a school cluster (primary schools plus associated secondary school).

The pilot programme will contain 3 phases as the profile of available resources increases. In each phase, grant will be offered for a three year period.

The first phase will begin on 1 April 1999. Proposals are sought now for phase 1; the timing of proposals for phases 2 and 3 will be published in due course.

Access to grant will be by application from local authorities on behalf of local partnerships on the lines set out below. The criteria for eligibility will be strictly applied. Decisions will be made on the basis of the proposals received.

The first phase
The resources available from 1 April 1999 will be sufficient to ensure participation by each authority, provided that a satisfactory bid is submitted.

Proposals for the first phase should demonstrate the essential characteristics outlined in this prospectus. In addition, preference will be given to proposals which:

are based on primary schools, either singly or in clusters; demonstrate links to pre-school and child care provision; demonstrate links between primary and secondary schools; and relate to schools serving deprived areas.

Subsequent phases
Grants under each phase will be offered for 3 years. Further guidance about making proposals for these phases will be issued at the appropriate time.

Relevant expenditure
The grant will provide the means for the New Community School to operate in the integrated way set out in this proposal. In principle and in the main, the cost of service delivery will continue to be drawn from existing programmes - education, social work and health. Additional services, and activities, where they are central to the objectives of the New Community School will be supported, as set out below.

The purposes to which the grant will be put will depend on the circumstances of the individual case. As a guide, however, the following categories of expenditure may in principle attract grant. The list is illustrative and not intended to be comprehensive or exclusive.

Supporting the management structure necessary to provide for integration among services. Staff development and training in multi-disciplinary working. Activities to establish and develop the New Community School including: consultation with parents, families, the local community and local partners; and development work/business planning.

Where in addition to these activities the partners wish to seek support for additional or extended service delivery at the school they should reflect the following principles.

Service providers should demonstrate that they plan to allocate additional resources to the New Community School to enhance service delivery and/or to aid integration and to complement the resources sought under the grant. As a minimum contribution, service providers must at least match from their own resources any grant that they seek to extend service delivery. In addition, grant to extend service delivery will be payable only for staff to be located or based within the New Community School and for other costs incurred at the school.

Authorities should also seek to attract and use other potential sources of funds. These include all the activities under the Core Programme of The Scottish Office Excellence Fund. They also include the initiatives to be funded from 1999 on Healthy Living Centres as well as out of school hours childcare and education activities funding introduced through the New Opportunities Fund established under the National Lottery Act 1998.

Measuring outcomes
Proposals should specify and measure outcomes which should be linked specifically to elements of the bid. Proposals should set targets in all aspects. These targets should be higher than would be expected without New Community School status. Proposals should set out the baseline measures on which such targets are based.

Targets should be specified in at least the following areas:

raised attainment to be set out in terms of an increase in the percentage of pupils attaining particular qualifications or 5-14 levels, or an increase in the number of pupils attaining each measure; raised attendance and reduced exclusion; improved service integration; improved learning; improved social welfare; and improved health.

Proposals should include detailed arrangements for monitoring and evaluation.

Ministerial Steering Group
The Government will set up a Ministerial Steering Group to oversee the initiative. The Group will be chaired by the Minister for Education and the vice-chair will be Her Majesty's Senior Chief Inspector of Schools. The Chief Inspector of Social Work Services and the Chief Medical Officer will be members of the Group. Other members will be appointed to provide senior representation, expertise and experience from education, social work and the health service.

Remit of the Steering Group
The remit will be to:

advise on the further development of the New Community Schools concept as a key school-based component of the Government's Social Inclusion Strategy and the wider role of the school sector in that strategy;

ensure that New Community Schools link effectively with other local measures designed to strengthen local communities; advise on the developing framework for the piloting, and further development, of New Community Schools throughout Scotland; develop arrangements for the evaluation and monitoring of the initiative; identify and ensure dissemination of examples of good practice drawn from the pilot programme; and advise on further approaches to the development of integrated working among service providers.

The first phase - how to apply
Applications are invited from authorities who would wish to offer schemes for support in the first phase pilot programme. Applications should be lodged with The Scottish Office Education and Industry Department by 5 February 1999. A pro forma will be circulated to assist authorities in preparing their proposals.

Applications will be required to:

carry the signed commitment of the Chief Executive, the Directors of Education and Social Work and the General Manager of the local Health Board; set out a clear description in the form of a development plan for the school describing the circumstances of the school and the environment in which it operates; what is involved in the proposal; and the objectives the authority is seeking to achieve; demonstrate that the New Community School will have the essential characteristics outlined on pages 8 & 9; set out how the school will reflect the further relevant features outlined on pages 10 & 11; address additional matters - see paragraphs on the identification of partners (page 14), preferences in the first phase (page 16) and the measurement of outcomes (page 17); describe the proposed evaluation arrangements; set out the levels of grant sought and the purposes for which the grant is sought in each year for which the authority is seeking grant support; confirm that the resources sought relate to new provision; and set out the additional resources which the local authority and the Health Board will provide (to enhance service delivery or to aid integration) to parallel the grant.

Following consideration of applications, participating authorities will receive a grant offer letter confirming the allocation. Subsequently, payment of grant will be made on receipt of a detailed application form. Forms will be issued near the beginning of the financial year in question and will clearly indicate the date for their return. Payment will be in two instalments, in October and March. For the purposes of audit, the form will provide for certification that the expenditure incurred was as described in the grant application and grant offer letter.

Further information
Further copies of this Prospectus can be obtained from:

Anna Donald Schools Provision and Organisation Division The Scottish Office Education and Industry Department Area 2A (North) Victoria Quay EDINBURGH EH6 6QQ Tel: 0131 244 0350 Fax: 0131 244 0957

Enquires should be directed to Tom Macdonald at the same address and fax number. His telephone number is 0131 244 4432.

The Scottish Office November 1998