Improvement partner packages

At B11 we value the relationships that we foster with leaders in the schools we support, sometimes over several years. While the knowledge of a school, its context and its strengths and challenges are built up by a single improvement adviser over time, sometimes a fresh pair of eyes or another expert with a particular set of skills or experience, can supplement the support of that improvement partner.

While our team only includes highly qualified and very experienced educationalists, often with similar experience and backgrounds, each of them has additional specialist skills or expertise that may only be needed in your school from time to time.

What they do

Our flexible packages can be as simple as x no of days support per year, with the specific focus to be agreed ahead of each visit. This is how our standard school improvement partner (SIP) package has always worked, with one visit each term. Some clients have opted for the premium SIP package that includes one visit each half term – this could operate with one visit each term by the same consultant and the other visit utilised for a specific need, such as early years, pupil premium, literacy or pastoral support.

Our multi-academy trust clients, will often agree a set number of days support per school and leave it to the individual school to determine how those days are made up. For example, one trust in the north-west has requested that each of their schools receives a termly SIP visit, external support to the headteacher performance management process and a thematic review to be determined in line with the individual needs of the school. Alternatively a client in Bedfordshire has one school opting for a two-day review with a follow-up ‘SIP’ day later in the year with another of their schools choosing two one-day review visits over the year.

How do they work?

We always offer a free 20-minute consultation with one of our most experienced consultants who can discuss the strengths and areas for development of your school(s) and assess how we can support you most effectively. A recommended plan of support tailored to your need is proposed and then costed with options and sent to you as a quotation.

You pick the options to suit your needs and budget and then we work with you to fill in the details of what, who and when. Our consultants are in great demand though so, the further ahead that you can plan, the more flexibility there is likely to be around date availability.

Where appropriate we will advise you when we think less is more!

What is included?

You can include any combination of the services that we offer building up a number of bespoke support days over a year or longer. Some examples of how this works are provided below.

• Standard SIP package with headteacher performance management (4 days)
• Premium SIP package – one visit per half-term (6 days)
• Standard SIP package, headteacher performance management and thematic review (6 days)
• Two days per month ongoing support to school leadership, September to July (22 days)

A SIP visit comprises up to five hours support on site with verbal feedback and a written note off visit.

A one-day review is up to eight hours on site, plus a half-day each for preparation and writing a report. The same consultant for an additional day on site is just the one extra day.

Leading a review team of several consultants, or supporting peer reviews, often requires additional time for the lead reviewer to prepare and compile notes to produce the report. So, two consultants on site for two days would be a five day tariff. 

We will include any travel and expenses within the day rate, unless you want these accounted for separately.

To get started

Our flexible partner packages offer the guarantee of consistent support from the same improvement partner over one or more academic years, but with the option to use additional days to focus on specific areas that can require a different B11 expert to provide the most effective support to the issue in hand. Complete the form below to start a conversation.