WOKINGHAM, East Riding of Yorkshire, and Windsor and Maidenhead education authorities are performing satisfactorily, according to Government inspectors.
The Office for Standards in Education found a clear commitment to education at Wokingham education authority. Senior officers provide clear and definite leadership and there is a secure climate of mutual respect and trust between the education authority and the schools.
It has set high targets for improvement for 11-year-olds and at GCSE, and is largely on track to achieve them.
Inspectors found East Riding LEA provides satisfactory support for school improvement and its day-to-day services are effective, particularly those for vulnerable pupils. Its management support services are sound across a broad range of areas.
But the LEA must give a greater emphasis to communicating more effectively on major plans to help develop clearer strategic links with all stakeholders, especially schools.
Windsor and Maidenhead LEA was found to have clear direction and good professional and political leadership.
It has promoted school autonomy and improvement through self-evaluation, and has developed good arrangements for supporting ethnic-minority children and for combating racism.
The inspectors said that staff are of high calibre. They are responsive, accessible and enjoy good relationships with schools, but their workload has increased and at present they are overstretched.
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
Wokingham
Strengths
* good support to raise standards of literacy and numeracy
* good support to governors
* good-quality leadership by authority’s senior officers
* good support for children in public care
Weaknesses
* support for children with English as an additional language is inadequate East Riding
Strengths
* good support in raising standards of literacy and numeracy good support for children in public care
* good support for school attendance
Weaknesses
* poor communication between corporate management team and some heads
Windsor and Maidenhead
Strengths
* good leadership by the director and officers
* good special needs strategy
* good support for raising standards in literacy and numeracy
Weaknesses
* poor support for attendance
