"The performance of South Gloucestershire Local Education Authority (LEA) is highly satisfactory".
"Schools have confidence in the LEA and work effectively with officers and partners. The implementation of national strategies and support for school leadership and management are good".
OFSTED, October 2004
The latest OFSTED report on South Gloucestershire's provision was positive and commends the authority's vision and strategic planning. OFSTED found South Gloucestershire to be a highly satisfactory LEA with good capacity for further improvement. There were no areas of the LEA's work that were unsatisfactory and, unusually, there were no key recommendations requiring action.
Below are some of the key findings that will be of particular interest to you in considering a career with the authority.
Standards of achievement
OFSTED found that pupils' performance at Key Stages 1,2 and 3 is above the national average and in line with those in similar LEAs. There has been improvement over the last 4 years in all key stages, particularly at Key Stage 3.
The commitment to raising standards is high, with particular focus on the more challenging areas of the authority.
Support to improve education in schools
The inspection teams concluded that support for leadership, management and governors is very strong, including the sharing of good practice through well-established learning networks and projects. Support for headteachers and support for schools in delivering the government's national strategies for primary and secondary schools are also praised.
Support for national strategies at Key Stages 1, 2 and 3 is also an area of strength. They noted that the provisional 2004 data show that standards have been maintained at all key stages and the gap between boys and girls results has narrowed.
Supporting children and young people
According to the OFSTED report, South Gloucestershire Council's special educational needs functions to support school improvement and the overall effectiveness of the strategy for promoting social inclusion remain highly satisfactory, as they were at the time of the previous inspection.
Vision and planning for new developments in children's services were also found to be a strength.