Partnership Service Agreement

As we draw to the close of the year for the 2012-2013 Partnership Service Agreement, we are delighted to share our offer for 2013-2014.

Service

At the heart of the Diocesan Board of Education’s (DBE) vision is our service to schools, academies and parishes to support the spiritual development of all children and young people; a diocese which models servant leadership and creates rich partnerships, supporting the development of a family of outstanding Christian schools and academies central to their church communities.

The PSA is aimed to support your school in your ongoing school improvement journey, enabling your highest ambition for the progress, attainment and spiritual development of every child; supporting the connection between sustained school improvement and Christian distinctiveness.

We do not underestimate the complexity of the educational landscape and the challenges this poses for school leaders, or, for children, the complexity of growing up within a secular society. We are sure that you will find the PSA offer to be an essential part of belonging to the church school family and that it supports you in your role as headteacher.

What's new

The new PSA for 2013-2014 offers a menu of support, for leaders, teachers and governors which can be tailored by your school to create a personalised support package which matches your needs. It should deliver the highest practical value to school, academy and church leaders, offering excellence in all aspects of our work for the benefit of the children in your school.

This year we also invite community schools and academies to subscribe to the agreement, providing opportunity for groups or pairs of schools to work together to meet shared needs. Pooling credits to fund training will further enable collaborative working between schools.

Credits

The PSA continues to use a system of credits to ‘purchase’ support, bespoke training and courses; schools are invited to purchase a PSA that includes a number of credits which can then be exchanged for support over the 2013/14 financial year, with the flexibility to purchase additional credits according to need.

Development Advisers

In choosing to subscribe to the PSA, your school will be linked with a development adviser who will be responsible for co-ordinating the menu of support that you choose, helping you determine how your credits are used to meet the needs of your school and ensuring that communication with the diocese is strong. This connects your school personally with a member of the DBE team, aiming to draw the diocese and school into closer partnership.

The first 2 hour adviser visit is included in your subscription; secondary and middle schools will have the option to book a 1 hour visit from a development adviser to the principal/ headteacher and a 1 hour visit from a DBE RE Adviser to the RE or Collective Worship lead, in lieu of a single 2 hour visit to the headteacher.

School Improvement

The PSA offer includes a school improvement section. We are not intending to centrally employ school improvement staff but have sourced consultants from a national field whom we trust to offer you outstanding support.

The cost of the school improvement offer reflects national consultancy rates; consultation with you suggests that you welcome the wider range of support offered and we look forward to talking with headteachers later in the year on their view of the ongoing development of our school improvement offer.

Community Schools

A number of community school headteachers have asked if they might subscribe to the PSA. We would be very pleased to welcome community schools who consider the PSA menu relevant to their needs. We are very aware that many community schools have strong links with their Parish Church and we would enjoy building a partnership with you.

How to subscribe

Subscription costs are found on page 4 of our brochure, which we invite you to download from the grey 'Resources' box on the left hand side of this page.

Main Contact

Contact Sarah McNicol for further clarification and support with PSA queries.

You can download a subscription form available from the grey 'Resources' box on the left hand side of the page. This form also appears on page 33 of the brochure. Please complete and return the subscription form to Salisbury DBE, The Avenue, Wiltshire, SP2 0FG.

You may also download the new Continuing Professional Development Brochure April 2013-July 2014, from the grey 'Resources' box on the left hand side; this should be used 'hand in hand' with the PSA brochure as you decide how you may wish to use your PSA credits, and the budget required for future support and staff/governor CPD.