LEA

The LEAThe LEA, local education authority, is in charge of delivering education for the council in a borough or county. is responsible for delivering education for the council in a borough or county. It might be that you are in the catchmentA school’s catchment is the locality from where a school is most likely to take their students. area for more than one education authority. Or it may be you are considering moving to a particular LEAThe LEA, local education authority, is in charge of delivering education for the council in a borough or county. area to access different schools. It is therefore worth investigating the quality of provision on offer from different authorities.

• Authorities have reputations like schools do, and like schools they are often out of date. Do not automatically dismiss an education authority just because you have heard bad things about it.
• Some authorities achieve higher value addedIf a school adds value, it means that it has managed to support its students in reaching a higher grade than they were originally predicted. Schools can use key stage 2 and 3* levelsAt key stage 2* and key stage 3* students are awarded National Curriculum levels to measure academic progressSchools are measured nationally according to attainment and progress. Progress is how well pupils have done given their starting points. For example, pupils' progress from key stage 2 to key stage 4 is measured.. The levels go from level 1 to level 8. In Year 9*, level 5 is the average nationally.* to measure how much value has been added. For example, a student with a level 5 at key stage 3* is normally predicted a grade ‘C’ at GCSEGCSEs, (General Certificate of Secondary Education) are the key qualification students take at key stage 4* when they are 16.They replaced ‘O’ Levels. Most schools make English, Maths and Science GCSEs obligatory. GCSEs have grades from A*–U. In the eyes of schools, colleges and the government, a ‘C’ grade is in effect a pass, a ‘D’ grade or below is a fail. Many further education* courses demand that students achieve five GCSEs at grades A*–C.*. If that student then goes on to get a ‘B’ at GCSEGCSEs, (General Certificate of Secondary Education) are the key qualification students take at key stage 4* when they are 16.They replaced ‘O’ Levels. Most schools make English, Maths and Science GCSEs obligatory. GCSEs have grades from A*–U. In the eyes of schools, colleges and the government, a ‘C’ grade is in effect a pass, a ‘D’ grade or below is a fail. Many further education* courses demand that students achieve five GCSEs at grades A*–C., then the school has added value. results than others.
• Some authorities have the majority of their secondary schools achieving higher than the national average in exams, and some, the majority of schools below. It is important, however, to look at how individual schools’ performance impacts on borough wide percentages. For example it might be that a few schools are carrying the results, while the majority of schools are underperforming. A good sign is if there is a consistency of improvement or achievement. This shows that there is some overarching authority strategy that is working effectively.
• Authorities spend different amounts of money on schools. Sometimes this is as a result of government financial allocations dependent on local levelsAt key stage 2* and key stage 3* students are awarded National Curriculum levels to measure academic progressSchools are measured nationally according to attainment and progress. Progress is how well pupils have done given their starting points. For example, pupils' progress from key stage 2 to key stage 4 is measured.. The levels go from level 1 to level 8. In Year 9*, level 5 is the average nationally. of social deprivation. Therefore, it does not necessarily follow that in an affluent area more is spent on schools than in an area of poor housing.Do not assume that if an area appears deprived, the schools are.
• Some authorities are more popular with teachers than others.This might be because of their reputation for teacher training or innovation. Therefore, some authorities may have a better field of teachers to choose from when appointing staff than others.
• It is worth pointing out that some authorities offer financial incentives to teachers for working in them. For example, it can be easier to recruit teachers in inner London because the additional salary allowance is greater than for outer London boroughs.
• Sometimes authorities that are less popular with parents are more popular with teachers. In these instances, parents might be missing out. It is therefore worth finding out from teachers which areas are popular to work in.
• Some authorities are always ahead of the game when it comes to new initiatives in schools while others fall behind. If you send your child to a forward thinking authority it is likely to be to their advantage.

Further Information

School and college performance tables(previously known as School Achievement and Assessment Tables(now known as School and College Performance Tables). These tables measure the performance of schools' pupils in national tests, at age 11, 16 and 18.*). These tables measure the performance of schools' pupils in national tests, at age 11, 16 and 18.

Search the tables on the DfEThe DfE is the government department with responsibility for education. Prior to May 2010 it was known as the DCfS*. website by LEAThe LEA, local education authority, is in charge of delivering education for the council in a borough or county.. Look for consistency of achievement and see if your LEAThe LEA, local education authority, is in charge of delivering education for the council in a borough or county.’s table compares favourably with its neighbours.

National Media – Times Educational Supplement

Get an idea of what innovation is going on in different LEAs.

OfstedOfsted, Office for Standards in Education, is the government body which inspectsschools, measures their success, and writes reports of their findings. All Ofsted reports can be found on their website.

Education provision is assessed every year in each LEAThe LEA, local education authority, is in charge of delivering education for the council in a borough or county. through the CAA:  annual rating of Children’s services. In this annual rating, the education services are given a grade, four is very good, three is good, two is adequate, one is inadequate. You can find each authority’s annual rating on the OfstedOfsted, Office for Standards in Education, is the government body which inspectsschools, measures their success, and writes reports of their findings. All Ofsted reports can be found on their website. website.

Open Evening

Talk to staff about what opinion teachers have of the local education authorityThe LEAThe LEA, local education authority, is in charge of delivering education for the council in a borough or county., local education authority, is in charge of delivering education for the council in a borough or county. .

Website

The LEAThe LEA, local education authority, is in charge of delivering education for the council in a borough or county.’s website, under the designation ‘schools’, can give you some idea of what kind of provision to expect. If the web page is accessible, lively and up to date, then this is a good sign.

Summary