Past event
This event has now been postponed. To be kept updated on when this will be reschedule for, please email events@bera.ac.uk.
The BERA SIG Educational Effectiveness and Improvement, in partnership with Plymouth Marjon University, the National Association of Small Schools and the Diocese of Truro, invites school leaders, educational researchers and interested stakeholders to a one day conference on ‘Small schools, big issue? Exploring the future for small schools in England.’
Small schools have been championed for the value they bring to their typically rural communities. The future of small schools in England is in question due to policy changes and austerity for public services funding (the National Funding Formula not offering the significant increases in funding needed by small schools). Some Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs) tried to set a minimum pupil number for schools to remain viable and run at an ‘acceptable cost’.
In 2016, the White Paper ‘Educational Excellence Everywhere’ was clear that small schools must come together in formal collaborations, preferably MATs, in order to survive. However, the financial challenges of small rural schools can make them unattractive for academy chains or multi-academy trusts (MATs).
There is no nationally agreed definition of what constitutes a small school, with categories ranging from fewer than 210 pupils on roll to fewer than 101. Research on small schools has also been limited since 2000, with a need evident for more large scale, peer reviewed and funded investigations. This conference will explore the future for small schools and attempt to establish a manifesto to influence thinking about the difference small schools make to education in England.
| 10.00 | Registration and refreshments |
| 10.10 | Welcome and introduction Neil Short, Chair of the National Association of Small Schools and Prof Tanya Ovenden-Hope, SIG Convenor |
| 10.30 | The impact of the new Ofsted framework on small schools Professor Daniel Muijs, Deputy Director, Research and Evaluation, Ofsted |
| 11.25 | Parallel workshops: |
| Small school effectiveness – challenges and successes Led by Prof Tanya Ovenden-Hope |
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| Creating a Small Schools Manifesto Led by Neil Short |
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| 12.40 | Lunch |
| 13.30 | Small schools’ big issues in England and Europe: Cautionary tales and strategic moves Dr Linda Hargreaves, University of Cambridge |
| 14.25 | Parallel workshops: |
| Small school effectiveness – challenges and successes Led by Prof Tanya Ovenden-Hope |
|
| Creating a Small Schools Manifesto Led by Neil Short |
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| 15.10 | Refreshments break |
| 15.20 | Plenary Panel – A Small Schools Manifesto Professor Carl Bagley (Queens University, Belfast), Dr Cath Gristy (University of Plymouth), Prof Ian Luke (Plymouth Marjon University), Prof Sonia Blandford (Achievement for All) Chair: Professor Tanya Ovenden-Hope |
| 15.55 | Completion of evaluation forms |
| 16.00 | End of conference |
The BERA Early Career Researcher Network offers a limited amount of bursaries to the value of £75 towards travel for BERA Student Members and BERA Teacher members only.
Our Values are at the heart of everything we do. They were developed by our staff, are inspired by the stories of our students, by our history and by our hopes and ambitions for the future. They encourage both the ability and the aspiration to improve lives for all.
The diocese is divided into two pastoral administrative areas, called archdeaconries, and these contain groups of parishes called deaneries. The Archdeaconry of Bodmin and the Archdeaconry of Cornwall contain 12 deaneries in total, five in Bodmin and seven in Cornwall.
Over the past year NASS has been exploring the ways in which small schools are collaborating together to raise standards. Whilst the three ‘Collaboration or Collision’ conferences organised to date have proved of great value, they have been limited in scope.
Providing a forum for sharing, developing and disseminating research that explores, informs and improves outcomes in education.