Hertfordshire education partnership praised in national report for its ‘profound and demonstrable’ work to support pupils’ reading

HFL is one of the partnerships quoted in the Area-Based Education Partnerships Association (AEPA) report: Belonging and Excellence: The Importance of Local Education Partnerships.

The landmark report shows how local, school-led collaborations are driving improvement and building belonging across England’s education system.

The report brings together examples from partnerships across England which demonstrate how schools are tackling shared challenges, from inclusion and SEND to recruitment and wellbeing, through locally rooted collaboration.

HFL – a not-for-profit organisation - is praised in the report for its reading fluency programme which was developed to help schools support their pupils with reading and phonics. Over 550 local schools and 5,000 pupils have taken part.

The skilled team devised an eight-week programme that improves outcomes for children and can be run in all kinds of schools, whatever their reading scheme or phonics programme.

The programme saw pupils in Key Stage 2 make on average one year and six months progress in reading comprehension age and gain an increase in accuracy of 11 months.

While pupils in Key Stage 4, made on average two years eight months progress in an eight-week period.

The report said, “the impact this had on schools was profound and demonstrable”.

The report also showcases the work HFL has done to help schools support families facing economic barriers and to share good practice in and between schools.

Carole Bennett, CEO of HFL, said: “We are proud to be cited in this AEPA report, highlighting the important and proven work of local partnerships. Over 12 years ago we became one of the country’s first ever local school partnerships, and since then we have been working alongside Hertfordshire’s schools, trusts and settings to ensure that all of our county’s children and young people get the best education experiences.

“Our Reading Fluency programme - developed specifically to help struggling readers in Hertfordshire schools - is just one example of how our partnership works seamlessly with the education system in the county and where collaboration has been phenomenally successful for our pupils.

“Education partnerships like ours are here to benefit the community we serve, creating strong local eco-systems that encourage all children to flourish. We are very proud that our achievements have been recognised in the AEPA report and will continue to listen to our communities and schools and engage with local stakeholders to ensure Hertfordshire’s education standards remain consistently high for all.”

Baroness Estelle Morris and Dame Christine Gilbert, Area-Based Education Partnerships Association Co-Chairs, said: “Place matters. Schools thrive when they are deeply rooted in their communities. Local education partnerships provide the glue that connects schools, families and services, ensuring every child has the chance to succeed.

“For many years multi academy trusts have been seen as the only structural way to deliver on this goal, but increasingly in many parts of the country local education partnerships have been quietly getting on with the job of gripping the challenges that schools and communities are facing locally.

“Over the years, the schools’ system has become increasingly fragmented and today’s report shines a light on how education partnerships are providing the missing link, bringing together schools of all types, including academies and academy trusts.”

Download the full report: https://aepa.org.uk/belonging-and-excellence-the-importance-of-local-education-partnerships-publication/