Local Education Authorities (LEAs) of all sizes will face issues of capacity. This tends to be most acute in the smaller unitary authorities which sometimes can not afford to employ directly staff with the full range of skills demanded by the activities that it needs to deliver.

At the same time many authorities face the challenge of recruitment at a time of skills shortages and recruitment difficulties. These capacity gaps can be made worse by new initiatives requiring new or enhanced skills or with particular requirements the LEA might not currently be able to meet. A current example is the DfES proposal that only those with secondary headship experience should undertake the single conversation with schools.

Cocentra’s approach

Cocentra can help LEAs rise to this challenge. Through our ‘Excellence Chain™’ we are able to work in partnership with a local authority to enhance their capacity and capability to deliver their services.

This could include:

• Partnership arrangements to deliver jointly a range of LEA services
• Complete or part outsourcing of an LEA service or services

Cocentra has designed a number of innovative models centred on the concept of a “mixed economy” of part LEA /part Cocentra staff that can ensure that LEAs have appropriate expertise and experience available with shared risks and rewards for individual staff and the organisations concerned. These arrangements can be delivered at arms length or can involve Cocentra staff co-located with LEA staff managed through one of a variety of models.

If you would like to discuss capacity issues further please contact jacqui@cocentra.com

Alternatively, please call 0845 009 4010 and ask to talk to Jacqui, or order a Cocentra brochure.