Learning Improvement Service

The Learning Improvement Service (LIS) aims to champion excellence by providing Cumbria County Council with an efficient and effective service for monitoring, supporting and challenging schools and settings to ensure high quality provision and improved outcomes for children and young people in Cumbria. 

Our key objectives are to:

• Ensure our children are provided with the best possible start through Early Years
• Support learning communities with common priorities to collaborate on improvement
• Monitor provision, progress and standards by providing external challenge and evaluation
• Intervene where there is under-performance
• Work with schools and early years providers to ensure that all learners make the best possible progress
• Identify and share best practice to promote excellent teaching
• Develop partnerships for sustainable leadership

We do this by:

LIS is a team of officers with specialisms in early years, primary, secondary, and post-16 education and governor support; based in three local areas; Carlisle, Kendal and Whitehaven.  These officers work with private, voluntary and independent early years settings; with LA maintained nursery, primary, secondary, special and sixth forms both locally in district areas and at countywide levels.  They provide a core service to all schools and settings covering the LA’s statutory duties.  In addition we offer bespoke support and training locally, nationally and internationally.

Other key publications

Title	Date	Size
Home Education in Cumbria - Information for Young People, Parents and Carers	20/01/2012	92k
Local Learning Network - Spring Term 2012	20/01/2012	713k
Revised Cumbria Agreed Syllabus for RE	17/04/2012	5794k

Useful links

• Department for Education (DfE): http://www.education.gov.uk/
• Ofsted: for information about inspections of schools:  http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/
• AQA: for information about exam dates/timetables, replacement certificates, etc. http://web.aqa.org.uk/
• Early Years Foundation Stage forum: for information and guidance about the care and education of 2 – 5 year olds http://www.eyfs.info/