The document summarizes the work of the Service Transformation Work Stream (STWS) which aimed to transform educational services in Croydon, UK prior to capital investment projects. The STWS engaged schools through a Lead Advocate in each school and worked to broaden horizons, critically examine practices, develop educational visions, and build capacity for change. Key activities included immersion days, provocation papers, workshops to develop school strategies, visits to examples of next practices, and community involvement programs. The goal was to ensure new facilities supported improved educational experiences and transformed mindsets around new ways of working.

1. 2010
Service Transformation Review
Darren Atkinson
Transforming Croydon Schools
7/12/2010

2. Transforming Croydon Schools
Service Transformation Work Stream
These are unprecedented times. The current economic climate requires
people and organisations to work together with a clear view about local
priorities and a determination to get the most out of every pound spent. There
is a national drive to do “more with less”; when the real challenge is how to do
“differently with less”. There is also recognition of how crucial the quality of
education is in shaping future communities and economic stability. Young
people in this period will be a generation of learners who have grown up in a
climate of continual change where advances in pedagogy and technology
could equip them with the ambition, understanding, skills and aptitudes to
make positive contributions as active global citizens.
Young people are living in exponential times. Never in human history has the
rate of change been as dramatic as it is currently. Learning is fast, ‘just-in-time’
and multi-platformed. Schools, teachers and leaders are being put under
increasing pressure to respond to this rate of change with equal measures of
dynamism and complex organisation. In reality 'learning' and 'change' are
synonymous. Change is not an issue if it makes sense to and is 'owned' by
those involved, rather than being arbitrarily imposed. An appreciation that
change is a continual process, involving confusion and difficulty, is vital for
future learners and leaders. In the near future schools will flourish where
leadership is inspirational, builds capacity, empowers, is driven by a shared
vision, is networked and connected with communities.
Since June 2009 all secondary mainstream, special and short stay schools have
been involved in exploring the possible shape of this future. The Service
Transformation Work Stream (STWS) led a series of critical activities to support
the Transforming Croydon Schools (TCS) programme to deliver the outcomes
of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) initiative. What follows is an
account of the work undertaken.
A Multi-Disciplinary Team
Darren Atkinson – Service Transformation Coordinator
John Troake – BSF Adviser
Sarah Clarkson – Senior Project Assistant (Involvement Strategy)
Lydia Taylor – Project Manager
Natalie Mills – Service Transformation Consultant (Place Group)
Souraya Ali – Service Transformation Consultant (Bryanston Square)
Kevin Crossley – Service Transformation Consultant (EdisonLearning)
Shawn Cardoso – Project Manager (MACE)
Work Stream Partners:
The Sorrell Foundation
London Metropolitan University
Open House
The British Council for School Environments
Learning through Landscapes
Futurelab
WSP
Clever Spaces
A-Studio
Flywheel
Stakeholder Design

3. The Aims of the Service Transformation Work Stream
The process of transforming educational services must precede details of
design in order to ensure that the schools built through any capital investment
programme are fit for purpose. Moreover, a step change in outcomes requires
a step change in approach and performance. The process of change is often
perceived as threatening and must be planned and implemented carefully to
avoid alienating stakeholders who are the vital to the programme’s success.
The STWS set out to identify the critical issues and potential barriers that
needed to be addressed for the TCS programme is to deliver a step change in
educational outcomes. These are embodied in the following work stream aims:
1. Create a legacy for change in schools
From the start of the programme the STWS team set out to ensure that
every mainstream, special and PRU secondary school was involved in the
process of BSF; that each school would recognise the value in exploring
possible futures and that individuals would begin their own change
journeys.
2. Broaden Horizons and raise aspirations
The STWS was committed to ensuring that all participants in the
programme had the time and space to look beyond their own practice
towards next practice nationally and internationally. By expanding
personal experiences, participants would be better placed to evaluate
their practice and consider possible futures.
3. Support schools to critically examine current approaches and
practice
Working in parallel with other LA teams the STWS would use tools that
encouraged schools to look further at critical aspects of school life,
including, school organisation, approaches to learning and teaching and
relationships with local communities. Schools would be encouraged to
share their reflections with other schools in the borough.
4. Enable schools to create an educational vision for the future
Building on the existing work of schools the STWS would embark on a
journey with each school to develop a long term vision for the school that
would resonate with the broader objectives of Croydon and the vision for
2040.
5. Involve people in co-design across whole learning communities
At every step of the STWS programme people would be empowered to
participate fully in the process of developing strategy. Through the early
stages of engagement people would genuinely feel their ideas were
accounted and later, through consultation, they would recognise their own
language in proposals.
6. Enhance the relationship between the schools and the LA
It was critical that the STWS be regarded by the schools as a trusted
partner in the development of the change programme for BSF. Building on
early work through ISOS the STWS team would embed these principles in
every aspect of the work with schools.
7. Inspire people to embrace change and have the confidence to act
and implement

4. The STWS team would develop approaches that were stimulating, relevant
and challenging for schools. This would be a core principle of the
programme and schools would come to expect the very highest standards
of facilitation and leadership.
8. Build local capacity for change
The STWS programme set out to ensure the capacity for change was
owned locally by schools and not reliant on a handful of external people. A
core principle would be that the programme was jointly owned and never
“done to”.
9. Join up the strands of multidimensional teams between LA and
schools
For sustainable success it was essential that the STWS worked closely, in
partnership with other LA departments as well as the schools. The STWS
team would be formed with a multidisciplinary skill set to complement this
requirement.
10. Empower learning communities to have a voice in the shaping of
public services
The STWS would support schools to actively engage their communities and
work beyond the schools to ensure that people in Croydon would have the
chance to engage in the process of shaping educational services for the
future.
The Rationale for Service Transformation
It had been noted that Schools in previous BSF programmes were engaged too
late in the process. It was noted that although new facilities have been
provided under previous BSF schemes, the quality of education did not change
significantly. The STWS team would engage schools early in the process to
encourage school to think about transforming education through innovative
ways to improve, challenge and change the way they teach as well as gain
support and buy in for the programme. The STWS would work with schools in
developing their own language and design and to develop their ideas further.
This would ensure that the service drives the product; the service being
‘education’ and the product being ‘the facilities’ to deliver education. This is
rationalised through the following points:
1. Improve the educational experience of young people
It is essential that the work of the STWS leads to improved learning
experiences for all young people, regardless of their background and
circumstance. The STWS team would be committed to the notion of young
people ‘thriving’ and so all aspects of the approach and engagement with
schools and communities would encourage participants to consider the
needs of those young people from the outset and throughout the process.
2. To transform mindsets and exploring new ways of doing things
The STWS team would be dedicated to ‘the art of the possible’ and
demonstrate a ‘can do attitude’ through all their work. This would be
critical to enabling people to engage fully in a programme of activity that
would challenge many deeply held beliefs and long term habits. A core skill
of the STWS would be dealing with the unknown and facilitating the
shaping of possible futures.
3. To push schools beyond current orthodoxies to develop new
approaches

5. The STWS team would challenge all participating stakeholders by drawing
on the latest research related to learning, education and teaching. The BSF
programme presented an opportunity to re-evaluate the system of
education and the STWS team would ensure that stakeholders would have
the time and space to explore new ways of working.
4. To challenge schools and their communities in how they are
engaged in the design process
The physical design of schools has been a growing area of focus for the last
ten years. During this time it has been recognised that schools and their
communities are often poorly engaged in the design process. The STWS
would be devoted to ensuring that each school would become a
‘sophisticated client’; with a clear and shared language for design based
around their articulation of how a school would work in the future. As a
sophisticated client, the school and its stakeholders would play an active
role in design development throughout the programme.
5. Forge lasting relationships
The STWS team would commit to ensuring a networked approach to
learning through excellence. It would work with collegiately with LA
departments and schools; would support and facilitate strong
relationships between schools and the LA and would encourage greater
inter-school collaboration and cooperation. It would only be possible to
achieve the aims of the STWS if the programme was rooted in strong
relationships.
The Approach to Service Transformation
The principle underpinning the STWS strategy is based on the concept of ‘viral
change’ which is an innovative and highly effective approach to managing
change. Essentially, a small set of ideas are defined and a process to encourage
and spread these behaviours is adopted. These ideas are imitated, endorsed
by a small network of people, and this spreads new ways of doing things,
quickly and effectively. Its strength lies in peer to peer networks, supported by
dialogue and conversation, to create sustainable cultural changes and spread
an internal infection of success. Viral Change is closer to infection of ideas or
behaviours than to the traditional rational appeal and cascaded down
initiatives of change. The main components of this approach are:
1. Single points of contact
It was established from the outset of the STWS programme that there
would be a single point of contact for each school within the team and
that each school would offer a single point of contact. This would ensure
clear lines of communication and place relationships at the heart of the
programme.
2. Headteacher Tour - Face to Face
In one week in June 2009 the Service Transformation Coordinator visited
each school in the BSF programme to meet the Headteacher and discuss
the STWS programme and approach, with a view to securing their
commitment to working with the STWS team and identifying a Lead
Advocate (LeAd) for their school.
3. LeAds
Lead Advocates are the single point of contact in each school that the
STWS team works with. This person was identified by the Headteacher and

6. represents the school community. There are a broad range of people who
been LeAds, including Assistant Heads, Heads of Subjects, NQTs and
Students. A charter was drawn up with the LeAds and it was agreed that
this person would be responsible for networking and facilitating in their
school and over the course of the following year would develop their
knowledge of approaches to school design as well as influence others with
ideas about the future of education. The LeAds would also lead the School
Transformation Team (STT).
4. STTs
The first step in building sustainable leadership capacity and capability was
to establish what would become known as a School Transformation Team
in each school. This team is a representative body consisting of members
from the school community. This includes the Headteacher, senior leaders,
governors, and teachers, learning support assistants, administrators,
young people, parents and local community representatives. By drawing
on a wider range of stakeholders the STWS team could mitigate any
potentially negative impacts on educational continuity during the TCS
programme and ensure continuity if there were any personnel changes.
5. Weekly emails to LeAds
As part of the ongoing communication with schools, LeAds were sent a
weekly email containing updates on the TCS and BSF programmes and a
host of resources and stimulus material for their use in their schools. The
STWS team used technology to full advantage, exploiting free
communication tools such as ‘Twitter’ and establish a sharing platform
through ‘Fronter’ and ‘4Shared’.
6. Immersion Days
At the outset of the programme, LeAds were invited to one of two full day
visits to a wide range of places where the organisation had undergone
significant change and this had informed the design of the space they
used. This included places like The Golden Lane Campus and Maggie’s
Centre. The purpose of the Immersion Days was to stimulate the LeAds in
to thinking about what was possible and to draw a strong link between
people, process and place.
7. Provocation Papers
As part of the material offered to LeAds the Provocation Papers collected
together articles from eight renowned national and international authors
about the importance transformation, learning and design.
8. SSfC workshop programme
The STTs were involved in a workshop series from June 2009 to October
2009 to support the development of the SSfC (School Strategy for Change).
The STWS worked with STTs to stimulate, challenge and provoke thinking
about the future of education and challenges facing schools. Each session
was designed to create the raw material needed to draft the SSfC.
Schools were encouraged to submit draft copies throughout the summer
and autumn terms for review and feedback. Following STWS guidance and
ongoing support all schools successfully submitted their SSfCs on Friday
18th December 2009. These documents sit as part of the suite of school
improvement documents that each schools has, capturing their long term
aspirations for change.

7. It was critical that the change journey was shaped by educational thinking
and not influenced too early by considerations of technology, building
needs or school design; therefore each SSfC is expected to be a ‘pure’
educational account of the school’s Big Ideas and implications for change.
SSfCs have been reviewed throughout the development phase and post
SfC phase will become ‘live’ documents again. Schools receive ongoing
support, guidance and recommendations to continually update their SSfC,
in line with their school development cycle.
9. Next Practice Visits
Building on the Immersion Days, LeAds were offered the opportunity to
visit a wide range of schools and organisations to examine ‘next practice’.
This programme was clearly defined from the outset as being more than
just a practice share and that venues must stretch the minds of the
participants regarding what is possible. The focus on these visits was on
people and process, but often the place was of great learning value too.
Participants were given activities to undertake at each location and all
visits were written up as part of a Collection of Next Practice Case Studies.
10. LtL visits
In addition to the Next Practice Visits, LeAds were also offered the chance
to visit some locations to examine the importance of landscape design and
learning outside the classroom. As part of the STWS commitment to
‘Whole Campus Learning’, participants followed a programme of activity
devised and delivered by Learning through Landscapes (LtL). The resulting
case study material has been written up as a guide to designing outdoor
learning spaces.
11. What makes a great school involvement programme
From June 2009 the STWS undertook a community involvement
programme that consisted of three distinct strands: engagement,
consultation and communication. Central to this programme was the
engagement activity focused on the question “What makes a great
school?” A range of innovative approaches were used to engage with a
wide range of stakeholders in schools, public spaces and community
groups. Video was used extensively and there is now over 30 hours of
footage related to the central question. There is also a report “The Great
School Characteristics Profile” summarising the findings from the process.
12. Development of Big Ideas
The STWS worked closely with colleagues in CYPL to support the
development of five ‘Big Ideas’ for change by facilitating workshops and
working groups and processing the outcomes. These are now the
cornerstone of the policies and strategies CYPL are developing
13. Development of Policies
As part of the wider TCS work, the STWS supported colleagues in CYPL to
develop policy statements in relation to nineteen national policy areas.
Through a series of one to one meetings and working groups these
overviews have been collected in a single overview document/
14. EDB workshop programme
As part of the STWS programme, all STTs also participated in a series of
design related workshops during the autumn term to create an EDB
(Educational Design Brief). This was an intensive period of work that
involved a wide range of tools that the STWS adapted and developed in

8. partnership with the schools. Each workshop was designed to create
material that the school could use in its EDB.
The EDB is a translation of the schools’ educational thinking and
aspirations into the implications for design and the use of technology. In
many schools the sessions were opened up to a wide range of staff and so
the EDB represents a shared language for design. This is not a technical
document, but a briefing process to enable the school to become a
sophisticated client, ready to engage meaningfully with architects and
designers in any capital project. All school EDBs have had extensive review
and have been returned to schools with recommendations, guidance and
tools to develop the content further.
15. Design team meetings to develop school master plans
From January 2010, the STWS team continued to work with schools and
the TCS Design Team to support a ‘learning led’ approach to school design.
The STWS Link for each school attended design meetings with the school
and also briefed the TCS Design Team as required.
16. Sorrell Foundation ‘Super Clients’
The Sorrell Foundation has engaged with the STWS during spring and
summer 2010. The Foundation has worked with a group of 40 young
people from Croydon, including those in schools and those not in formal
education. Participants have had the opportunity to become ‘Super
Clients’; learning skills that enable them to reach out to their peers,
passing on their knowledge and offering training and support. The
programme has been led by young people, for young people.
It has targeted young people in Years 7 and 10 in schools, and a group not
in formal education from the borough, creating a team with long-term
potential and ensuring the sustainability of the project over time. Older
students have acted as mentors to the younger, enabling the programme
to embed a succession plan for future leadership.
At the heart of the scheme was the role of the young person as a client,
and a custom approach ensured the initiative was built collaboratively
with them. By offering a menu of possible workshop elements to all
involved, young people were able to select items that they consider
important, as well as identifying new approaches. Some of this work was
designed to build upon previous research carried out in Croydon. The
programme will culminate in a celebration event in September 2010,
where the ‘Super Client Programme’ will be formally launched and the
Super Clients will undertake their first ‘live’ design project through School
Demonstration Projects.
17. Development of a joint SfC and Transformational Overview
The STWS was instrumental in the authoring of a collaborative inter-
borough document for Partnerships for Schools as part of the BSF process.
The Strategy for Change (SfC) submission contains an opening section
called the ‘Transformational Overview’ which captures how Local
Authorities will enable change to happen. The STWS worked closely with
Heads of Service and Directors through one to one meetings, working
groups and managing comments to create a joint submission.
18. Third Teacher

9. The STWS has worked with the BCSE to set up a ‘Third Teacher’ project at
Edenham School. The first of its kind, the project is seeking to transform
the dining experience at the school and draws upon local contractors to
develop the design and implement the solution. This is due for completion
over the summer holidays of 2010.
19. Learning Led Design Document Suite
The STWS used a wide range of techniques including seminars, workshops,
one to one meetings and dissemination to support Croydon schools in
creating a suite of design documents that can form part of their school
development cycle. This suite contains the SSfC, EDB and School Site
Master Plan.
20. Learning Led Design Toolkits
Each school also has a toolkit of resources to continue to develop their
documentation and formal review reports that recommend how the
documents might best be enhanced.
21. Demonstration Projects
These are founded on the principles of action research and capitalise on
the opportunity and time frame afforded by the TCS programme to
explore ideas ahead of significant capital investment. Many schools will
benefit from capital investment in the future and in the meantime, rather
than lose momentum following their recent investment in SSfCs and EDBs,
the demonstration projects look to test small scale changes and evaluate
the impact.
Each project will explore one of six change aspects and the implications for
design on FFE, architecture, ICT and the landscape. Schools have selected
and customised a project from a defined list to ensure there is breadth of
learning across the borough. Projects commenced in May 2010 and will
reach conclusion in February 2011.
The intention is that there is a project in every BSF school, so that a
teacher or learner would not have to travel far to experience innovation in
action in a relevant context to them. Findings from all demonstration
projects will be communicated through a case study publication in May
2011.
22. Acting as a critical friend for the schools
Throughout the STWS programme the team has positioned themselves as
critical friend to the school. Developing strong relationships as trusted
partners to challenge the school, where necessary, at all levels of
leadership in the school.
Service Transformation Work Stream Outcomes
1. All schools have reengaged effectively and constructively with the
LA
The STWS was able to conduct a total of 10 workshops with 20 schools
over the course of an eight month period; totaling over 30 hours of
engagement in that period with each school. Schools were both
accommodating and open to the level of engagement proposed. Feedback
from LeAds, STTs and leadership teams has been universally positive.

10. 2. There is now a strong partnering relationship with schools
The STWS programme was developed collegiately with schools, often
tailoring activities to the specific needs of schools and responding quickly
to requests or comments when activities were not working. Schools are
confident to the approach the STWS team with enquiries or requests for
support.
3. Schools have a legacy of documentation and a process to continue
to drive change and transformation through their existing school
development cycle
Every school that is in the BSF programme now has an SSfC, EDB and Site
Master Plan for their school. These are now owned by the school and
there is a programme in place to continue their development.
4. Successful completion and recognition of meeting PfS milestones
The STWS was instrumental in the timely completion of the ‘Readiness to
Deliver’ and ‘Strategy for Change’ milestone in the BSF programme set out
by Partnerships for Schools. The quality of work has been recognised at all
levels in the LA and by PfS.
5. Establishing and maintaining a culture of co-design
Throughout the STWS programme stakeholders have been empowered to
participate fully in both the activities and the design of the activities. The
STWS team has responded to feedback from stakeholders on the design of
sessions and has used collaboration techniques to share outcomes quickly.
The STWS has also used the co-design culture to embed an ethos of
challenge, where all participant voices are heard and recognised.
6. Schools as sophisticated clients
Schools have been using the approaches modeled by the STWS team in
capital projects currently being undertaken. This includes tools for
engagement and strategies for working with designers, architects and
contractors. Schools also have an shared language for design, articulated
in their EDB.
7. Schools considering the design of learning environments in new
ways
The emerging School Master Plans and also recent design work in schools
illustrates the effect the STWS programme has had on schools and their
approach to designing learning spaces. Over the course of the academic
year 2010/11 Croydon will start to see a new generation of learning space
emerge.
8. Supporting the professional development of teachers and school
leaders
The STWS activities for LeAds were designed not only to impact on the
wider TCS programme but were also constructed to enable individuals at
all levels in schools to develop as leaders. In the words of one LeAd,
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my role as LeAd and can’t tell you
how pleased I was when Richard offered me the position. It
has allowed me to develop in so many ways and I’ve also
benefited from lots of opportunities to visit other schools,
work with other LeAd’s and I’ve enjoyed working with my STT
too. Richard has been a great support and I couldn’t have
contributed where I did to the SSfC without his guidance,
support and encouragement.”

11. 9. Engaging young people so schools recognise the importance of
learners as the end user
Young people have been engaged at all levels of the STWS programme.
They have been active members of their STTs and some young people
have been able to participate in the Sorrell Foundation ‘Super Clients’
programme. Schools are already recognising the value young people bring
to the design process by involving them more fully and at an earlier stage
in current capital projects. Some schools such as Woodcote and Edenham
now have active student groups reporting to the Governing body on
matters relating to design.
10. Great School Characteristics Profile
The STWS Involvement Programme has created a series of short films
about what makes a great school and this has been summarised in a
report.
11. Embedding the LA 2040 vision into the language of the schools
Since the launch of the Croydon 2040 Vision, the STWS team has worked
with schools, through the programme to explore the implications of this
vision for their school and the community they serve. This has been
captured in SSfCs and EDBs across the borough.
12. Emerging designs for the demonstration projects
Demonstration Projects launched in May 2010 and there are currently ten
active projects in the programme with a range of interventions from iPads
at NMBEC to a new independent learning zone at Addington High School
and to edible landscape at Bensham Manor. There are designs now in
place for these first ten schools, with some projects being delivered over
the summer holidays. Evaluation of the impact will take place in the
autumn term 2010 and spring term of 2011.