About Professional Advocacy for Children in Education (PACE)

Making sure that pupils’ consistent experience is high quality ‌learning. ‌

Schools are responsible for school improvement; Derby City’s Professional Advocacy for Children in Education (previously known as School Improvement Team), in partnership with other teams across Children and Young People, is the team that fulfils the Council’s statutory school improvement duties. These include:

• promoting early action to tackle school underperformance so that it does not become entrenched and lead to formal school failure
• ensuring that effective support and challenge is provided when an unacceptable standard of education is identified, so that improvements can be made quickly
• decisive action if a school in special measures fails to make sufficient improvements, so that the education and life chances of pupils are protected.

These are seen as core duties, although other statutory requirements linked to school improvement include assessment and moderation, the Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE), Equalities and Safeguarding.

Schools themselves now play a leading role in school improvement, with ‘school to school support’ being the preferred model.