LEA stands for: Local Educational Association. This group is made up from people who are members of local education authorities in different parts of the UK. They are the people who set the educational agenda for their areas of jurisdiction. They have been appointed by the government of each area so that educational decisions are taken on their behalf.
This term was first introduced to help people get a clearer idea about what local education agencies do and how they work. These local education agencies then began to advertise themselves as an authority for student academic health, pupil health and social care, pupil success and student academic guidance. The term has now been widely used in education circles to describe any body that sets educational agendas for pupils in a specific area.
It now covers all bodies that influence pupil achievement.
The first task of a local education agency is to prepare a draft strategy for the year ahead. This document is known as an annual review. An annual review helps schools and pupil guardians to make sure that the strategies they have in place work well and that there is a co-ordinated effort to improve student academic achievement. The annual review gives a clear picture of how the last year’s activities were managed and if the next year’s plan is likely to achieve better results. The annual review also gives a clear indication of how well the local education agencies and councils are working in terms of student populations, school achievement and student populations who need additional support. This is important for schools because the success of their students can have a huge impact on their local economy.
Local education agencies must take into account: Many factors when developing their annual report and strategy. One of the key considerations will be student populations, the needs of these pupils and their parents and guardians and the quality of teachers and other staff in the schools. The quality of the teaching workforce is crucial and so too is the quality of classroom management and the attitudes and behaviour of other staff. There may be a need for corrective actions in schools if the overall performance in terms of achievement and student academic achievement is below expectations. In this situation corrective action plans will be needed to help bring up the levels of achievement.
The second key: Factor in what is led in education is how teachers interact with each other. It is important for a teacher to be able to build up a positive relationship with colleagues and co-operate with them to ensure the achievement of school goals. The attitude of other teachers towards a teacher is also vital and this should be monitored to ensure that the best teachers get the rewards and recognition that they deserve.
The third key: Factor to what is led in education is the attitude of parents and guardians towards local education. This can have a major impact on the achievement of a child’s education. Providing a good local education is important and this needs to be considered by school head teachers and parents and guardians. They need to know what is available locally and also need to be aware of the different ways in which they can contribute to enhance the quality of local education. The local education agency is there to support them in all these efforts and it is vital that this agency provides high quality support and guidance.