Agenda item

For the Committee to receive a report on the new Education Strategy following the comprehensive review of the 2018 Education and Skills Strategy.

Contributors:

Cllr Anita Cranmer, Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services & Education

Simon James, Service Director, Education

Gareth Drawmer, Head of Achievement and Learning

Papers: Report,  Education Strategy and Equality Impact Assessment

The Chairman invited Cllr Anita Cranmer, Cabinet Member for Children’s and Education, Simon James, Service Director, Education, and Gareth Drawmer, Head of Achievement and Learning, to speak on this item.

In their presentation, the following points were highlighted:

·       The strategy had gone through a review process with partners at the end of 2021 and went to public and member consultation in 2022.  106 responses had been received from children.

·       Key themes emerging from the consultation included the need for more early years and secondary provision, as well as specialist SEND provision.

·       The strategy had five key priorities, all of which had their own success measures monitored through the Education Strategy Board (joint board across schools and local authority officers) as follows:

1.      Having the right number of places available in the county

2.      Preparing learners for adulthood

3.      Collaboration of school improvement to raise standards

4.      Embedding inclusion across Buckinghamshire

5.      Supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of children

During the discussion, comments and questions raised by the Committee included:

·       Concerns were raised about the low response rate in the public consultation. It was noted that the strategy went to consultation again for this reason, and time was dedicated to consult with Members as well. It was noted that the strategic priorities and aims were broadly agreed and accepted by the public, resulting in fewer responses. Furthermore, the consultation took place during Covid. In future, more face-to-face promotion would be conducted across the county.

·       A Member urged that the strategy should be shared with departments to ensure that future school provision is considered as part of the Buckinghamshire plan. It was noted that joint work was already undertaken across education, housing and property, and that Kingsbrook school was a positive example of this. An analysis had also been done on areas that had high levels of pupil capacity across the county, with new schools being built through section 106 funding.

·       Concerns were raised around the recruitment and retention of teaching assistants, particularly in special education institutions. This was considered as part of the strategy, with efforts to make Buckinghamshire a more attractive place for teaching assistants to work. The impact of term-time-only remuneration was also being examined as a priority with school leaders. A working group was also looking at recruitment and retention in education more widely, particularly around the decrease in applicants for teacher training.

·       A Member asked what nursery and childcare provisions were available to access by parents and carers. The current percentage quality in terms of early years providers continued to be strong, with 96% being good or outstanding. Consideration was also given to families who could access funding as a result of new legislation. The early years team were particularly focusing on the quality of provision. Training for staff around inclusion was an important factor, as more children were entering early years settings. A review of childcare in the local authority was published annually to strategically identify gaps in service provision, and this was monitored regularly. Population growth was also closely monitored for future planning.

·       In response to a Member’s question, it was noted that children who are not attending school, or attending different parts of education, were also monitored. For more vigilance, there were plans to increase capacity in the attendance team, particularly in more disadvantaged areas. Exclusion rates had decreased significantly in the past years, with the authority now reaching levels below the national average. Reasons for exclusion are closely monitored to prevent future exclusions.

The Chairman thanked the presenters for their attendance and participation.