Contact: Felicity Roe, 01962 946374, [email protected]

Summary

1.1 The following decision is sought:

That Maximising Life Opportunties through Education, the Hampshire County Council Strategy for Education is approved for publication.

1 Reason

This decision supports Aim one of the Corporate Strategy Maximising Life Opportunities by setting out the strategy for Education.

2 Other Options considered and rejected:

None

3 Conflicts of Interest declared by the decision maker or other Executive Member consulted

None

4 Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee -

N/A

5 Reason(s) for the matter being dealt with if urgent

N/A

Approved by: Date:

Councillor T K Thornber CBE

Contact: Felicity Roe; 01962 846374; [email protected]

6 Summary

6.1 Cabinet are asked to consider a new Strategy for Education in Hampshire which has been prepared in consultation with colleagues across the County Council, schools, and a wide range of other partners and organisations. The strategy has been written to reflect the principles of the Children Bill as they impact on schools and education services for individual pupils and their families.

7 Background

7.1 Appendix 1 is a draft Strategy for Education in Hampshire which Cabinet are asked to consider and endorse.

7.2 Preparation of this document started in 2003, and it has been subject to extensive consultation within the County Council, with schools and with a wide range of other partners and organisations.

8 What it is for

8.1 The strategy sets out the direction and ethos for Education in Hampshire, covering schools, but also wider lifelong learning activities. It outlines the role of Hampshire County Council as a leader, facilitator and partner in education for the community of Hampshire, however that education is provided. There is nothing fundamentally new in what it espouses, but this is the first time the principles and general philosophy of Hampshire education have been set out in a single succinct document. It has been widely welcomed during consultation as an inclusive document that gives clear leadership to the education community of Hampshire.

8.2 The strategy has been written to reflect the principles of the Children Bill as they impact on schools and education services for individual pupils and their families.

9 How it fits with County Council planning

9.1 The reduction in statutory planning requirements following achievement of Excellent status has enabled a review of the planning documentation for education. This sits alongside changes the DfES is implementing across all LEAs, rationalising all statutory planning into a requirement to produce a single plan (from which Hampshire would be exempt because of Excellent status).

9.2 A suite of strategies and policies (eg Primary Strategy, Extended Schools Strategy, Lifelong Learning Strategy) to support this strategic overview document are either already in place, or in the process of preparation. These will be brought together within a dedicated set of web pages, and the main ones will be published, as a set, in hard copy.

9.3 The draft Strategy for Education in Hampshire reflects main aim one of the corporate strategy within its title Maximising Life Opportunties through Education. It complements the emphasis on education and lifelong learning within the corporate strategy and the member priorities.

10 The Children Bill

10.1 The strategy has been written to reflect the principles of the Children Bill as they impact on schools and education services for individual pupils and their families. Within the ethos the strategy sets out, the emphasis is on every learner developing their skills to the full, and being protected from harm. There is a strong emphasis on schools being at the centre of their communities, and offering levels of support depending on need. All of this reflects core material from the Children Bill, and sets out the strategic education element of the wider children's services agenda.

11 Legal Implications

11.1 None

12 Financial implications

12.1 This strategy sets the direction for the use of available resources

13 Personnel Implications

13.1 The strategy sets out the direction and ethos within which staff work.

14 Impact assessment for equalities

14.1 This strategy is intended to be all-embracing, seeking to be inclusive, and prevent discrimination. The principle of equal access for all is firmly established in the opening section.

15 Crime Prevention Issues

15.1 By continuing work to deliver inclusive education, and help everyone to fulfil their full potential, the ability to prevent disaffection will increase. The work of many parts of the education service contributes to preventing young people from becoming involved in crime.

16 Views of local County Councillors

16.1 This is a Hampshire-wide document and the views of local councillors have not been sought. The draft strategy was considered by the policy review committee in December.

Recommendation

1 Cabinet are asked to consider the strategy, make any recommendations for changes, and endorse its publication.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background documents

The following documents discuss facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and have been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB: the list excludes

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

List documents here or type `none'.

Hampshire County Council Strategy for Education

Maximising life opportunities through education

Introduction

This document focuses on Hampshire County Council's education vision and principles as the Local Education Authority for Hampshire. It sets out the values and goals that the County Council aspires to in its work and partnerships with children, parents, pupils, adult learners, education providers, public, private and voluntary organisations and the wider community.

Underpinning everything in this brief document is a web site which brings together all the Education strategies and policies.

The results of successive MORI surveys of the residents of Hampshire support this vision. These consistently identify education as a service of major importance to the community's priorities, and indicate a high level of satisfaction with the provision.

Education in the 21^st Century cannot be delivered by one organisation in isolation from others. Much of the work to meet the educational needs of the communities of Hampshire relies on a partnership approach. This is emphasised in this document. As a partner, the County Council seeks high standards from everyone who shares responsibilities for education and learning within the community of Hampshire.

In line with the Hampshire County Council corporate strategy, this document places a focus on supporting areas of relative deprivation, some of these in small pockets in otherwise affluent areas. Likewise the County Council is committed to ensuring equality of opportunity for everyone, where rights, respects and responsibilities are recognised, regardless of faith, ethnicity, disability, gender or sexual orientation.

The County Council, operating within a strong national education framework, seeks to interpret and adapt national legislation and guidance in ways best suited to local circumstances. Again, this increasingly demands effective partnerships with a wide range of organisations.

1.1.1

Comprehensive and inclusive education with a focus on the learner

A range of learning opportunities through a balanced and creative curriculum

Recognising different learning styles

The role of schools

1.1.2 A focus on the learner

2

Hampshire County Council has a vision of a comprehensive and inclusive education system in which every learner, whatever their special needs and abilities:

- is given appropriate support to access education fully

- is accorded equal worth and protected from harm

- enjoys learning

- is equipped with the values, knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to live life to the full.

Education in Hampshire, for all age groups, will offer a balanced and creative curriculum. This will be challenging and have breadth and depth, accommodating different learning styles. It will offer opportunities in sport and the arts alongside academic disciplines. It will develop learners' understanding of their rights and responsibilities as citizens and members of their communities.

Individuals learn in many different ways and effective learning takes place in diverse environments. The County Council, working in partnership with other education providers, will create a range of learning opportunities to meet individual needs.

Local schools serve their local communities and each has a distinctive ethos which we celebrate. Schools will work in partnership with each other, and with other organisations, sharing facilities, good practice and expertise for the benefit of their pupils and the wider community. In this way, Hampshire schools will be part of a network of school and community facilities where every child, with varying levels of support depending on their needs, can find their niche and achieve their full potential.

Within this environment, education in Hampshire should enable learners to develop as self respecting, creative, skilled, motivated and emotionally literate individuals. These will be people who enjoy learning, are able to communicate effectively, behave responsibly and play a full part in society.

2.1.1

Education resources for the Hampshire community

Buildings and Landscapes

2.1.2 Resources for Education

On behalf of the community of Hampshire,

the County Council administers the Local Education Authority's budget, and therefore the budgets of schools and some other publicly funded education providers. The County Council will endeavour to allocate these resources to ensure the best outcome for the community as a whole. This will include consideration of the particular needs of areas of relative deprivation, and of rural communities.

Well designed and maintained buildings and surroundings contribute to effective learning and provide good community facilities. Drawing on a range of funding opportunities as well as its own resources, the County Council will work to support the development and effective management of high quality buildings and their surrounding landscapes.

Preventing social exclusion

High quality education for all children

School accountability

School co-operation and collaboration

Valuing professional and personal development

Workforce and work-life balance

The County Council will work to co-ordinate its resource use as effectively as possible to ensure the wellbeing of children and families. Multi-agency services will support all children in the community according to their needs, and work intensively with the most vulnerable to prevent social exclusion. At the heart of their communities, schools and other education providers have an important role to play to achieve this and to offer their communities access to support and facilities.

The County Council and Schools

Hampshire County Council has a joint responsibility with schools to enable all Hampshire's children to access education of the highest quality and to protect children from harm. This will include appropriate provision for pupils whose needs must be met in special ways. Working in partnership with governors and headteachers, the County Council will support self-managing schools, provide leadership and set strategic direction and the policy framework.

Schools and other education providers funded by the County Council will be held accountable by the County Council for the quality of the service they provide. Schools are also accountable to their parents through their governors, and to the Secretary of State for Education through the Ofsted inspection system. The aim is for these accountabilities to complement each other to ensure all education providers are effective and highly valued by their local communities.

The County Council will seek the most effective ways of working with schools, and of enabling schools to work together. This will ensure that best practice in all aspects of education provision is identified, validated, and disseminated effectively. The County Council will strive to overcome barriers and to influence legislation to enhance this partnership.

School and County Council staff, governors, elected members and volunteers are highly valued and vital to the delivery of this strategy. The County Council recognises that continuous professional and personal development of its whole workforce is at the heart of every learning community.

Staff within partner organisations will share development needs with us, and as multi-agency work develops, so joint training of professional staff from partner organisations with school and County Council staff will develop.

Headteachers, teachers, support staff and others involved in school life need to enjoy learning and helping others to learn. Striking the right balance in the school and County Council workforce to ensure reasonable workloads will be a very important task.

The County Council and the wider education community

Good education for the whole community

Early years education

Family learning

Young people

Post-16 and adult education

People develop their knowledge, understanding and skills throughout life, before and after school age, and at different times and places in the community, workplace, college or home.

The funding for education administered by the County Council is one of a number of significant sources of public and private funding available to the Hampshire community for education and learning. This emphasises the importance of all education providers working in partnership to provide high quality education though the people best placed to deliver it. By offering complementary provision they can maximise the impact excellent education and learning can have in improving the social and economic prospects of individuals and communities.

The County Council will continue to recognise the vital importance of high quality early years education and childcare in preventing social exclusion and maximising life chances. The County Council will work with schools and other providers to enable all children and their families to access these opportunities.

Family Learning will continue to be an important part of this work particularly in helping people to develop basic literacy and numeracy, IT skills, and a healthy lifestyle.

The County Council is committed to providing opportunities for young people to challenge themselves and to find education that suits their learning styles and needs. For the 14-19 age group, the County Council will encourage effective links between schools, Further Education, 6^th form colleges and employers to offer access to work related and vocational courses, linking with the Local Learning and Skills Council. The Youth Service and Connexions will ensure that challenging opportunities and support services, including careers information, advice and guidance, are available to young people.

Post-16 and adult education is delivered through a network of providers, commissioned by the Local Learning and Skills Council (LLSC). The County Council will work with the LLSC to develop a collaborative approach to provision that avoids duplication and provides a wide range of opportunities. The County Council will continue to support programmes for adult learning, sports and arts developments, childcare, recreational activity and the use of school facilities by local community groups.

Summary

This strategy summarises what the County Council does in partnership with other providers to provide education opportunities for people in Hampshire. Education is not just about academic achievement and preparation for adult life; it helps communities to be safe, and economically viable. Education is not just about what happens at school: it is a lifelong process. Within this broad vision, individuals matter. The County Council wants everyone in Hampshire to benefit from education throughout their lives.