APPENDIX 2

Hampshire County Council

Maximising well-being through education

A policy statement for education in Hampshire schools and colleges.

This policy statement summarises Hampshire County Council's education vision and principles. It sets out the values and goals that the County Council aspires to in its work with children, adult learners, parents, educational providers, public and voluntary organisations and the wider community so that Hampshire is a better place for children. It gives a commitment to the community of Hampshire about how the County Council will work with schools, colleges and other partners to implement its vision and principles.

The vision

A focus on the learner

Hampshire County Council is committed to maintaining a high quality, comprehensive and inclusive education system offering choice and diversity in which every learner -

· Is given appropriate support to access education fully

· Is accorded equal worth, protected from harm and enabled to be healthy

· Respects and accords equal worth to others and acknowledges one another's rights and responsibilities

· Enjoys learning and is enabled to achieve well

· Is equipped with the values, knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to live life to the full.

From the earliest years to higher and adult education, every learner in Hampshire will be given opportunities to develop high self-esteem, respect for others and positive and socially responsible behaviour, enabling them to play a full and happy role in society. This will be achieved through a commitment to high standards with responsibilities shared between learners, parents, educational providers and other public and voluntary organisations. At the heart of this is the County Council's expectation that all providers share this ambition and its commitment to work with them in making full and appropriate provision that takes account of the needs and aspirations of all children in the community that they serve.

A broad, rich and innovative curriculum

Education in Hampshire, at every age, should enable learners to develop as healthy, safe, self-respecting, creative, skilled, motivated and emotionally confident individuals who enjoy learning, achieve well and are able to communicate effectively.

A broad, rich and innovative curriculum for all age groups will be challenging and have breadth and depth. It will recognise and provide for different learning preferences and be responsive to the learning needs of every child. It will develop learners holistically and develop their understanding of their rights and responsibilities as citizens and members of their community.

The principles

Hampshire County Council believes that the following principles should guide educational provision for all learners in all educational settings. It will actively promote partnership between schools, colleges and all those supporting their work to ensure that they are at the heart of their educational provision.

1. There is excellence in attainment and achievement with high aspirations and an entitlement to good progress for all.

2. Schools and colleges are learning communities with cultures that promote and support effective teaching with active and participative learning.

3. The school or college ethos places a high value on developing self-esteem and ensuring that learning takes place in a stimulating, purposeful and creative environment.

4. The curriculum is broad, rich and innovative, so that it is responsive to the different learning needs of every child and young person and delivers their entitlement to appropriate education and training.

5. Timely and appropriate information is shared and used between and within schools and other appropriate agencies to inform effective learning.

6. All children and young people are supported to overcome barriers to learning. Their learning moves at a challenging but realistic pace.

7. Good behaviour is promoted and poor behaviour is managed well.

8. The school or college works in close partnership with parents and other partners and demonstrates a commitment to its local community.

There are more detailed commentaries on how these principles can be followed in provision for children and young people of all ages. These can be found at: http://www3.hants.gov.uk/education/hias/hampshireprimarystrategy/primaryprinciples.htm

Commitment to the community of Hampshire

The community's resources for education

The Hampshire budget, including the budgets of schools and some other publicly funded education providers, belongs to the community of Hampshire. The budget, most of which comes from central government, is overseen by the County Council with most day-to-day spending decisions delegated to schools under its scheme for local financial management. The County Council will continue to endeavour to ensure that schools have an appropriate level of resources to meet the expectations of this policy statement.

Schools and other educational providers funded by the County Council are commissioned to provide education in accordance with this policy statement. They have a responsibility to use their resources to secure the best possible outcomes for children and are accountable to the County Council, on behalf of Hampshire people, for the service they provide.

The County Council will support and encourage schools and colleges to use their facilities in ways which best serve their local population and which encourage communities as a whole to value education. This includes the further development of children's centres and extended school partnerships to ensure that improved and better integrated provision for children, families and the wider community are locally available.

Working with schools, colleges and other education providers

The County Council has an enhanced strategic role under the Education and Inspections Act 2006. It will fulfil its responsibilities to promote high standards, diversity, choice and the fulfilment of every child's educational potential through partnership with schools, colleges and other educational settings. Children's Services staff will challenge and support schools by promoting a climate of mutual trust and respect among schools and with other education professionals. It will broker or provide focused school improvement work that enables learners to receive the quality of education that the County Council commissions its schools to provide. The County Council will use its powers of intervention in those rare instances where school performance is poor, working to protocols that reflect government guidance and established effective practice in Hampshire.

Hampshire County Council has a joint responsibility with education providers to enable all Hampshire children to access the highest possible quality of education, to promote their health and well-being and to protect them from harm. It will work in partnership to make the best possible provision for vulnerable groups as defined in its Children's and Young People's Plan. The County Council is the corporate parent for children in care. All County Council employees, including those in schools, share in this responsibility. The County Council will work with schools and colleges to give high priority to securing an appropriate place for children in care and ensuring that they make good progress.

The County Council will seek the most effective ways of working with all those providing services for children, encouraging and enabling them to work collaboratively to ensure the best possible provision for all learners in each local community. It will support informal and formal arrangements that serve this end and will challenge vigorously practices that undermine collaborative working and may disadvantage learners. The County Council will strive to overcome barriers to collaboration and to influence legislation to enhance partnership working.

Schools and their communities are supported by a wide range of public and voluntary organisations. Hampshire County Council will work to establish the best possible communication and partnership between these varied professions and interests. It will ensure that responsibilities are clear and that services are provided efficiently.

Hampshire County Council and the wider community

People develop their knowledge, understanding and skills throughout life and at different times and places. In support of this the County Council will encourage its schools to become centres of learning for the whole community. It will work through partnerships to secure funding for appropriate facilities on school sites.

Pre-school education and the provision of educational opportunities outside the school curriculum are valuable in enabling children to have a full range of educational experiences. The County Council works with schools and other providers to enable all children to access these opportunities, often in partnership with others, through the provision of pre-school education, parent/carer support, family learning, out-of-school clubs, outdoor education and study support. It will work in close partnership with private providers and the voluntary sector to ensure the establishment of a comprehensive network of children's centres to enhance and integrate pre-school provision for children and families. It will continue to support the expansion of provision through extended schools partnerships to make available a range of additional opportunities matched to the needs of the local community.

The County Council is committed to working with other partners to provide opportunities for young people to challenge themselves and to find means of education that suit their needs and learning preferences. It will work in partnership with schools and all providers of education for 16-19 year olds to ensure that all young people can, from the age of 14, access their entitlement to a comprehensive range of courses that reflect high aspirations for their achievement and provide them with relevant skills for adult life. It will also ensure that challenging opportunities and high quality support are available through a range of youth services. The County Council will work with employers and Education Business Partnerships to ensure that schools are informed about and engaged with the widest possible access to workplace training and development opportunities. It will take a lead role in ensuring that there is coherence in the information, advice and support available to individual learners at times when they need it.

Adult and community learning will be provided through a network of locally managed centres based on school sites, children's centres and other community settings, through funding agreements with locally based providers and effective links with all funding sources. Family learning will continue to be an important part of this provision, particularly in helping people to develop literacy, numeracy and information technology skills.

Conclusion

Research shows that well-being is positively correlated with achievement. Schools, colleges and other education providers achieve better outcomes for children when they place high value on the quality of relationships and foster autonomy, respect, resilience and self-esteem. Successful educational outcomes are most likely to be achieved when there are high expectations and aspirations for the achievement of children, young people and the adults who work with them. Through this policy statement the County Council signals its commitment to leading the community of Hampshire, working in strong partnerships with all providers, so that the well-being of all children and young people is maximised through the highest possible quality of education throughout the county.