Archived decisions

Hampshire County Council

Primary Capital Programme

Strategy for Change

Submission to the Department for Children, Schools and Families

June 2008

1. Introduction

1.1 This document sets out Hampshire County Council's approach to planning and implementing the Primary Capital Programme (PCP) in Hampshire. It has been produced following consultation with key partners.

1.2 The analysis and approach set out in this Strategy for Change draw on a number of established and recent policy initiatives, both national and local. At its heart is a commitment to capital investment in schools as a means of raising attainment and facilitating development of the role of schools at the hub of their communities. It looks, therefore, beyond the traditional view of improving and repairing school buildings as ends in themselves and embraces the well-being agenda and the modernising vision embodied in the Children's Plan.

1.3 The approach followed in setting out the Strategy for Change is to provide contextual information about Hampshire and to set out the basic principles underlying the County Council's approach to the delivery of Children's Services. Baseline analysis sets the scene for the long-term aims which will be supported by the Primary Capital Programme and other investment strands. Finally, the intended approach to planning and implementation of the PCP is set out, covering the involvement of key partners, prioritisation of investment and procurement and delivery strategy.

1.4 Hampshire County Council welcomes the opportunities offered by the PCP to support its policies to develop and enhance primary education in Hampshire and the role of primary schools in their communities.

2. The Local Perspective in Hampshire

Demographic background

2.1 Hampshire is a diverse county with a population in 2001 of 1.24 million, divided among 11 district councils. There is a mixture of urban and rural areas, with several of the former having been established in the 1960s and 1970s, partly as a result of growth around the outskirts of the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton and also through planned London overspill, where small market towns were significantly expanded. By the end of the twentieth century this demographic legacy had produced a more stable, generally ageing population, particularly in urban areas. This has, in turn, generated significant numbers of surplus school places, especially in primary schools.

2.2 At the same time, further localised housing growth has taken place on the edge of established urban communities, which has generated the need for four new primary schools in the last ten years. A further five new primary schools are planned in the next five years to provide places on housing developments planned to start in the near future. The South East Plan suggests that this localised growth will continue at an accelerated pace for the foreseeable future.

2.3 Although it can be argued that Hampshire is a relatively advantaged and prosperous part of the country, the county's demographic inheritance, together with its large rural population, means that there are nevertheless areas of significant deprivation and disadvantage.

2.4 There are a number of different measures of deprivation:

· Free School Meals eligibility;

· Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) which rank national postcodes in Super Output Areas (SOAs) on a scale from 1 (most deprived) to 32,482 (least deprived); and

· a new, more fine grained, deprivation measure developed by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) based on Tax Credit data. This new measure produces a ranking where 1% represents the least deprived and 100% the most deprived.

2.5 Appendix A shows these factors side by side and each measure shows that there is much variation in deprivation in the schools in each district. Using Tax Credit data, Appendix B indicates that Havant has 53% of its area in the upper 50% nationally, with 24% in the highest 20%. Gosport has 56% of its area in the upper 50% and Basingstoke and Deane 19%. In contrast, East Hampshire and Hart districts have no schools at all in this category. This mixed picture of deprivation presents the County Council with significant challenges to meet a diverse range of needs.

Philosophy and approach - a focus on the learner

2.6 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.

2.7 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

2.8 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.

2.9 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.

3. Baseline Analysis

Primary school places

3.1 The County Council has for several years adopted a range of strategies to address falling rolls and surplus primary school places. Since 1998 there has been a reduction of over 9,000 primary age places (9% of the 1998 total) as a result of reuse of surplus teaching accommodation for specialist or community use and area reviews of provision which have resulted in amalgamations and/or school closures. In the latter cases the County Council's policy is to deliver substantial building improvements in the schools which remain, often through the reinvestment of capital receipts. The policies adopted have enabled the County Council to control both its overall percentage of surplus primary places and the number of schools with 25% or more surplus places at or below the national average in spite of the very significant fall in rolls over a relatively short period.

3.2 Overall pupil numbers in the primary phase are forecast to reduce further until 2011 and thereafter will begin to rise slightly. It is essential, therefore, that effective management of surplus places continues and is taken into account in targeting capital investment, particularly that available through the Primary Capital Programme. There is a strong commitment to delivering a pattern of provision which meets future demand in terms of pupil numbers, as well as curriculum and community needs.

Primary school performance

3.3 The results of the 2006 and 2007 national tests at Key Stage 2, excluding special schools, are shown in Table 1.

Table 1 - Key Stage 2 results in 2006 and 2007

3.4 The 2007 test results show that the number of children reaching level 4+ in Hampshire has risen to 85% in English and 81% in mathematics, in excess of the national rate. At level 4, when compared with statistical neighbours, Hampshire is always at or above the average in all elements. In the same comparison at level 5 Hampshire is comfortably above the average in many elements, and never below.

3.5 The 2007 Key Stage 1 national assessments show that, against the national trend, standards in Hampshire have been raised in reading, writing and mathematics at level 2 and level 3. 87% of Hampshire's children achieved level 2+ (the national expectation) in reading, one point up on 2006. This was three points above the national average and one point when compared to the average of Hampshire's statistical neighbours, both of which remained the same as last year. In Hampshire, the results at level 3 rose three points to 32%. This is six points above the national figures and two points above statistical neighbours. This improvement is much greater than the former group, while results nationally, remain the same.

3.6 There is an improvement in the performance of writing at level 2+. 85% reached this level, up one point on last year. This is above the national results by five points and those of statistical neighbours by two points. However, while the results for those reaching level 3 rose by one point, this is still substantially lower than Hampshire's statistical neighbours and just below the national average. Nevertheless, there has been a closing of the gap compared to the previous year, and standards have risen. Nationally and within the statistical neighbours, there has been a decline.

3.7 93% reached the national expectation in mathematics, equalling the highest county result ever. The number reaching level 3 rose by two points to 24%. This is above the statistical neighbours by two points and higher than the national average by four points.

3.8 Table 2 shows the numbers of primary schools below floor targets in 2006 and 2007.

Table 2 - Primary schools below floor targets in 2006 and 2007

	English		Mathematics		English and mathematics
	2006	2007	2006	2007	2006	2007
No. of primary schools below floor target	27	19	52	31	22	17
% of primary schools below floor target	9%	6%	17%	10%	7%	6%

3.9 The past year has demonstrated considerable success in reducing the number of schools in Hampshire which perform below the national floor target of 65% for pupils aged 11, in English, mathematics or both. Those schools that remain below the floor target are proportionately represented in the most deprived areas and districts of the County.

3.10 Overall, 77 schools with Key Stage 2 pupils are currently underperforming according to their contextual value added (CVA) data. These are schools where, typically, the progress made by large groups of pupils is significantly below average, including the identified underachieving groups. This amounts to 25% of the 305 schools in Hampshire with Key Stage 2 test results. Of the 25%, 70 of the schools are in the bottom quartile of CVA nationally - the slowest rates of progress. Analysis by district demonstrates that the underperforming schools based on 2007 data are located as shown in Table 3:

Table 3

District council area	No. of under-performing KS2 schools	% of KS2 schools under-performing
Gosport	8	47%
Havant	10	44%
Rushmoor	5	29%
Eastleigh	7	27%
Fareham	6	27%
New Forest	9	26%
Test Valley	9	24%
Basingstoke and Deane	9	20%
East Hampshire	6	19%
Winchester	6	19%
Hart	2	11%
Totals	77	25%

3.11 The 2007 results represent a considerable reduction on the numbers for 2006. There is, nevertheless, the need to continue with this work and also to address the gender differences in attainment in English and mathematics.

3.12 The 2007 transition data (end of Key Stage 1 to the end of Key Stage 2) show the percentage achieving two levels of progress in English (reading and writing combined), Mathematics has improved from the position in 2006. In English the rise is by four points and in mathematics by three points. Despite this, in English, Hampshire is still one point lower than the south-east (SE) region schools and in line with national figures. In mathematics, Hampshire is in line with SE region schools and one point below the national figure.

3.13 The rates of transition have improved incrementally over the past four years (for which figures are available), with the exception of a dip in the 2006 results in mathematics; although these figures recovered in 2007. Using sub-levelling at the end of Key Stage 1, the issue for attention in English is the comparatively low numbers (comparison with SE region schools and schools nationally) converting from level 2c to level 4. In mathematics, the issue is level 2b to level 4, as well as, to a lesser extent, conversions from level 3 to level 5. The transition rate has been a school improvement focus in the first year of primary school improvement partners (SIPs) operating in Hampshire. This has provided the opportunity to challenge and offer support to schools where the situation has been most marked. The 2007 results have shown an improvement as detailed above.

3.14 Of the pupils entitled to free school meals (FSM), 46% reached L4+ in both English and mathematics. This is the same as schools in the SE region, but five points lower than the national average. 76% of pupils not entitled to FSM reached the same level. This was one point higher that the SE region and at the level of the national average. Fischer Family Trust data on pupils with FSM, based on Contextual Value Added data over a three year period (3,525 pupils), show that progress is significantly lower than could be expected for this specific group.

Raising standards

3.15 Improvements in the building stock are already helping to build on this work and operate hand in hand with national and local intervention programmes - through project management in order to maximise the resources of the school improvement team. National programmes, locally adapted and applied, have included the Primary Leadership Programme and the Intensifying Support Programme (involving around 40 and 20 schools respectively, in each year) which, as the data have repeatedly demonstrated, have shown considerable improvements in standards where they are in place. Results have risen at a greater rate than in Hampshire schools more generally. Better school environments will help with the work of these programmes very significantly, not only arresting the decline in educational standards in some schools but also reversing this decline. A number of strands are already in place, but to bring about the transformational change required will require investment in better buildings which are appropriate for the 21^st century, as envisaged in the Children's Plan.

3.16 While the County Council's long term strategy is to raise the standards in all schools, areas of deprivation and relatively low performance need to have the highest priority. Priorities set at the start of the PCP strategy will need to be reviewed every three to five years to make sure that schools in most need are being targeted for investment. This approach will also allow the County Council to re-profile any spending to include building condition should a school deteriorate to such an extent that it requires replacement.

3.17 The work of School Improvement Partners (SIPs) challenges and supports schools through self-evaluation and helping to target early intervention. SIPs work closely with the Inspection and Advice Service to ensure that robust and secure processes are in place to identify early the strengths and weaknesses of schools and the under-achievement of vulnerable children. These processes identify schools where intervention and support can remove barriers to success.

Health and well-being

3.18 In February 2007 the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre published its report "An overview of child well-being in rich countries." In a ranked order of 21 countries, the United Kingdom was placed 21^st. A key finding of this report is that the United Kingdom education system performs quite well in relation to other OECD countries in attainment, narrowly defined. What it fails to do is to educate all its children well. These are not, exclusively, young people who fall into "vulnerable" groups - young people in public care, those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, young carers, or young parents, for example. The issue is far bigger. Comparative statistics indicate that educational attainment seems to be related more to culture and aspiration than to simple measures related to wealth.

3.19 More than basic skills are needed if young people are to cope well with the changing demands of labour markets. In the United Kingdom the recent Leitch Report sets out the changing nature of the economy and, therefore, the kind of educational performance that is needed to provide a workforce that is fit for purpose. 35% of 15 year olds do not expect to find work requiring more than low skills, which is of particular concern because those low-skilled jobs are unlikely to exist in the economy of the future.

3.20 Taken overall, this research describes a serious situation for the United Kingdom's children and young people, particularly those in the teenage years. Hampshire's pupil attitude survey has revealed that a large number of young people feel disempowered in their lives in school. While the County Council's figures for young people not in education, employment or training after the age of 16 are lower than in many other parts of the country, they are much higher than in other European countries. In 2006, nearly a thousand young people in mainstream schools left the compulsory years of education without even the most basic of qualifications in educational attainment.

3.21 The County Council has resolved to support a declaration on these issues which emerged from a UNICEF conference in June 2007, namely that the principles set out in the Declaration should inform the Council's future planning for the improvement of services to support the well-being of children and young people in the county. Subsequent ministerial statements are consistent with the aims of the declaration, for example the continuation of the Children's Fund, an increase in funding to support children's mental health, an initiative to consult on the best ways to ensure that parents are supported in striking the right balance between protecting their children and allowing them to learn and explore safely, without being wrapped up in cotton wool; ways to extend anti-bullying policies to children's homes, extended school services, and youth groups; and an initiative designed to develop fun, safe, and effective children's play, recognising that play is a central part of any happy childhood and essential to learning and development.

3.22 As part of the Every Child Matters agenda, Locality Teams have been set up across the county to help bridge the gap that currently exists between universal services, such as schools, and services with high thresholds such as social work. The `operational toolkit' of Locality Teams is the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and information sharing. The objective of these teams is to provide local infrastructure to support the CAF process, including earlier intervention and more integrated working for improved outcomes. In the longer term it is anticipated that these will become multi-agency and co-located.

3.23 Also within the Every Child Matters agenda, the County Council is working to improve the physical well-being of children. There has been a focus on healthy eating in our primary schools for some time, not just in response to recent national criticism of the type of food being offered within primary schools, but over a number of years, when new, healthier menus were introduced. There has been a continued investment in the upgrading of the kitchen equipment and several serveries have been converted into cooking kitchens in order to provide the pupils with fresh hot food. Providers of school meals also work with families within communities to explain that good nutritional meals can be easy and quick to cook and there is no need for the reliance on convenience foods.

3.24 In conjunction with district councils, Hampshire County Council has also invested heavily to provide access to both indoor and outdoor areas for sport. In terms of indoor facilities the provision of primary school halls on sites which are large enough to accommodate such a building has continued over several years. There are, however, over 100 existing primary school halls which are too small or of an inappropriate shape to support the curriculum effectively. Some primary schools are now in the process of having synthetic multi-use games areas laid to allow the external games to continue even during wet weather. Comprehensive support and advice is provided to schools, particularly about how external funding can be accessed and the opportunities for wider community use of such facilities.

3.25 There is a range of resourced provision of good quality for children with special educational needs based in primary mainstream schools and continued investment using capital funding from the Schools Access Initiative. This has allowed an increase in the number of pupils with disabilities able to access mainstream education and be taught alongside their peers. Resourced provision provides children who have significant special educational needs (SEN), usually with a SEN statement, with additional, specialist staffing. This covers both teaching and support staff, with specialist resources and adapted environments as appropriate, which enable their needs to be met and allow them to participate in the curriculum and activities of a mainstream school.

Primary school buildings

3.26 The County Council has for many years adopted a strategic approach to capital investment in school buildings. The principles embodied in the Asset Management Plan were already well established in Hampshire when this policy was introduced. In spite of this approach, which has been significantly accelerated through the use of New Deal for Schools funding and other, local resources, there remains a very significant amount of improvement and major repair work required to bring primary schools up to modern standards in terms both of suitability and building condition. This is largely a product of the demographic factors in Hampshire already referred to, which required a very large and rapid programme of school building in the 1960s and 1970s to meet growth in the child population. This programme was achieved largely through the construction system-built SCOLA schools, with a design life of approximately 25 years. Hampshire has, by a significant margin, the largest number of SCOLA buildings in the country.

3.27 In practice, the basic building components of the SCOLA system allow for a much longer life, provided that key maintenance issues, principally, roofs, cladding and mechanical and electrical systems are modernised. The interiors offer significant flexibility for adaptation to modern needs. Although a programme to address the major maintenance requirements of these buildings, as well as accompanying suitability needs is well established, much work remains to be done.

3.28 The primary age special school building stock also gives considerable cause for concern and much of it is outdated and in need of replacement. Over the past ten years the County Council has carried out a series of area based reviews of special school provision, resulting in a range of imaginative approaches to provision tailored to local needs. Funding has been through a combination of central government and local resources, including capital receipts. Because of the high costs of such reviews, it has been possible to complete only three areas of the county. A fourth review in the New Forest District Council area has recently been completed, but its implementation is dependent upon significant capital funding becoming available. It is likely that this will be through a combination of resources from the Targeted Capital Fund, Primary Capital Programme and Building Schools for the Future as an integrated approach is being sought. Implementation of Primary Capital Programme and Building Schools for the Future will enable further reviews to be undertaken across the county, with the delivery of solutions aimed at meeting both strategic and local needs.

3.29 Phases 1 and 2 of the Children's Centres programme are being used to meet local needs for community and extended services. These centres will reach the 35% most deprived areas within the county, with the remainder being covered through Phase 3 of the programme. While many of the centres are based on school sites, the opportunity has been taken to locate several on third party sites, such as community centres, where this best meets local needs. Mobile solutions are being adopted to serve two rural areas in Phase 2 of the programme and it is expected that this approach will be developed further for Phase 3, which will focus on many relatively isolated parts of the county. Alongside the roll-out of children's centres, early years education providers are preparing themselves for the delivery of the early years foundation stage. This preparation includes looking at how the learning environment needs to be enhanced to promote children's development. Over 96% of providers of nursery education (to 3 and 4 year olds) are private, voluntary and independent providers who operate from school accommodation or third party sites such as church halls. A careful review of their accommodation needs has been undertaken and in particular the need to develop appropriate outdoor learning environments and toileting facilities has been identified. This will inform allocation of the new capital funding stream (£5.45m p.a. from 2008/9 to 2010/11) available to improve the quality of early settings.

4. Long-term Aims

Underlying principles

4.1 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. These principles underpin the County Council's vision for the PCP.

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

b) Schools are learning communities with cultures that promote and support effective teaching with active and participative learning.

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

d) 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.

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

f) All children and young people are supported to overcome barriers to learning so that their development moves at a challenging but realistic pace.

g) Good behaviour is promoted and poor behaviour is managed well.

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

i) Building improvement programmes will be targeted on areas of greatest deprivation and lowest attainment.

j) The current pattern of primary school and primary special school provision will be reviewed, and where necessary remodelled, to ensure that schools:

· meet the full range of learning needs of their local communities;

· make best use of resources through reduction of surplus places and reuse of accommodation to meet the wider range of community needs where appropriate;

· are encouraged to collaborate effectively with their neighbours and with partners such as district councils, the Primary Care Trust and the voluntary sector;

· embrace capital investment as part of the wider school improvement agenda and not an end in itself.

The community's resources for education

4.2 The County Council will continue to 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. Recently available capital funding streams are being used to support these aims.

Working with schools, colleges and other education providers

4.3 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.

4.4 The 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 this responsibility. The County Council will work with schools to give high priority to securing an appropriate place for children in care and ensuring that they make good progress.

4.5 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.

4.6 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.

4.7 Where possible, and in conjunction with the Children's Centre programme, the County Council is seeking to provide Foundation Stage units to link better with early years provision. At the other end of the primary age range secondary schools are encouraged to work closely with their feeder primary schools on the transfer between Year 6 and Year 7. Many secondary schools already have "taster" days for the Year 6 pupils who will be moving to secondary school in the following academic year.

Strategic priorities for investment through the PCP

4.8 The additional resources available through PCP funding will allow the County Council to provide more innovative solutions to capital investment. Using national criteria for the PCP the County Council could seek to replace up to 20 primary schools during the lifetime of the programme. However, this is likely to be an overestimate of need in view of:

a) the County Council's long-standing approach of giving high priority to investment in school buildings; and

b) the high proportion of basically sound SCOLA buildings in the estate, which, in most cases, require refurbishment and major repair rather than replacement.

In this context some 180-200 schools are likely to be significantly improved or refurbished during the period of the programme. Those types of schools that are likely candidates for rebuilding are the post-war timber-frame early system buildings, those that are system built with pre-cast concrete panelised construction, and other one-off schools.

4.9 In order to make a transformational change in education, the way in which ICT is made available and used in schools will be examined and changes implemented in the context of the County Council's strategy for ICT suites and stand-alone computers in schools. However, changes to the ICT provision in schools will provide only part of the solution to enable this transformational change to take place. The use of learning platforms needs to be at the heart of any ICT changes and these platforms will be the fundamental tool to unlock the anytime, anywhere possibility of accessing ICT for learning. Evaluations on learning platforms have begun and it appears that between 4% and 5% has been added to primary performance as a result of using a closed learning platform.

4.10 The County Council's considerable expertise and experience in securing and combining funding streams will be applied in order to secure the best and most cost effective outcomes. The policy of securing maximum investment through a single intervention will be continued to ensure that investment is strategically planned and a patch and mend approach is avoided. This is likely to involve funding in conjunction with PCP resources, other County Council sources, including capital receipts and developers' contributions, schools' devolved formula capital and external sources, such as the Primary Care Trust and district councils.

4.11 Strategic planning for PCP will also take account of the implementation of Phase 3 of the children's centres programme, together with the recently announced capital funding streams to develop the extended schools agenda and to improve early years and childcare settings. Account will also be taken of the links to reducing surplus primary school places through reuse and redevelopment of surplus accommodation for these and other community focused purposes.

Initial Investment Priorities

4.12 Work has been undertaken to establish those schools that are in the areas of the county with the highest deprivation factors based on the Tax Credit data supplied by HM Revenue and Customs. This information has then been overlaid with the standards achieved in those schools to identify those geographical areas of greatest need. Individual schools in those areas are being assessed to determine suitability and condition needs. Using all three measures a priority list will be drawn up which, in the first instance, will be used as the starting point for geographical prioritisation of investment. It is clear from Appendix A that schools in the Havant and Gosport districts have the highest priority according to these criteria.

4.13 Consideration also has to be given to the school organisation issues arising from this analysis and whether there is a need to review provision. This may be on an area basis, or more likely whether an amalgamation of an infant and junior school is appropriate given current and future forecast numbers on roll.

4.14 Priorities for investment in primary age special schools also need to be considered. As indicated in paragraph 3.28, the County Council has for some years had a programme of area reviews of special schools and resourced provision for children with special needs. The east New Forest area, where an MLD and SLD school will be merged, would be the County Council's initial priority for investment in primary age SEN provision through the Primary Capital Programme.

Health and well-being

4.15 Initiatives will be developed in the context of the contents of a speech made by the Director of Public Health for Hampshire which indicated that, for the first time for over 20 years, the life expectancy for children is lower than that of their parents. As already indicated, the investment in school kitchens has been in place for many years. This will continue as part of the PCP, supplemented by other available resources. This investment will include further conversions of serveries to provide cooking kitchens to improve the quality of food offered. To develop the health agenda further, investment will, where appropriate, be focused on improvement of existing inadequate school halls and, where appropriate, the wider provision of affordable and hard-wearing synthetic turf pitches. This will give the County Council the potential to roll out this provision across the primary age phase.

Choice and diversity

4.16 The County Council recognises its role as a commissioner rather than a provider of education and will work with schools to consider whether a change of status would support the overall aims of school improvement and better outcomes for children. In some cases, investment through the PCP is likely to provide a catalyst for this consideration, particularly where changes to the pattern of school provision in an area are proposed. Opportunities may arise for the delivery of a campus model which might include an all-age school, particularly when Building Schools for the Future funding becomes available, which is expected to be from 2011.

4.17 The governing bodies of six primary schools have, with the support of the County Council, recently federated into three hard federations in order to provide a strong leadership role of governors and headteacher. This has been achieved by using the stronger governors of both schools to provide a clear direction for the federation which is based on driving up educational standards for the pupils. Hampshire County Council is also seeking to raise standards by the amalgamation of infant and junior schools to become primary schools, where appropriate in the context of current and forecast numbers on roll, and the appointment of a more robust senior leadership team within the new school.

4.18 Priority for the investment of PCP resources will be on the basis of relative need and will encompass all schools, including the foundation and voluntary aided sector. There will no discrimination between categories of school within the authority.

5. Approach to Change

Consultation

5.1 The approach set out in this document has been consulted upon with:

· governing bodies and headteachers of individual primary schools through the County Council's Schools Communication system. A response period of five weeks was given;

· governing body representatives through the County Governor Forum;

· Children and Young People's Partnership;

· the five dioceses within Hampshire through diocesan directors of education;

· the Hampshire Primary Care Trust by letter;

· district councils by letter;

· voluntary sector by letter.

5.2 The County Council is committed to an approach of wide consultation with stakeholders and partners on the implementation of the PCP strategy. It recognises the significance and scale of the opportunities offered by PCP and will share these widely to ensure that investment decisions reflect as wide a range of interests as possible. This will require detailed consultation with schools and external bodies in a range of ways.

5.3 At present no consultation has taken place with the pupils or staff at schools. However, this consultation will take place once a group of schools has been identified for inclusion in the PCP. Where school organisation issues are involved, consultation will follow the County Council's normal practice of wide involvement, including publicity leaflets, public meetings, drop-in sessions and meetings with governors and staff of affected schools. Building design consultation is likely to take the form of a Design Quality Indicator (DQI) process, together with a public meeting for the wider community. To maximise feedback from the community a plan would be displayed and people given the opportunity to comment on the proposals direct to officers, or for example, through the use of post-it notes. This is an attempt to gather information and comments from people who would be unlikely to speak at a public forum and doing the planning "for real". As part of this consultation process the requirements of the end-user need to be gathered so that a vision can be put together. That vision then needs to be signed off by stakeholders so that everybody is aware of the expected outcomes for that particular project. The establishment of a representative project board would allow any decisions made to be tested against the vision.

Funding issues

5.4 The possibility of securing local finances to add to the programme has been made more difficult by Section 77 requirements. There is a continuing need to sell redundant land to generate this additional finance and it is not always easy to obtain the approvals to "top up" the funding through other sources, in spite of the County Council ensuring in advance that the availability of sporting facilities is not adversely affected. It is understood that there is to be no relaxation of the S77 rules which may make the raising of local funding more challenging, but the County Council is already working with borough and district councils to raise funding through section 106 agreements.

Design and procurement

5.5 Hampshire County Council has its own in-house architects and, through close corporate working, excellence is maintained in all areas of project design and delivery. The County Council also maintains continued dialogue with schools once buildings are occupied, listens to the users and feeds back into future briefings on projects to ensure continuous improvement in best practice. Post Occupancy Evaluation takes the form of a meeting with the headteacher about all aspects of the project, not just the building works.

5.6 When planning and designing schools, whether for an extension or new school, views and input of the end-user are always sought. However, these views need to be considered carefully by officers to ensure that the building will, for example, not be too specifically linked to one aspect of the curriculum. In essence, officers act as gate-keepers to the design and provide support to the school to provide a building in which the full range of curriculum delivery can take place.

5.7 The County Council has considerable experience of delivering building projects through collaborative framework arrangements with both major national contractors and locally based smaller and specialist contractors. Experience has demonstrated that significant benefits can be obtained, particularly in giving increased certainty of outcomes, when compared to conventional tendering. The County Council plans to procure building work for the PCP through this framework arrangement.

5.8 Hampshire County Council Property Services is the lead authority for the South East Centre of Excellence (SECE) building workstream and has used its experience of collaborative working arrangements and frameworks to establish regional and sub-regional framework arrangements available to local authorities across the south-east of England. Currently there is a total of £0.7 billion of construction work being procured locally through the SECE framework arrangements and a further £0.4 billion in discussion. This includes work-streams with the London Boroughs, the Metropolitan Police and ten of the BSF One School Pathfinder projects in the South East region.

5.9 Over the past seven years the County Council has developed its non-traditional approach to procurement to secure the implementation of its capital programme. The County Council currently delivers 70% of its annual capital programme in this way. Under its own framework arrangements over the past four years it has evidenced the success and benefits of this approach and individual projects include,

· ENHANCE: Healthcare Nursing Bed Space £60m

· John Hanson School and Everest Community College £40m

· Andover Primary Capital Projects (including the PCP Pathfinder) £25m

This coming year the County Council will be procuring the majority of its education capital programme through SECE framework arrangements, including its new primary schools and major refurbishment projects.

5.10 Arrangements available to deliver the PCP programme include:

SECE Frameworks:

· Tier 1 framework (regional) - for major projects over £1 million

· Tier 2 framework (Hampshire Cluster) - for projects between £500k and £2.5m

· Tier 3 framework (Hampshire Cluster) - for projects between £25k and £500k

Hampshire County Council specialist arrangements:

· External repairs and decorations

· Hard landscaping and external works

· Roofing

5.11 By aggregating similar projects to create a programme of work, using the same design teams and contractors and applying a common design approach and common supply chains, the County Council has demonstrated that it is possible to achieve efficiency savings of up to 10% on construction costs, together with significant savings in pre-construction periods and therefore professional time costs.

5.12 It is proposed to apply this approach to work and projects developed under the PCP, using the appropriate procurement route for the type of work. For example, major capital projects such as new primary schools or major extension and refurbishment works would be grouped and procured through the SECE Tier 1 or Tier 2 frameworks. Condition and suitability works across a number of schools, such as remodelling, in conjunction with re-roofing, re-cladding etc. would be grouped into programmes and procured through the Tier 3 or specialist framework arrangements.

5.13 Through SECE, this approach can be shared with other local authorities in the south-east of England. This could provide an opportunity to generate further efficiency savings through regional programmes of primary school work procured through the SECE Tier 1 framework. It is proposed to create a primary schools group under SECE as a forum for authorities to share experience and expertise in the design, procurement and delivery of primary school projects.

6. Conclusions

6.1 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 Strategy for Change the County Council signals its commitment to leading the community of Hampshire, working in strong partnerships with all providers and investing in a planned, strategic manner, so that the well-being of all children and young people is maximised through the highest possible quality of education throughout the county.