Agenda item

Wirral Schools Strategy

Minutes:

BernieMooney

Councillor Bernie Mooney, Cabinet Member for Children and Families, said:

 

We want every child to attend a good school, getting a good education which helps them live positive, happy lives where they achieve their aspirations. This strategy is about every school in Wirral working together, alongside the Council and other agencies, to support each other and improve.

 

Wirral already performs very well – 9 in 10 of our children already attend a good school. Our ambition is for this number to be 100% by 2020. To get there we will deliver improvements in our early years, school and college education over the coming years to enable Wirral pupils to achieve their full potential.

 

I am delighted to say our schools, partners and every related agency are fully behind this strategy. Everyone with an interest in improving local education has worked together to create this collective plan. I am incredibly proud of the work which has already been done, and I am excited at the potential for even better performance this strategy brings.”

 

Councillor Bernie Mooney introduced a report which informed the Cabinet that, in line with the national agenda, Local Authority School Improvement officers had been working with school leaders to develop a more autonomous and self-improving school system, enabling schools, irrespective of their status, to lead their own improvement.  The conversion of schools to academies had resulted in increased autonomy for these schools that were answerable to the Regional Schools Commissioner’s office and the Education Funding Agency.  The Cabinet noted that the majority of Wirral secondary schools (76%) were academies and currently only 7% of Wirral primary schools were academies.

 

The Cabinet was informed that the significant reduction of £3.2 million in the Education Services Grant received by the local authority to undertake statutory duties around school improvement had meant that schools could not rely on the Local Authority to continue with these functions in the way they had previously.  Whilst there was now some reduced provision within the Schools Budget and a new grant from September the majority of national school improvement funding available could only be accessed through collaborative bids by Teaching School, Local Authorities and Multi-Agency Trusts (MATs).

 

Councillor Mooney proposed that the Leader of the Council be requested to write to the Secretary of State for Education expressing extreme concern at the reduction in Wirral’s Education Services Grant because the Council should be investing in young people’s education.  Cutting this budget was a huge retrograde step and the Government should reconsider its decision.

 

Councillor Mooney informed that achieving well at school was fundamental to improving the quality of life for all of the children and young people in Wirral.  The strategy aspired for all of education settings to be rated as ”good or outstanding” by 2020, and the Council must deliver improvements in our early years, school and college education over the coming years to enable Wirral pupils to be the best they could be.  The strategy aimed to make sure there was consistent quality and levels of attainment across the borough, continuing our record of exceeding national averages for quality, achievement and attainment for all students.

 

Appended to the report was the Wirral Schools Strategy, a key strategic document which articulated the demand for children and young people to be the best they could be. 

 

The Cabinet noted that the vision of the Schools Strategy was:

 

“For all Wirral children and young people to achieve their potential, contribute positively to society and lead fulfilling and successful lives”

 

To achieve  this vision, it was essential for the whole school community including pupils, parents, carers and teachers and the local community to work together to help the children and young people to be the best they could be.

 

The Cabinet also noted that the Strategy covered three broad priorities:-

 

1.  All children and young people in Wirral attend schools which are good or outstanding.

 

  1.  All children and young people are supported to achieve their full potential, with a particular focus on our most vulnerable pupils.

 

  1. Children and young people attend the school which best meets their needs.

 

The Wirral Plan: A 2020 Vision set out a partnership vision to improve outcomes for Wirral residents. Delivery of the priorities and outcomes described in the Plan were underpinned through the delivery of a set of key strategies. The Wirral Schools Strategy was a key strategic document that articulated the ambition for children and young people to be the best they could be.

 

The Wirral Schools Strategy affected all Wards in the Borough and its approval was, therefore, a key decision.

Councillor Phil Davies supported the proposal that he write to the Secretary of State for Education.  He considered the cut in Education Services Grant to be a big mistake and he was hopeful that the Leaders of the other Political Groups would also sign the letter.

 

Councillor Stuart Whittingham reminded the Cabinet that Britain’s exit from the European Union was not far off and as a consequence it was important to invest in young people so that they could acquire the skills to be successful ‘post Brexit’.

 

RESOLVED: That

 

(1)  the Wirral Schools Strategy be approved;

 

(2)  the Leader of the Council be requested to write to the Secretary of State for Education to:

 

(a)  express extreme concern at the reduction in Wirral’s Education Services Grant as the Cabinet considers that it should be investing young people’s education

 

(b)   inform that cutting Education Services Grant is a huge retrograde step; and

 

(c)  demand that the Government reconsider its decision: and

 

(3)  the Leaders of the other Political Groups be invited to sign the letter at (2) above.

 

Councillor Angela Davies left the meeting.

Supporting documents: