Agenda item

The Cabinet Member for Educational Attainment and School Improvement introduced a report on the draft Education and Participation Strategy 2018-2022 and the performance of schools during the 2017/18 academic year.

The Cabinet Member conveyed her appreciation to all those involved in the development of the draft Strategy and referred to the five priorities that had been adopted, which were:

1)  Ensuring that all children and young people have a place in a school, college or early years setting that is judged ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted;

2)  Exceeding national and then London standards where we have not already achieved this;

3)  Improving opportunities for all young people post-16 and reducing the numbers of young people not in education, employment or training in the borough;

4)  Supporting the wellbeing and resilience of children and young people and the educational settings which nurture them; and

5)  Maximising the Council’s levers and influences so that the Council can play an even stronger role in raising aspirations and increasing opportunities for the children and young people that live and learn here.

The Cabinet Member made reference to the Government’s failure to properly fund education provision in Barking and Dagenham and highlighted the pressures in the High Needs block, which funded additional support and specialist provision for children and young people with additional and often complex needs.  On that issue it was noted that a rally, led by Headteachers from across the country, was to take place on the evening of Tuesday 20 November 2018 to demand that the Government provided more money for schools and the Cabinet Member encouraged colleagues to support the rally.

The Cabinet Member referred to a number of the key achievements during the 2017/18 academic year and stressed the importance of maintaining the family of schools in order to continue to deliver improvements to the education of children and young people in the Borough.  In that regard, the Cabinet Member advised that it was understood that the Diocese of Brentwood was considering transferring the Catholic Schools in the Borough into an Academy Trust.  Members spoke against the proposal and it was noted that the Leader had written to the Diocese to convey the Council’s objections and was currently awaiting a response.

Cabinet Members commended the achievements of pupils and School staff during the year and particular reference was made to the increase in the number of the Borough’s pupils who were going on to Higher Education, with approximately 30% of students at the Coventry University campus (CU London) coming from the local area.  Reference was also made to the contribution from CU London towards the Colin Pond Trust bursary programme and its work with the Council to ensure that the curriculum on offer to students was reflective of the new opportunities that the Council’s regeneration programme could offer in the future, such as the film studios development at Dagenham East.

The Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Approve the draft Education and Participation Strategy 2018-22, including the five priority areas, as set out at Appendix 1 to the report;

(ii)  Authorise the Commissioning Director for Education, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Educational Attainment and School Improvement, to make any non-material amendments to the Strategy prior to its publication;

(iii)  Renew the Council’s commitment to continuing to strengthen and develop the partnerships with Barking and Dagenham’s family of schools, the Barking and Dagenham School Improvement Partnership, Barking and Dagenham College, CU London and other key partners to achieve the best possible outcomes and opportunities for the Borough’s children and young people;

(iv)  Note performance against the two overarching objectives of the Education Strategy 2014-17, as set out in section 2 of the report; and

(v)  Note the performance of schools in national tests and examinations, as set out in Appendix 2 to the report.