Buckinghamshire Education and Skills Strategy 2018 to 2022

Includes early help and safeguarding.

• raise the achievement of vulnerable and disadvantaged children and young people
• develop an inclusive mainstream educational environment which meets the needs of all children and young people
• ensure processes and procedures are in place to increase attendance and prevent exclusions
• multi-agency collaboration, working proactively and preventatively, to provide Early Help to both pupils and families in need of support

• build capacity, confidence and expertise in mainstream schools to enable more children and young people with SEND to be educated in their local community
• re-configure the Bucks ‘offer’ to ensure we better meet additional needs, by having the right provision in the right place through the work of the Inclusion Hub
• reduce our dependency on out of area placements so that less of the high needs block funding is spent outside Buckinghamshire
• celebrate good practice in inclusion, by developing and launching an ‘Inclusion Charter’, a stamp of recognised quality
• reduce both fixed period and permanent exclusions from schools, particularly those pupils with SEND and ensure all Alternative Provision is inclusive, responsive, flexible and of high quality

• Inclusion Hub – a partnership between schools and BCC to provide strategic oversight in order to meet the needs of all Bucks pupils with SEND locally
• Buckinghamshire Inclusive Education Working Group – set up to review fair access and alternative provision, and to foster a climate in which good practice is shared. The working group has representation from primary and secondary (including 1 grammar) schools as well as from our PRUs who through sharing data and information are working together to identify opportunities for earlier intervention, alternative provision so as to reduce the number of exclusions

• we need to work with pupils who are troubled as opposed to excluding
• we need more support for our vulnerable groups to help them achieve better outcomes

Includes early help and safeguarding.

• improve the experiences of families, children and young people of the statutory SEND process
• develop provision and support schools and settings through the development of skills in mainstream settings, refocusing and developing specialist provision to meet complex needs
• develop and implement improved approaches to planning and securing specialist educational places for those children with the most significant complex needs
• strengthen and develop the management, monitoring and accountability of the statutory SEND process

• identifying the demand for SEND provision over the next 5 years to inform future planning
• proactively identifying children and families at an earlier stage of behavioural problems by closer alignment of SEND provision with Early Help services
• review funding processes for specialist provision so as to ensure transparency and equity
• help build capacity in mainstream schools to meet the additional needs of children and young people with SEND
• implement the Graduated Approach and the new 20 week process, including developing a shared understanding of co-production
• ensuring the voice of the child is evident and acted upon in all EHCP’s and Annual Reviews
• reducing the number of EHCPs and the number of tribunals through earlier intervention
• improving the experience of children and their families transitioning to adult services
• increasing capacity in the Educational Psychology Service to improve the timeliness of assessments
• streamlining the assessment process so joint assessments can be completed where appropriate and advice can be provided to schools without the need for an EHCP request

• development of the newly established Integrated Services Board - responsible for overseeing and driving the implementation of the SEND Reforms as outlined in the SEND strategy
• A new SENDIAN pilot in Aylesbury, co–produced by BCC and parent representatives following the work of Inclusive Education Working group. First pilot area in Aylesbury in November or December 2017 with aim to roll out initiative in Spring 2018

• we need external specialist input to mainstream schools for more complex needs
• empower young people with SEND to aim high with ambition, and support them into different career paths

• proactively ensure a sufficient supply of high quality childcare, Early Years, school and Post 16 places
• ensure that the growth of high quality places is in the right locations, to meet future need
• continually redesign and improve the admission process, cost efficiently, whilst ensuring a high quality service to parents and carers
• ensure the smooth transition of schools converting to academy status

• development of a capital strategy that will focus on ensuring sufficient places to meet demand now and as part of the future housing growth
• focus on expansion of existing provision to make schools more viable and sustainable in the longer term
• develop new schools where appropriate through the Free Schools initiative
• ensure our children have access to a good or outstanding school
• maintain an accessible and effective admissions and allocations process in working with all schools in Buckinghamshire and neighbouring authorities in order to accurately allocate places
• support and advise schools through the conversion process to academy status so as to secure a smooth transition

• developments are in place to expand existing school and to provide new schools to meet growing demand e.g. new school on the Daws Hill housing development and the St Michael’s Satellite in Aylesbury
• review current transport provision through the Integrated Transport Programme in order to efficiently target resources where required as well as promoting independence where possible
• school improvement initiatives are underway to increase the number of schools that are good or outstanding and thereby increasing the supply of high quality school places regardless of location

• housing growth is changing catchments … schools will need support
• don’t spilt up families – this places an additional strain

Providing the best start to enable all our young learners to flourish and develop a love of learning.

• provide high quality information and advice through a variety of media to enable parental choice
• mitigate the impact of disadvantage through a comprehensive parenting strategy provided through Early Help agencies and Early Years education to diminish the difference
• engage and support parents and families to ensure the best start in life for every child
• support and embed a settingsled system of improvement in Early Years provision

• secure sufficient early years places to meet the introduction of the expansion to 30 hours funded early education from September 2017 onwards
• maintain over 90% of provision as good or outstanding to support improved outcomes for children
• engage parents of eligible 2 year olds to maximise the take up of funded early education as part of “diminishing the difference”
• support and challenge early years providers to make effective use of Early Years Pupil Premium, deprivation and SEND funding to improve outcomes for our most vulnerable children as well as through stronger liaison between Early Help agencies
• conduct a full review of Early Years central support to evidence effective use of resource against statutory duties to move to a provider led quality improvement framework

• develop the liaison group network of Early Years providers to forge closer working relationships with Primary schools to improve the journey of the child through education
• establish within the liaison group network a mechanism to encourage sharing of best practice between providers and primary schools to proactively support vulnerable children entering reception class, through an Early Years transition pilot
• continue to develop consistent channels of communication to support and engage parents through the review of existing digital platforms as part of our new ICT strategy
• the development of a settings led model of improvement within Early Years provision needs to be closely aligned with Early Help services as part of a preventative approach

• support parents to engage… parents as first teachers
• develop further collaboration between Early Years, Primary, Secondary (including 6th forms and colleges etc.)

Working collaboratively to deliver high standards and excellent outcomes for all.

• encourage and enable all schools to fully participate in an appropriate form of collaboration and partnership working
• work in collaboration with all educational partners to develop and embed a school led system of school improvement, founded on data and insight, in order to achieve high standards
• support schools and settings to work in collaboration so that all children and young people achieve a smooth, enjoyable and effective journey through the education system
• support schools to recruit and retain high quality school leaders, governors and teaching staff

• move all schools that are inadequate or requiring improvement to good
• encourage schools to work together through partnerships, such as federations, alliances or Multi Academy Trusts, which are best suited to the needs of schools and their learners
• improve retention and recruitment of high quality teachers
• further develop a business intelligence function that will help schools to identify their specific priorities and where the capacity lies within the system to address these priorities
• to secure clarity for schools on the respective roles and responsibilities of the Regional Schools Commissioner, the local authority and the relationship between both parties
• develop a sustainable school led system model through collaboration and collective responsibility within the educational community

• piloting school to school led system of improvement through non-selective secondary schools that are not yet good through the “Side by Side” project
• developing the School Liaison offer to promote localised school improvement projects
• complete current projects underway by school improvement partners as well utilise data and insight to establish a “virtual community of support” that addresses persistent issues of underachievement amongst disadvantaged and vulnerable pupil groups
• support the development of bids with Teaching Schools for funding for school improvement

• we need better and faster techniques of early signs of school failure
• collaboration is key to School Improvement, to ensure all children achieve their full potential

Equipping young people with the knowledge, skills and experience to thrive in a modern economy.

• develop a strategic overview of Post 16 provision to ensure it meets the needs of both young people and employers
• support young people at risk of non-participation and becoming NEET
• promote the growth in apprenticeships
• ensure that young people have a choice of suitable provision in order to develop their skills and be work ready

• deliver a plan to ensure that every young person has access to high quality, appropriate post 16 education and training
• improved impartial information, advice and guidance that will enable more pupils to make decisions about their post 16 options that are informed by local market intelligence on skills needs
• post-16 providers develop their curriculum in accordance with the needs of the local economy, investing in the latest advancements in technology and facilities
• develop a local apprenticeship offer which increases supply of and demand for apprenticeships focused on growth sectors and skills shortages
• work closely with the business community and key partners to ensure there are opportunities to help young people to be work ready through the development of key transferable work skills that are needed by the local economy to address the growth agenda

• explore with schools and other stakeholder whether it would be advantageous to combine 6th form provision through the development of alternative delivery models
• continue to grow our apprenticeship provision in order to help address skills shortages
• ensure that we continue to deliver targeted preventative work to support young people at risk of becoming NEET through the development of a new Early Help Service
• work with the Skills Hub and WANNABEbucks.org to further encourage the development of work readiness skills in young people, especially through work experience opportunities
• work with our post-16 providers to deliver the technical education reforms, ensuring all 15 technical routes (T-Levels and Apprenticeships) into skilled employment are available
• have representation from the Skills Board on the Education Strategy Reference Group

• there should be better tailoring of education to the skills required in a changing world
• having a chance to develop skills outside of the curriculum is already giving us a way in to the world of work