Welcome
Earlier this week I was invited to speak to the Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting to present a report on the achievement of children and young people in 2018 national tests and to give an overview of the work of our evolving Education Strategy.
I was able to share the provisional performance data for all children and young people in state-funded schools, from the Early Years Foundation Stage through to A levels and other equivalent qualifications. Whilst we recognise that there is much work to be done to close performance gaps in a number of localities, and across some of our vulnerable and disadvantaged cohorts, the overall outcome in 2018 is a positive one for Warwickshire, particularly when compared with our statistical neighbours and on a national level. My supporting report from the meeting is available here.
Dr Peter Kent was also in attendance, bringing a valuable school 'lens' to the conversation. Peter's role as Chair of the Education Challenge Board and as champion for the Education Strategy is an important cornerstone for the Education system. We are fortunate to have such a well-regarded and respected local system leader as Peter undertaking these critical roles and this was well recognised by the Committee.
Hannah Heath, project lead for Education Services, also attended the meeting to present a series of case studies of local children and young people who have made positive progress despite facing significant life challenges.
This week also saw the launch of the consultation on the new Ofsted Education Inspection Framework. I'd strongly recommend that where possible colleagues do engage with this process.
A gentle reminder that Amanda Spielman will be attending our spring term Headteachers’ Conference on 21st March so you will have the opportunity to discuss the new framework with her further then. Details of the conference will be shared in the next couple of weeks.
Best wishes,
Paul Senior
Interim Assistant Director Education Services