Agenda Item No: 7D
Wolverhampton City Council OPEN EXECUTIVE DECISION ITEM (AMBER)
Cabinet / Cabinet Panel CABINET Date 17.10.2007
Portfolio(s) SCHOOLS
Originating Service Group(s) CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
Contact Officer(s) ROY LOCKWOOD/DAVE RAWLINSON/TIM WESTWOOD Telephone Number(s) 554100/554110/554225
Title BUILDING SCHOOLS FOR THE FUTURE (BSF) – STRATEGY FOR CHANGE PART 1 KEY DECISION YES IN FORWARD PLAN YES
Recommendations
Cabinet is requested:
1. To approve the Strategy for Change Part 1 which sets out the Authority’s proposals for BSF.
2. To authorise the Cabinet Member for Schools to approve further minor textual changes prior to the submission of the document to Partnerships for Schools (PfS) and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF)
Executive Summary
Wolverhampton is in Wave 5 of BSF. The Remit meeting on 4 September marked the Authority’s formal entry to the BSF Programme. The next stage in the BSF approvals process is the submission of the Strategy for Change Part 1 to Partnerships for Schools for assessment. The Department for Children, Schools and Families will consider the SfC Part 1 alongside the PfS assessment, prior to Ministerial approval.
The Building Schools for the Future programme will bring £300 million funding to the City, which will be made available to support a continuous programme of investment.
Schedule of Background Papers
1. Building Schools for the Future – Lifelong Learning Cabinet Team 2 October 2003
2. Building Schools for the Future (Secondary) - Cabinet 12 September 2006
3. Building Schools for the Future (Secondary) - Cabinet 4 October 2006
4. Building Schools for the Future – Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Panel 7 June 2007
5. Building Schools for the Future – Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Panel 27 September 2007
BSF Strategy for Change.doc 1 BUILDING SCHOOLS FOR THE FUTURE (BSF) – STRATEGY FOR CHANGE PART 1
1.0 Background
1.1 Wolverhampton has now been confirmed as a Wave 5 BSF Authority and is therefore working to the timetable set out below. The Remit meeting took place on Tuesday 4 September, at which time the Council’s Chief Executive, Richard Carr, and the Chief Executive of Partnerships for Schools (PfS), Tim Byles, signed a Memorandum of Understanding which marked the Authority’s formal entry to the BSF programme. Members should note that this was the first Remit meeting for a Wave 5 Authority. The anticipated timetable for a Wave 5 Authority is shown below:
Wave 5 Timetable
Remit Meeting 4 September 2007
Strategy for Change August 2007 – October 2007
Part 1
Strategy for Change November 2007 – February Part 2 2008 Development of the March 2008 – September 2008 Outline Business Case Aim to sign 2010-11 contracts First schools open 2011-12
1.2 As indicated above, the next stage is to submit the Strategy for Change (SfC), which is the first formal component of the BSF approvals process. The SfC is designed to capture both the local authority’s strategy for 11-19 education and the requirements that strategy places upon the physical school estate. Part 1 is the Key Challenges and Objectives section of the SfC. It will show the scope of the authority’s BSF transformation plan. It is the ‘what is to be done’ component.
1.3 SfC Part 1 contains three sections –
(a) A map/table/chart showing ‘before and after’ for each school: • Characteristics and profile: • Pupil achievement: • Governance: • Extended/community provision; (b) A strategic overview of existing school and FE provision and proposals for change; (c) Proposals for the school and FE estate
It will be assessed by Partnerships for Schools (PfS) and passed to the Department for Children, Schools and Families. The Department (including the Office of the Schools Commissioner) will consider the SfC Part 1, alongside PfS’ assessment, and the document is subject to Ministerial approval.
BSF Strategy for Change.doc
1.4 Although the Council is required to submit its SfC Part 1 by 31 October, formal guidance has only recently been received by the Council. Furthermore, detailed work is ongoing with PfS regarding pupil number projections. Authority is therefore requested for the Cabinet Member for Schools to approve any minor changes to the SfC Part 1 before submission.
2.0 Strategy for Change Part 1
2.1 At the Remit meeting officers reached in principle agreement with PfS and DCSF on a number of key issues which had been the subject of intensive negotiation during the preceding weeks. In particular:
• BSF will involve establishing two academies, one in the south-east and the other in the north of the City. • The two academies will replace three existing schools – Parkfield High School, Northicote School and Pendeford Business and Enterprise College. • The Council will be a sponsor of both academies. • BSF will involve the establishment of trust, trust-like or federation arrangements across the City to underpin collaboration and support educational improvement. • BSF funding for Wolverhampton will be nearly £300 million and will be made available to support a single continuous programme of investment, rather than two separate programmes of £150 million, with uncertainty about the timing of the second programme.
These key areas of agreement are reflected in the attached SfC Part 1, especially Sections 2.4 and 3.2, and are now submitted for Executive endorsement.
3.0 BSF Preparatory Work
3.1 The programme governance and management arrangements for BSF are now well established. In particular,
• The Local Learning Partnership Board has agreed to take on the role of BSF Stakeholder Board; • There have now been eight appointments to the BSF Project Team; however the capacity of the Team will need to be increased to cope with the demands of a single investment programme of £300 million. • Work is well advanced in procuring external financial and legal advisors.
3.2 A communications strategy is being developed with corporate support. This includes a BSF website, and the appointment of a dedicated BSF Communications Officer.
3.3 A number of BSF work streams are already well underway, including technical (building design and construction) and ICT/e-learning.
BSF Strategy for Change.doc 4.0 Financial Implications
4.1 Building Schools for the Future will bring very substantial funding to the City. At the Remit meeting the Authority proposed that BSF in Wolverhampton should be a single programme of £300 million, subject to suitable phasing, not two programmes of £150 million with potentially a significant time gap between them. This proposal has been accepted.
4.2 There will be revenue costs, over 3 years, of up to approximately £3.5 million, associated with BSF planning and procurement. These will need to be met locally.
5.0 Equality Impact Assessment and Environmental Implications
5.1 These are also significant. It is essential that the strategy for change which underpins BSF in Wolverhampton is in line with the Children and Young People’s Plan, and so improves access and opportunity for the most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups.
5.2 Within the BSF programme, there will be 27 ongoing projects which will all have a potential impact on equality and, for this reason, the BSF programme team has identified and requested the key data required at top level to establish the current position and inform the Equality Impact Assessment.
5.3 We are currently waiting for the most up to date pupil information which will be available at the end of October, as pupil movement (in terms of residential address and secondary school attended) can change radically from one year’s intake to the next.
5.4 This will enable us to highlight any existing equality impacts and to model some generic possible future impacts which can then be used in order to further assess, and consult about, the specific impact of individual projects as part of the visioning process with schools. In addition, investment on this scale must give high priority to sustainability, as well as providing flexible and high quality facilities for learning and extended provision. At a recent meeting PfS officers were informed that additional resources would be provided through BSF to achieve a ‘zero carbon footprint’ for all new build.
6.0 Key Decision
6.1 This is a key decision which has been included in the Forward Plan.
BSF Strategy for Change.doc
WOLVERHAMPTON CITY COUNCIL BUILDING SCHOOLS FOR THE FUTURE STRATEGY FOR CHANGE PART ONE
1. Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………...………. 1
2. A Strategic Overview of School Provision
2.1 Overall Strategic Vision …………………………………………………………………………………….. 1
2.2 Where is the Authority now in terms of educational outcomes, diversity of provision, fair access and choice? ...... 2
2.3 What added value will BSF investment provide to local education outcomes within and beyond the school day? ………………………………………………………………………………………….………. 2
2.4 How does the Authority propose to ensure choice, diversity and access for all parents and pupils in its schools? ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3
2.5 How will the Authority ensure robust challenge to schools including strategies for early intervention in the case of underperforming or failing schools? ……………………………………….. 4
2.6 How will the Authority deliver personalised learning to ensure that every pupil is fully stretched and can access a broad curriculum that best suits their needs and talents? ………………...... 4
2.7 How will the Authority ensure the effective delivery of the 14-19 entitlement in partnership with area LSC teams and local FE providers? ………………………………………………………………… 5
2.8 To what extent is the Authority ensuring effective integration of education and other services through Every Child Matters? ……………………………………………………………… …………….. 6
2.9 How does the Authority propose to champion the needs of all pupils, including those with SEN? 6
2.10 What change management strategies are in place to achieve the authority’s BSF vision? ………… 7
3. Proposals for the Schools and FE Estate 3.1 Introduction 7 3.2 Key Priorities for the School Estate ……………………………………………………………………….. 8 3.3 Project Governance and Management Arrangements for School Projects ………...………………… 9 3.4 Overview of Pupil Place Requirements ………………………………………………...………………… 11 3.5 ICT Headline Strategy………………………………………………………………………………………. 11 3.6 Key Performance Indicators ……………………………………………………………………………….. 11 3.7 Communications and Consultation ……………………………………………………………………….. 12
Appendices 1. Map of each school in BSF ……………………………………….……………..………………………… 13 2. Table of each school in BSF ……………………………………………….……………………………… 14 3. Secondary schools value-added data ……………………………………………..……………………… 15 4. Sustainability ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 16 5. Glossary of Terms ………………. ………………………………………………………………….……… 18
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1. Introduction
Wolverhampton has a clear view of where it is and where it is going. It is proud of its heritage and its rich cultural diversity. It has a compelling purpose led by high aspirations and a strong sense of community.
In March 2007, the City Council underwent a corporate assessment and a Joint Area Review (JAR) of services for children and young people across the City. These inspections:
• Substantially validated the local self assessments, and confirmed that the City Council and its partners know the strengths of local public services and where further improvement is required; • Rated the existing services for children and young people as good; • Confirmed that the Council has the ambition and the capacity to improve further.
The City’s “Vision 2020” articulates a clear vision of Wolverhampton as a distinctive, dynamic and diverse City for the 21st Century, with a strong focus on education and skills, culture and sport, transport, sustainability and economic development. A key driver in delivering this vision will be regeneration – large areas of the City have already been transformed and further ambitious plans are already in place. Wolverhampton will play a pivotal role in the wider regeneration of the sub-region envisaged in the Black Country Study. In line with the Study’s ambitions, sub-regional collaboration to improve learning outcomes is already in place through the Black Country Challenge.
BSF will also help to deliver the transformation of attainment, inclusion, participation and skills required by the national 14- 19 Reform Programme. The City has built on its 14-19 Pathfinder role to develop an area-wide curriculum and a supporting infrastructure which facilitates effective collaboration between learning providers of all types so that learners can access the whole offer. This has already achieved impressive advances in 5A*-C (now 60% from 42% in 2002) with similar progress in post 16 retention which at 93% far exceeds national norms and statistical neighbours. Wolverhampton is now a lead authority for Diploma pilot work and other collaborative curriculum developments of national importance. Significant progress has also been made in the use of ICT to support teaching and learning and will, in conjunction with an ICT managed service, play a key role in delivering transformation and the development of skills to support the City’s regeneration.
Through Black Country Challenge, BSF and other initiatives, we will build on these successes and address the remaining challenges for learners in the City, namely Key Stage 2/3 transition, performance in English and maths, and inclusion. BSF will support and be supported by our Children’s Workforce Development strategy and our development of locality provision for children’s social care. It will enable the transformation of learning for all young people, which is already underway, to be accelerated and consolidated. With the help of BSF we will achieve our vision to make Wolverhampton a 21st Century Learning City.
2. A Strategic Overview of School Provision
2.1 Overall Strategic Vision
BSF is a key part of a programme to expand and transform learning in Wolverhampton, and to promote the well-being of all children and young people in the City in line with ‘Every Child Matters’.
The key strands of this programme are:
Curriculum innovation – continuing to work within the QCA framework to develop learning pathways which meet the needs and aspirations of learners and support personalised learning;
Managing 21st century learning and living – in collaboration with TDA and NCSL, transforming the role of teachers and other professionals who work with children and young people within the framework of a comprehensive Children’s Workforce Development Strategy. This will be supported by the use of ICT in support of transformed teaching and learning and business processes;
Leading change – developing effective leadership and governance across all institutions and sectors to put young people’s wellbeing and lifelong learning at the heart of community regeneration and development;
Building Schools for the Future – creating the infrastructure to support the above strands and especially to: • Provide the specialist skills and talents which are needed as the 21st century moves forward; • Maximise engagement in learning at all ages; • Put secondary schools at the heart of learning communities; • Enhance the well-being of children and young people. E-learning and communications – using technology to deliver personalised learning and collaboration between learners and schools, maximise access for all to high quality learning content, and support the well-being of all young people.
This programme is part of an even wider agenda to regenerate the City and improve the life of its citizens. BSF is a key element towards investment totalling potentially £1 billion that can be anticipated across the City over the next five to ten years. This investment is based on a regional economic development strategy which focuses upon four principal objectives - to develop a diverse and dynamic business base, to promote a learning and skilful region, to create the conditions for growth and to provide deprived communities with training, employment and cultural opportunities. BSF will
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complement this strategy and follow its example in focusing on sustainability (see Appendix 4) and rationalisation to achieve efficient asset utilisation.
Once BSF investment is in place – • Learners will have state of the art facilities to learn where they want, how they want and when they want; • Wolverhampton’s outcomes in terms of learner achievement at Key Stage 4 and post-16 will be at least in line with the national average; • The City will be meeting the priority targets for children and young people contained in the Children and Young People’s Plan and the Local Area Agreement (see Section 3.5 – Key Performance Indicators).
2.2 Where is the Authority now in terms of educational outcomes, diversity of provision, fair access and choice?
Within the national framework for school improvement, the Authority continues to work hard with all schools to improve educational outcomes. However, there is more to do. Trends in pupil attainment across all Key Stages broadly match those seen nationally and in statistical neighbours, but overall levels of attainment continue to fall short of national targets from Foundation to Key Stage 3. There has been a step change in Key Stage 4 outcomes and GCSE 5+A*-C performance is now in line with the national average. On the basis of 2006 data, outcomes post-16 continue to improve steadily. We are confident that higher retention and the transformation of learning opportunities post 14 will deliver further improvements going forward.
Based on 2007 figures, two secondary schools were below the floor target for English at Key Stage 3, none in mathematics and three in science. No school was below a floor target in more than one subject. Initial results for 2007 show that all schools are continuing to exceed the existing Key Stage 4 floor target, with the number of schools below 30% including English and mathematics reduced to six – Coppice, Moseley Park, Northicote, Parkfield High, Pendeford and Wednesfield High.
A number of Wolverhampton secondary schools are among the highest performing schools nationally in terms of contextual value added – the latest value-added data for all of our secondary schools is shown at Appendix 3.
Underperformance remains an issue for identified groups at each Key Stage. Within the secondary phase we need to raise the performance of middle ability boys, pupils with special educational needs and those of Indian heritage. We also need to ensure that all learners enter secondary education with adequate or better core skills, and that their subsequent progress is reflected in GCSE outcomes for English and mathematics. Our work with the Virtual Workspace Learning Platform and the Learning2Go mobile learning has already demonstrated the power of new technologies to enhance attendance to learning and motivation, collaboration, access to high quality resources and ultimately improved outcomes. BSF investment in ICT will help all our learners realise such benefits. We intend to build on our recent success in improving attendance, reducing permanent exclusions and managing pupils’ behaviour through new models of inclusion, including co-location.
The current pattern of secondary education in the City already offers significant diversity and parental choice. The City’s eighteen mainstream schools include three foundation schools and four voluntary aided schools. Sixteen of our mainstream secondary schools and two special schools have at least one specialism, and two further community schools are actively seeking specialist status. Collaboration between these schools and others has evolved through the Wolverhampton School Improvement Partnership and Excellence in Cities, with influential Leadership Incentive Groups now in place. This has resulted in robust consortium arrangements between secondary, special and primary schools, an established foundation between two voluntary aided secondary schools and sustainable community and action zone networks.
94% of parents/carers are getting a preferred secondary school (78% are first preferences). During this year there have been 174 admission appeals. Six schools are operating at or beyond full capacity and three of these are significantly oversubscribed – Highfields, S. Peter’s and Wolverhampton Girls High. Two schools, Parkfield High and Pendeford, have over 25% surplus places.
2.3 What added value will BSF investment provide to local education outcomes within and beyond the school day?
As indicated at Section 2.1, we will use BSF to help transform learning in Wolverhampton. Our Readiness to Deliver statement highlighted a number of key areas of development, including:
o High quality specialist provision linked with existing or planned specialisms – Section 2.7; o Key Stage 2/3 transfer and Key Stage 3 progression; o Transforming the role of the children’s workforce; o Governance to support partnership working; o Inclusive practice – Section 2.9; o Promoting individual and community wellbeing – Section 2.8; o Matching schools with communities in terms of size and facilities
We intend to follow through these priorities. Our detailed objectives in many of these areas are set out in subsequent sections.
In relation to Key Stage 2/3 transition, we see twin challenges. The first is to ensure that by age 14, and preferably well before, pupils are equipped with adequate or better basic skills and competencies. The second is to ensure that learner engagement and progression is sustained throughout both Key Stages. Currently institutional and pedagogical factors 2
can lead to increased levels of disengagement as pupils progress through Key Stage 3. BSF provides a unique opportunity for schools to continue to work collaboratively and creatively to improve the transition process between primary and secondary phases and lay the foundation for KS3 curriculum reform. We have already achieved success in promoting digital learning for Year 5, 6 and 7 pupils through the Learning2Go project, and cross phase Gifted and Talented programmes provide the basis for developing curriculum clusters which will guide leadership in learning in and between phases. The Learning2Go project has resulted in improved motivation, better attendance to learning and enhanced outcomes. As part of our joint planning with schools for BSF, we will introduce more advanced models such as Key Stage 2/3 transition centres, schools within schools, cross-phase federations and co-location.
High quality physical infrastructure does not guarantee effective learning, but BSF provides a real opportunity to create a more secure and welcoming environment. This is partly about the more effective use of space and light, and partly about scale, simplicity and flexibility of design. However, we must also keep a strong focus on the physical, physiological, cultural and emotional needs of learners. Maximising security and minimising bullying are key factors we are determined to address through the arrangement and design of pastoral and social facilities, including the design of toilets and changing facilities. In addition, we will ensure that BSF in Wolverhampton is informed by the concerns, views and ideas of existing and future secondary age learners. We shall give particular emphasis to the needs of post-16 learners, which are not well served at present; we believe that better study, communal, recreational and sports facilities, which recognise the status of post-16 learners, will support other initiatives to improve retention and achievement, including outcomes for gifted and talented learners.
The wellbeing and development of school-based staff are also vital factors in securing better outcomes. We will use BSF to develop high quality facilities which are suitable for both staff and learners, to encourage positive interaction at an informal, as well as a formal level. We will also develop at least three of our schools as specialist training schools which can provide high quality facilities for the development of all staff who work with children and young people. These facilities will also be available to the wider community and to business users, and should help to enhance school-business links.
High quality ICT provision will be part of the glue which binds together all the above strands. The LA and schools have, since 2000, made significant investment in ICT. This investment, together with support, training and innovation has provided significant improvement in teaching, learning and outcomes. As detailed earlier, BSF ICT investment will be used to underpin all of these developments and provide not merely another step change but real transformation. E learning and digital infrastructures will be further developed to support personalised learning across all secondary schools and settings. All pupils will have access to their own learning technologies, appropriate to their needs. The functionality provided by BSF will enhance the effectiveness of e-CAF and Contact Point, will support adult and family learning, will promote international contacts for pupils, and will consolidate FE and HE links. ICT will also be used to support improved school processes including data analysis, cashless catering, CCTV.
In terms of learner outcomes, we will use BSF investment to ensure that: • All Wolverhampton schools are achieving in excess of 45% 5 A*-C GCSEs including English and maths; • All Wolverhampton schools are in the top 25% nationally in terms of contextual value added at Key Stage 4; • 60% of young people aged 19yrs will achieve Level 3.
In relation to admissions, we will ensure that BSF increases the number of first preferences for those secondary schools which are currently undersubscribed, and we will increase the capacity of some of our most popular schools. Our target is to ensure at least 85% of parents secure their first preference.
2.4 How does the Authority propose to ensure choice, diversity and access for all parents and pupils in its schools?
A key principle of our Strategy for Change is that all children, young people and their families will have access to a diverse range of schools and facilities each with a distinctive character based on ethos and specialism that meets their needs, aspirations and learning styles.
We will adopt the proposals contained within the Black Country Challenge (BCC) whereby each BCC Learning Neighbourhood will have either an Academy or a Trust. There will be an Academy in the Bilston Learning Neighbourhood which includes the Bilston Urban Village (the largest regeneration project underway in the Black Country). This School will be at the centre of a Federation to promote achievement within the area that will include three other secondary schools and the City of Wolverhampton College. The focus of the North Wolverhampton Learning Neighbourhood will be a Trust, in partnership with the University of Wolverhampton and the private sector, that will actively promote the development of skills closely aligned to Wolverhampton’s i54 regeneration project. This is programmed to deliver over 6,000 new jobs by 2020. Alongside this Trust we will seek to establish an Academy to replace two existing schools. In Bilston and North Wolverhampton, as well as in the east of the City, we will use trusts or trust-like arrangements to drive transformation and sustain higher attainment.
Trust-like arrangements already exist between two other schools as part of the Lichfield Foundation, and we are keen to use similar arrangements elsewhere to consolidate the effective partnership working that already exists, as well as to promote choice, diversity and access. We will seek to provide more parents with their first choice of school by enlarging popular and successful schools and closing or merging long-term unpopular and unsuccessful schools. Within our Trust framework, we will reshape the City’s SEN resource base and PRU provision by encouraging schools to work collaboratively within a locality framework to cater for the needs of all learners. This provision will link with our development of Multi Agency Support Teams (MASTs) to support ‘Every Child Matters’. We will continue to invest in high quality special school provision to meet emerging needs and parental choice - this strategy is validated by the high take-up of places in special schools across the City. 3
We have already made significant progress in attracting potential academy sponsors and trust partners - of national and international standing - who will work with the Council, schools and other partners to create schools which are catalysts for significant and widespread change across the City. With our sponsors we will seek to create new working practices between ourselves, architects, education leaders, civil servants, civil engineers, politicians, policy makers, designers, learners, teachers and parents to create projects and facilities which are genuinely transformational. A number of our potential sponsors have international experience in the use of ICT to support teaching, learning and the development of alternative pedagogies. We intend to use this experience to inform city-wide transformation. Our approach will be based on collaboration in terms of planning, governance, pedagogy and management, but will also promote community ownership by inviting everyone to play a part in the projects and to share in the success we hope they will bring.
In summary, as part of our BSF Programme we will:
• Establish an Academy within the Bilston Learning Neighbourhood to replace an existing school, and create a Trust arrangement involving Deansfield, Moseley Park, and the City of Wolverhampton College to work with the Academy. • Establish a Trust within the North Wolverhampton Learning Neighbourhood, involving Aldersley, Moreton and the University of Wolverhampton, to work with an Academy which will be established to replace two existing schools. • Promote Federations, Trusts or Trust-like arrangements in other parts of the City as follows: – S. Peter’s CE, St Edmund’s RC, the King’s and Wolverhampton Girls High in collaboration with the University and the College to govern a new Compton Park Learning Centre; – Heath Park, Coppice and Wednesfield High to improve learning outcomes in the east of the City; – Highfields, Colton Hills, Penn Fields and Smestow to promote learning outcomes in the south west of the City; • Use BSF investment to develop state-of-the-art specialist facilities in conjunction with external partners e.g. Highfields and the University of Wolverhampton for science. • Enlarge and / or re-develop popular and successful schools, including Highfields and Heath Park. • Enhance special school provision, including co-locating two special schools on mainstream sites. • Create thematic cross-City partnerships e.g. a Sports Federation comprising the specialist sports colleges – Our Lady and St Chad, Smestow and Westcroft.
2.5 How will the Authority ensure robust challenge to schools including strategies for early intervention in the case of underperforming or failing schools?
The Local Authority has well established systems in place to monitor and evaluate the performance of schools and settings. Information is systematically collated into a Record of School Effectiveness, which is used to categorise schools/settings as those causing concern and those demonstrating effective practice. The performance of schools and settings is overseen by the School Monitoring and Review Team that manages differentiated support to those schools identified by the Local Authority or by Ofsted as underperforming or displaying significant weaknesses. The approach currently used has successfully integrated with the work of School Improvement Partners to ensure robust challenge and early targeted intervention for underperforming schools. Wolverhampton schools value the monitoring, challenge and support they receive, as indicated in their very positive responses to the Audit Commission Survey.
At present, one secondary community school, Wednesfield High School, has been issued with a notice to improve by Ofsted, and the Authority has designated two schools, the Kings Church of England and Parkfield High, as being at Stage 3 of concern. Multi-agency task groups have been established for these schools to co-ordinate, direct and monitor the impact of the support they are receiving. Since the introduction of revised Ofsted inspection arrangements 53% of secondary schools and 80% of special schools have been judged as good or better.
Within this overall pattern of educational achievement, there are a number of vulnerable individuals and identified pupil groups who fail to realise their full potential. Through the Black Country Challenge we will raise achievement for these groups by the sharper targeting of resources to impact more directly on outcomes for identified schools, their governors, their workforce and their pupils. BSF will build on the work of the Challenge and, with the strategic use of diverse governance arrangements, co-ordinated specialist provision and the effective personalisation of learning, will eliminate current pockets of underperformance.
2.6 How will the Authority deliver personalised learning to ensure that every pupil is fully stretched and can access a broad curriculum that best suits their needs and talents?
Radical curriculum and pedagogical changes are required in order to transform learning through personalisation and promote achievements and well-being for all pupils. The key building blocks for this transformation are:
• Strong leadership and governance which is committed to the transformation agenda; • School based staff whose ethos and practice has been transformed through training and collaboration; • An effective framework of assessment for learning and pupil tracking; • Effective Key Stage 2/3 transition and Key Stage 3 progression facilitated by improved buildings and ICT (video-links, learning platform and e-portfolios); • Curriculum access and high quality specialist provision post-14; • A functional and reliable ICT infrastructure which supports independent learning; • Active and sustained engagement with the business, voluntary and community sectors; • Sustained learner involvement in review and development.
None of these requirements relies wholly on BSF and many of them are already in place locally using the funding that the 4
Government has provided for personalisation. Alongside post-14 developments (Section 2.7) assessment for learning and pupil tracking are now well established and IT is already being used at Key Stages 2 and 3 to deliver “learning when I want, how I want and where I want”. This has been a major focus of the Virtual Workspace (VW) and already more than 50% of VW activity is beyond the traditional school day. Teachers, teaching assistants and mentors work collaboratively with pupils to help them realise their aspirations, as well as helping them to build positive relationships, self-esteem, self- confidence and enjoyment of learning. LA and school leaders have already participated in NCSL BSF pilot programmes and BECTA self review frameworks. A secondary Headteacher conference in June 2007, focused on organisational and curriculum models which will transform learning. Similar models are emerging from the discussions with the potential academy sponsors and include:
• a movement towards project based, rather than discipline based learning - with an inevitable impact on specialist and general teaching space; • a greater role for mixed age learning; • a "blurring" between phases including between secondary and university sectors but also between home learning and school learning, or learning at work; • further developing the role of data in the assessment of performance and looking to tailor metrics to local and cultural needs (for example to measure and accredit self esteem); • an increasing utilisation of learning premises by all stakeholders moving towards 24/7/365 occupation; • a reduction in the movement of learners around the school and an associated increase in timetable unit lengths (this should reduce the need for ingress and egress space like corridors and stairwells);
All the models of personalisation that we are seeking to develop will encourage pupils to take greater control of their learning. Learners will be encouraged to analyse data about their achievements, set targets and make choices about learning activities and resources. Using ICT they will be encouraged to give feedback about their learning experiences, and they will be asked to consider how learning could be organised more effectively for them. Exit surveys will be routine. Those who manage learning will be expected to reflect upon the “pupil voice” and modify learning plans appropriately. My- iPlan which has been developed to support the Virtual Workspace provides early experience of how these systems will support learning.
Our transition and KS3 curriculum will reflect the QCA model of “Building a 21st century Curriculum”. Research skills, thinking skills, social skills and personal attributes of resilience, curiosity, enterprise, compassion and shared values will provide the foundations for pupils to take responsibility for their learning.
As indicated above, some aspects of personalisation are already well-developed in Wolverhampton for certain groups of learners. BSF will be essential to extend some existing models to all learners, and will enable us to accelerate progress in relation to curriculum access, specialist facilities and independent learning.
2.7 How will the Authority ensure the effective delivery of the 14-19 entitlement in partnership with area LSC teams and local FE providers?
Our 14-19 provision already has high national standing. We have developed effective partnership working involving the University, College, all Schools, Voluntary and Community Organisations (VCOs), Training Providers (TPs) and strategic partners like Edexcel. This is the foundation of an area-wide curriculum offer, which is already extensive but is still expanding. It is enabling the City to deliver ‘personalisation’ through individual progression pathways. The 14-19 Infrastructure facilitates effective collaboration between providers of all types so that learners can access the entire offer. A well established 14-19 Development Team is responsible for leadership, management, systems and processes. ICT has already played a significant role in our 14-19 developments. Our 14-19 ICT tools currently include the Virtual Workspace, My-iPlan and Area Prospectus. BSF investment will allow a radical transformation of these systems together with the use of virtual-lessons and video conferencing. The impact of this work is already very significant in terms of 5 A*-C and post 16 retention. There is a strong, shared commitment to transformation which is already reflected in the City’s holistic approach to Diploma development and the innovative REAch Programme at Level 1 in Key Stage 4. Access to this learning depends on an effective infrastructure, in particular on timetable alignment, which is now fully established. As a result, the City is confident that it can deliver ‘Raising Expectations: staying in education and training post 16’ before 2015.
There will be critical staging posts in 2010 by which time the City will offer all 14 Diplomas and progression will be fully inclusive, and in 2013 when full entitlement will be mandatory. These developments will empower learners and their parents, especially as new approaches to demand and entitlement are emerging. The engagement of informal providers like VCOs and TPs is genuinely transformational. The management structure for Diplomas, Diploma Management Networks, together with aspects of the Infrastructure, notably ‘my-iPlan.com’ and ‘areaprospectus.com’, provide the basis for sophisticated commissioning of learning by the Authority from specialist learning providers of all types.
Building Schools for the Future is an essential part of this long term strategy. We believe that the best way to personalise learning and transform outcomes is through a stronger focus on specialism from age 14. We are committed to ‘a new form of experiential learning in a range of contemporary contexts and settings’. Timetable alignment means learners can learn in different places, for whole and half days; learners in each teaching group may come from any school in the City. Holistic Diploma delivery by several specialist providers working together means each Diploma line can be structured and managed differently, with units of episodic learning provided by specialists aggregating into a personalised Diploma.
Through BSF all our schools will offer new standards of regional excellence as specialist schools, with the primacy of this specialist learning as the driving force. The Science specialist school, for example, will lead in this curriculum area, working in collaboration with the University. Its role will cover audit and management of facilities, all external links, workforce development, diversity and choice and above all pedagogy. It will itself ensure traditional academic excellence, 5
but enhance it with high quality facilities e.g. for Electronics, and with facilities to ensure progression to meet 21st century needs e.g. to degrees in pharmacy. It will link to similar specialist providers both locally and nationally. It will be at the centre of pedagogy and facilities management, co-ordinating the work of all providers.
In managing learning going forward, schools will need to remain effective in a very dynamic learning environment, driven by labour market needs, new technology and e-learning. Through BSF we will develop a flexible and dynamic framework of specialist resources. In addition we shall develop at least two Learning Centres to ensure the City can respond to constantly evolving demand, and we will use BSF to support the co-ordinated development of second specialisms. With regard to strategic governance and quality assurance, we are already putting in place a framework which will meet all the requirements of recent DCSF guidance on 14-19 partnerships.
These developments will provide a diverse but sustainable framework of specialist schools which will effectively engage with and respond to the needs of employers, as well as the FE and HE sectors. This will be a key strand in transforming outcomes in terms of attainment, inclusion, participation and skills at age 19.
2.8 To what extent is the Authority ensuring effective integration of education and other services through Every Child Matters?
Schools are firmly part of the trust-like arrangements which are responsible for delivering the five key outcomes in the Children Act 2004. Through the Children and Young People’s Partnership, the Authority is already working closely with schools, settings and partners from the statutory community and voluntary sectors in the development of locally based integrated services for children, young people and families through Multi-Agency Support Teams (MASTs). Using the Common Assessment Framework (CAF), these services will be crucial to supporting the role of the single lead professional and meeting the needs of vulnerable children. Schools will have a pivotal role to play in the early identification of need. BSF will ensure that appropriate facilities, in terms of accommodation, equipment and communications, are available to facilitate this role.
Extended schools are at the heart of delivering the ECM agenda both within and beyond the school day. The investment available through BSF will enable local areas to continue to plan and deliver a broad range of more specialist facilities that respond to local need. We will build on the successful collaboration achieved through programmes such as NOF Round 3, Space for Sport and Arts and the Specialist School programme. BSF will help secondary schools to contribute to area- focused extended facilities, including out-of-school and holiday learning, family learning, library provision, “drop in” centres, housing and health surgeries, counselling and mentoring support, targeted youth support and other activities for young people.
Sport and physical activity is a vital part of the wider contribution that BSF can make to young people’s wellbeing. We will engage with Sport England and other national sporting bodies, local sports development and community groups and voluntary organizations, to establish needs and aspirations which can align with BSF new build and refurbishment projects. Within a City-wide Sports Partnership, there will be targeted improvements at our three specialist sports colleges (including one special school), to meet the wider needs of the School Sport Partnerships which each school hosts.
We intend the BSF programme to support a range of existing initiatives to promote health, especially those focusing on substance misuse, sexual health and teenage conception. We will consult with the School Nursing Service and with voluntary and community agencies, and will seek to promote the Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Strategy for Children and the Healthy Schools Programme. In particular we will use BSF to develop catering facilities in secondary schools which are welcoming, operate flexibly to meet or exceed statutory standards in place for maintained schools, and provide a service that meets the needs of learners, staff and the wider community. We will also involve in our planning for BSF the Police, Fire Service and Anti-Bullying Network to benefit from their specialist knowledge and experience in key aspects of promoting a safe environment for young people.
ICT will also play an important role in support of the Every Child Matters agenda. The Council is currently in the process of implementing a major programme of transformation of services to support social care – including a new ICT system. BSF investment will help ensure integration with other systems supporting children. It will also accelerate the development of other systems in support of extended schools and parental access to information about their children.
2.9 How does the authority propose to champion the needs of all pupils, including those with SEN?
The City already provides continuum of support for children and young people, including those with special educational needs, that has been judged as good overall. BSF provides the impetus to review the efficiency and effectiveness of our current models of multi-agency support, outreach work, mainstream resource bases, special schools and PRUs. The preparation for BSF will link closely with the work already taking place to promote inclusion and the values of interdependence and community articulated in the Council’s Policy for SEN and Inclusion. We will take a personalised approach to each learner’s needs by providing flexible accommodation with disability access, resources and learning programmes that develop a thirst for learning and a cross-cutting spirit of citizenship. School leaders will actively engage with learners, including those with special educational needs, to shape and develop learning opportunities. The school workforce will be confident in the use of assessment and pupil information to intervene and challenge appropriately to support each learner’s progress and to develop capabilities that equip children and young people for life.
BSF will enable further integration of pupil support services with targeted multi-agency provision located in each part of the City. School staff will have access to appropriate e-systems, such as Contact Point and eCAF, to support early intervention. The changing profile of needs will be addressed, for example by creating Autism specific (including residential) provision. Provision through Resource Bases will be rationalised to reflect changing needs and parental 6
preference. BSF will also enhance the capacity of mainstream schools to meet a more diverse range of needs, especially when collaborating on an area basis; this will be an important aspect of individual schools’ visioning and planning.
The Local Authority has a strong track record in placing “the learner at the heart of the system”, as seen in recent e- learning initiatives and 14 to 19 developments. There is a strong partnership between the Authority, other partners and schools with a shared commitment to improve outcomes for children, young people and their families. The Council’s involvement of children and young people in decision making and readiness to listen to their voice has been judged as outstanding by JAR inspectors. The Wolverhampton Quality Standard for Inclusion has recently been launched as a self- evaluation tool to assess the level and effectiveness of inclusive practice, with guidance on how to improve on previous best. BSF will support the Council’s vision for inclusion, with schools working together in the interests of all learners from the local community, backed by high quality specialist advice provided by multi-disciplinary teams.
2.10 What change management strategies are in place to achieve the authority’s BSF vision?
Transforming the learning experience through BSF will require a significant cultural change in process and practice. To achieve this we will build upon our previous successes in managing change, achieved through robust and effective relationships with schools and other stakeholders.
In partnership with schools, we have earmarked significant resources to deliver programme governance and management. Our approach incorporates programme assurance, which provides an objective assessment of whether we are doing the right thing at the right time and whether we have done it right.
We have established a number of work streams, which draw colleagues from areas such as regeneration, property service, ICT, as well as from schools, to ensure that our plans and objectives for BSF are based on accurate and up-to- date local information regarding regeneration, demography and community needs, and are integrated with City-wide strategies. Our agenda is fully aligned with the Black Country Challenge.
As we prepare for BSF, the City’s Children’s Workforce Development Strategy will be working to equip staff, partners and volunteers to improve outcomes for children and young people. We will collaborate with Wolverhampton’s school leaders, sub regional groups, HE providers and national organisations to underpin the transformation of the school workforce. For example, the Authority’s accredited management development programme has been refreshed to address the needs of future leaders; the succession planning pilot undertaken with the NCSL has been integrated into a leadership development strategy targeted at governors and aspiring school leaders; work with the TDA is sustaining and developing the remodelled school workforce; and engagement with the QCA is assisting the development of a sub regional futures curriculum to support Key Stage 2/3 transition. Similar thinking will guide recruitment and retention across the wider children’s workforce, and this will link with integrated qualification training supported by local HE providers. These strategies are already starting to develop a multi-disciplinary approach to supporting young people, with an emphasis on collaboration and integration, rather than professionalism and specialism. BSF will ensure that this transformation is supported by effective ICT to streamline procedures and to give rapid and easy access to data.
Our experience in implementing ICT systems and applications provides us with opportunities to use technology to support change management. We will build on our recent successes, which include the introduction of a managed learning environment, offering live mentoring for 140 hours each week at Key Stages 3 and 4; an online individual record of achievement at Key Stages 3 and 4; access to online guidance through an area prospectus; and the adoption of mobile learning technologies within our primary schools and in pilot secondary schools. These schools will provide valuable experience and insights that can be shared with other schools. We have introduced CPD to ensure ICT is integrated into pedagogic practice. Our newly enhanced education portal offers a range of cross-authority e-services, including the formation of e-communities and e-communications. The Local Authority also has strong, well established links with Becta and our pioneering developments to support mobile learning through the creative use of new technologies provide a solid platform for further innovation.
We have a long and successful record of collaboration with our schools and with other local stakeholders and partners. Using this experience, we have established a robust and inclusive strategy to ensure that all parties affected by BSF understand and contribute to the vision for learning in the City. We have established a stakeholder board, which will assist in ensuring the expectations are effectively managed and needs addressed. We are now creating a post-11 strategic governance board, to provide overarching leadership to our strategies for change. This Board will work closely with the School Improvement Partnership Board to ensure that the transformation programme associated with BSF is both innovative and realistic.
3. Proposals for the Schools and FE Estate
3.1 Introduction
The Building Schools for the Future programme is a key element of investment totalling potentially £1 billion that can be anticipated across the city of Wolverhampton over the next five to ten years. This includes a number of major regeneration programmes, including i54, Summer Row (£265m), the Interchange (£186m) and Bilston Urban Village as well as other funding such as Decent Homes. This investment will make a major contribution to the vision of the City as articulated in “Vision 2020” which takes into account the objectives of the Regional Economic Strategy and the Black Country Study.
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The Black Country Study aims to improve the quality of the environment, to reverse population decline, to improve skills levels and to contribute to a growth in incomes. Proposals to address these ambitions have been identified in the Revision to the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) and will be taken forward by the Black Country Joint Core Strategy.
The Joint Core Strategy will set the planning framework for the development of the City, as well as the rest of the sub- region, up to 2026. It will seek to ensure that sufficient homes, shops, employment, social, educational and recreational facilities are planned and provided for in that time to meet the needs of all communities. This will include meeting the needs of children and young people by seeking to provide sufficient facilities within the City for them as well as having a positive effect for future generations.
Major redevelopment opportunities will be focused in the four strategic centres of the Black Country and a series of regeneration corridors. Wolverhampton City Centre is identified as one of the four Strategic Centres. In addition the RSS Phase 1 Revision identifies a series of potential Housing Growth Corridors to be the focus for new high quality housing development. There are four of these in Wolverhampton: the Stafford Road Corridor, the Bilston and Birmingham Canal Corridors and the Wednesfield Corridor.
The RSS Revision also identifies four Employment Land Investment Corridors including the Black Country North Corridor running from the City Centre to M54 Junction 2 (including Wolverhampton Science Park, Wolverhampton Business Park and i54), and the Black Country Central Corridor which includes employment areas in Wednesfield and to the east of Bilston. Within these corridors, a portfolio of employment land is required, in particular for technology led business and for the delivery of sub-regional employment sites.
3.2 Key Priorities for the School Estate
Our proposals for the school estate are based on the following principles and critical success factors: • School Estate • Transformation o Current surplus capacity of 1,700 places o Building on firm foundations o A need to reduce the current estate by up to 3 • 14-19 schools, based on the following criteria: • E-learning / mobility - anywhere / anytime • Pupil performance learning • Popularity • ECM • Size (below 750 potentially non-viable) • Partnership / collaboration • Proximity to other provision • Strong leadership & CPD • Other known developments • Innovation o A readiness to enlarge popular and successful • School design schools and to work collaboratively with partners o To deliver the key areas of development in our • Governance Readiness to Deliver statement: o A wish to promote self-governance • KS2/3 transfer and KS3 progression o Each Black Country Learning Neighbourhood to • High quality specialist provision have an Academy or Trust • 14-19 development, including at least one o Trust or similar arrangements especially to link experiential learning centre high performing and low performing schools • Inclusive practice • Individual and community wellbeing • Resources o BSF funding available in a single wave
We would like to see BSF as a continuous programme. Our initial proposals for phasing are based on the following core priorities: (a) To secure improved outcomes, support regeneration and remove surplus places in the south-east of the City; (b) To invest in two popular community schools and improve outcomes in the east of the City; (c) To secure improved outcomes, support regeneration and remove surplus places in North Wolverhampton.
This proposed phasing also takes into account our initial assessment of individual schools’ readiness for BSF
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Capital Start Funding year Phase Schemes Allocation (£m) * 1(a) Bilston Academy - new build on existing school site 2 (Sample Deansfield High School - refurbishment inc specialist provision 0 schools) Tettenhall Wood Special School – relocation to Kings School campus and new build inc residential provision 65.7 1 Highfields Science Specialist School – new build with expansion on existing site 0 1(b) Colton Hills Community School ) refurbishment inc / Moseley Park (Foundation) School ) specialist provision 1 Parkfield Learning Centre – new build 80.2 1 Heath Park Business and Enterprise College – relocation/new build + expansion Coppice Performing Arts School – refurbishment + expansion
Wednesfield High School – refurbishment inc rationalisation to single building 2(a) Aldersley High School – refurbishment plus specialist provision 2 North Wolverhampton Learning Centre – new build on existing school site Moreton Community School – refurbishment plus specialist provision 0 North Wolverhampton Academy – new build on existing school site 88.9 1 Our Lady and St Chad’s Catholic School – refurbishment plus specialist provision 1 Penn Fields Special School – relocation to Smestow School and new build / Smestow Specialist Sports College – refurbishment inc specialist provision 1 2(b) Compton Park Learning Centre – new build on existing school campus** S. Peter’s Collegiate CE School ) refurbishment plus specialist provision and 2 St Edmund’s Catholic School ) limited expansion 61.7 Wolverhampton Girls High School ) Kings CE School – refurbishment plus specialist provision Refurbishment of other special schools and PRUs TOTAL 296.5 * Based on FAM +10%, but also including £5 million each for the North Wolverhampton and Parkfield Learning Centres ** Programming will depend on timing contributions from the University and the College.
This programme will involve closing three schools, one in the south-east and two in the north of the City. Overall, up to six existing sites will be released as follows: o Heath Park (north-east) o Part of one secondary school site in the south-east o Part of one secondary site in North Wolverhampton o Part of the existing site of Wednesfield High School o Tettenhall Wood Special School site (south-west) o Penn Fields Special school site (south-west)
One new site will have to be acquired – for the relocation of Heath Park – there is a significant possibility that this site, or most of it, will already be in Council ownership.
Based on emerging experience and good practice, we will commence the statutory process to close existing schools as soon as the sponsors are in place for the academies that will replace them.
BSF investment will also link with the FE capital strategy for the City which has been developed by the City of Wolverhampton College in conjunction with the Black Country LSC. The main elements are:
• The development of the Wellington Road, Bilston campus to provided enhanced facilities for civil engineering, construction and sport; • Creation of a new science and technology campus (iCentral) adjacent to the Wolverhampton Science Park on the Stafford Road with a focus on technology and higher level skills. This proposal is a collaboration between the College and the University of Wolverhampton. • The development of the College site at Paget Road on the east side of Compton Park with a focus on 14-19 learning, including A Level and Degree level provision.
3.3 Project Governance & Management Arrangements for School Projects
The Programme Initiation Document contains the programme’s governance and management arrangements for our BSF work.
These involve: • Strategic Governance Board • BSF Programme Board • Member Steering Group • Programme Team • Management arrangements for school projects.
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The main elements of this model are shown here:
Learning Council and Cabinet Partnership Stakeholder Board Member Steering Group
Programme Sponsor BSF Programme Programme Owner Board Programme Director PfS 4ps
Programme Children’s Internal Internal External External External Other Manager Services Financial Legal Technical Financial Legal Advisors
BSF Programme Team Internal Technical Internal ICT Admin Support
Programme Corporate Risk Management Human Resources Audit ICTS Assurance Procurement Officer
Strategic Governance - The Council is in the process of establishing a Strategic Governance Board for post-11 education in the City. This will comprise senior representatives of all key stakeholders, including: • Schools - primary, secondary and special at both • LSC governor and headteacher level • Wolverhampton Primary Care Trust • The Council – at Member and Director level • West Midlands Police Authority • Children and Young People’s Partnership • Education Business Partnership • School Improvement Partnership • Diocesan Authorities • University of Wolverhampton • Wolverhampton Youth Council and young people City of Wolverhampton College Employers and Training Providers
The principal role of the Strategic Governance Board will be to establish and maintain a strategic framework for developing the governance of schools and other education establishments across the City so that they can work in partnership to meets the needs of all citizens. It will also deliver the 14-19 strategic framework now required by DCSF.
Programme Board, Member Steering Group and Stakeholder Board - A Programme Board has been fully operational since April 2007 and all Council Director’s attend or are represented on the Board - as are PfS, 4ps, schools and the Council’s Corporate Programme Office. At Programme Board level three secondary headteachers, two primary headteachers and one special school headteacher are actively involved in all decisions. The Board has full responsibility for all aspects of BSF including ICT. A BSF Member Steering Group has also been established and the City’s Local Learning Partnership Board will take on the role of Stakeholder Board early in the Autumn Term. Programme Management - Programme management arrangements have been developed since September 2006 when a Programme Director was appointed. The Council’s Chief Executive is Programme Sponsor and the Director for Children & Young People is the Programme Owner. The core Programme Team currently consists of the following staff: • Programme Director • Seconded Deputy Headteachers • Programme Manager • School Project Officer (3 posts) • Senior Programme Administrator ICT Managed Services Officer Clerical Support
The size of this Team is now being reviewed in the light of the increase in the scale of the investment programme from £150 million to £300 million.
The Programme Board has approved the establishment of a number of work-streams and colleagues from all Council services and schools are engaged in the following work-streams: (1) Vision & Transformation, (2) Learning and Pedagogy, (3) ICT, (4) Technical, (5) Academy, (6) Finance, (7) Legal. A work-stream for sport, leisure and culture is also to be established. The Council is in the process of appointing external and legal advisers. The Council has recently established a Corporate Programme Office to co-ordinate and support programme and project management across the Council. BSF will be one of the first beneficiaries.
Management Arrangements for School Projects - Schools are fully aware of the need for sufficient capacity to be available locally to deliver each school project. Engagement with the NCSL BSF pilot and subsequent dialogue (particularly arising from the Secondary Head’s Partnership Summer Conference which was devoted to BSF) has further articulated the requirement for each school to have the ability to engage effectively on the full range of BSF activities including transformation, school design, ICT and Facilities Management. Operationally each school will engage with the BSF Programme Team directly via their own internal project team which will include a member of the school leadership team, a governor and other key staff. Schools are encouraged to engage with staff, learners, parents and the wider community. The BSF Programme Team also contains 3 post-holders who will provide direct support, challenge and liaison with schools.
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3.4 Overview of Pupil Place Requirements
In January 2007 there were 16,669 pupils in Wolverhampton’s secondary schools and a net capacity of 18,371 giving 11.8% surplus places. Over the next 10 years the secondary school population in Wolverhampton is likely to decline to 16,100 at its lowest point, rising to between 16,400 and 16,600 by 2016. In order to meet the parameters of BB98 we would need to reduce the current net capacity across the Local Authority by at least 900 places. However, BB98 does not take account of some models of 21st century learning, and we would want to agree some refinements with PfS as part of our planning for BSF. At present we are planning for 17,850 places in 2017.
3.5 ICT Headline Strategy
The Authority has set out a clear strategy through which e-enabled services will allow learners to determine how, when, and where they wish to learn. This “e-strategy” launched in 2006 is a major focus of all our e-activities and seeks to make a reality of joined up services for all young people. Our strategy provides opportunities for collaborative approaches to personalised learning and support to be developed and implements an accessible digital infrastructure offering high quality information networks. As such the e-strategy is central to our strategic vision to transform learning, change management (including staff development) in Wolverhampton and will therefore be critical to our BSF planning. The strategy focuses on three core themes linked with the Government’s six priorities for e-services, namely:
o Embracing the challenges of the children and young people agenda – improving information exchange and sharing so that we have appropriate records of children in our area, the services they have accessed and the professionals who work with them; e-CAF will also bring together universal and specialist practitioners to ensure that each child’s needs are assessed earlier and more effectively. e-service priorities: • An integrated online information service for all citizens • Integrated online personal support for children and learners
o Building on the progress made in e-learning over the last 3 years – enabling young people to become independent learners by developing confidence and competence in the use of technology and offering flexibility in how, when, and where learning takes place. The e-strategy will support a city-wide approach to effective teaching and learning through appropriate technology and greater access to learning beyond the school and the school day. e-service priorities: • A collaborative approach to teaching and learning • A good quality training and support package for practitioners • A common digital infrastructure to support transformation and reform
o Developing a workforce that is skilled, well-led and supported by effective systems and process – developing new ways of working – particularly using ICT - to support BSF transformation and ECM. E-learning will feature in the NQT induction programme and will be accompanied by introductory and ongoing accredited CPD opportunities. A critical feature will be in the implementation of centralised procurement and advice to enable learning establishments to access appropriate technologies. e-service priorities: • A leadership and development package for organisational capability in ICT. The development of “training schools” and Academies with a firm focus on the ability of ICT to deliver transformation will be a key feature of this development package.
The LA and schools continue to provide considerable investment for ICT. In recent years secondary schools have benefited from: • Access to the Virtual Workspace Learning Platform – a PFI ICT initiative developed in conjunction with Worcestershire County Council and Nord Anglia. This unique system is currently in its third year of operation. The contract runs for 7 years. • Investment to support the use of mobile learning technologies. • Outsourcing of broadband network to Easynet (Year 1 of a 3 year contract) • Access to data and technical support • Access to ongoing support from e-Services.
3.6 Key Performance Indicators
BSF is part of our wider transformation and regeneration strategy, which is embedded in the performance management framework of the City Council and the Wolverhampton Strategic Partnership, and is linked with regional and sub-regional priorities. Key performance indicators (KPIs) have already been developed through the Local Area Agreement and the Children and Young People’s Plan to monitor progress against key outcomes for children and young people. BSF will contribute especially to the following KPIs –
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Key Performance Indicator Current Current target 2017 outcome Target Key Stage 3 English and maths - Percentage of pupils achieving Level 5 or above 67%* 75% 81% Proportion of schools achieving 50% or more Level 5 and above 89%* 100% 100% Key Stage 4 - Percentage of pupils achieving 5+ A*-C including English and maths 35%* 42% 64% Proportion of schools achieving 30% or more 5 A*-C including 67%* 75% 100% English and maths Looked after children – Percentage achieving 5 or more GCSE A*-G 48% 55% 100% Number of pupils with less than 80% attendance 1,194 670 600 Percentage of young people aged 5-16 engaged in a minimum of 2 hours of 86% 90% 100% high quality PE and sports each week Secondary pupils who think their school takes bullying seriously 41% 51% 100% Percentage of pupils not in school who are accessing alternative full-time 100% 100% 100% provision within the required timescales (since April 07) Percentage of 16/17 year olds in education or LSC funded work-based 93% (16+) 88% 100% learning 82% (17+) 79% 100% Average points score per student post-16 568 588.4 712 Percentage of young people aged 16-18 not in education, employment or 10.8% 9.7% Nil training (NEET) Level of under-18 conceptions per 1,000 females aged 15-17 61.4 34 30 *Provisional 2007
3.7 Communications and Consultation
Following successful local publicity of the Programme, the BSF Programme Board has recently considered a detailed communication and consultation strategy in greater detail and has resolved to employ the services of a dedicated Communications Officer and external consultancy to work in conjunction with the Council’s Communication Team. The Board resolved that a communications / consultation programme should involve:
• Winning the hearts and minds of staff: support for BSF by employees at all levels of the organisation is critical. Well-informed employees can act very effectively as advocates within their local communities. Using such corporate channels as ‘In the Know’, the weekly e-bulletin and City People – plus other briefings – priority will be given to getting staff on board with timely messages and information about the programme, as well as specific events and promotions. • the launch of easily accessible dedicated web site • regular briefings and bulletins • regular progress reports to key stakeholder / partnership forums providing briefings • Members Steering Group • the production of a consistent media campaign aimed at highlighting the benefits of BSF (including the development of a DVD featuring a range of school children and stakeholders promoting BSF) • regular workshops and involvement of children, parents and advisors • developing a brand for Building Schools for the Future that is consistent, clear and appropriately targeted to promote awareness and understanding of the BSF vision and priorities
Consultation will be key in developing and delivering a vision for the transformation of learning and the community role of schools for Wolverhampton. This will be achieved by consulting with all stakeholders on the City wide BSF vision in conjunction with specific proposals for individual schools.
There is a commitment, by schools to provide resources to support BSF communications at a local level, to support consultation with stakeholders throughout the project, to both raise and maintain its profile and achieve high quality outcomes. This is being coordinated by the BSF Communications and Project Officers.
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Appendix 2 - CHART OF EACH SCHOOL IN BUILDING SCHOOLS FOR THE FUTURE CONFIDENTIAL Standards (2006) PRE BSF POST BSF Attendance Community it serves 5 A*-Cs Aspirational Targets (2016) Characteristics 2006 Current NOR and Capacity Attendance Aspirational Characteristics 2016 Projected NOR and Capacity IDACI Deprivation (includin % of VA score g English Contextual Pupil rank Site band pupils Proportion based on Proportion 5 A*-Cs NOR NOR Total Value Pro jected Projected Pro jected Contextual Value Added School Name (residence) (school eligible for Capacity % Full of progress OfSTED of (including Extended 11-16 Post 16 NOR Absence Added Type \ Specialisms and Extended NOR 11 - NOR Post Total on Proposed Absence KS2-KS4 Target Type Specialisms and Provision ( / 3396, 1 location) Free January January Persistent and between grading Persistent English and Services January January January % Score KS2 - Governance Innovations Services 16 Sept 16 Sept Roll Sept Capacity % Learning Groups = most (0= most School 2007 2007 Absentees Maths) KS2 and Absentees Maths)(%) 2007 2007 2007 KS4 2016 2016 2016 deprived) deprived) Meals (PA) (%) KS3 (PA)
Enhance Technology 1013 Middle ability boys, Specialism KS3 white and mixed heritage Alderlsey High Foundation Technology (11-18) 4 659 50-60% 22.8 713 135 848 1003 84.5 10.0 10.03 27.0 98.3 992.0 3 (07) competency curriculum 2.0 730.0 160.0 890.0 1050.0 5.5 4.0 47 Academy of project based learning, catalyst Bilston Academy for learning across City 2.0 750.0 180.0 930.0 1200.0 6.0 4.0 60 KS3 competency Colton Hills Community, A 1020. Middle and lower curriculum. Specialist Language ability boys, Indian Distance/family 2.0 740.0 6.0 4.0 60 heritage College Community MFL (11-18) 3 615 60-70% 22.8 753 170 923 1009 91.5 9.9 10.8 40.0 98.2 976.1 Good (04) learning 168.0 908.0 1050.0 Sports/performing 1015. Middle and lower Coppice Performing Arts Community Performing Arts (11-18) 3 1696 30-40% 7.5 772 104 876 876 100.0 6.8 8.2 37.0 99.7 977.6 2 (05) arts continuum 2.0 817.7 96.0 913.7 1000.0 5.0 3.5 59 ability white boys School of creativity 1040. Lower ability girls, Innovation Centre pupils of mixed heritage Deansfield High Community Arts (TBC),(11-18) 2 210 10-20% 28.4 661 96 757 900 84.1 10.1 12.5 20.0 99.3 1039.6 2 (06) Trainin g School 2.0 748.0 89.0 837.0 900.0 7.5 5.0 49 Leading 1055. Lower ability girls, Heath Park Business & edge/vocational KS3 Bangladeshi, African Enterprise College Community Business and Enterprise (11-18) 2 488 0-10% 28.8 982 179 1161 1214 95.6 9.8 10.8 40.0 97.7 1050.3 1 (06) competency, ICT 2.0 1051.0 199.0 1250.0 1300.0 6.0 4.5 67 heritage 1011. Lower ability girls, Highfields Science Maths and Computing mixed heritage and Specialist Community Science (11-18) 3 1746 30-40% 10.1 1219 238 1457 1139 127.9 6.7 6.4 47.0 101.0 1001.0 Good (05) post 16, sports and PE 2.0 1274.4 257.0 1531.4 1500.0 5.0 3.5 72 Pakistani heritage Sport and PE, transition, 1075. Lower ability pupils, community/cross phase SEN school action Moreton Community Community Technology (11-18) 4 55 10-20% 53.8 561 110 671 833 80.6 11.0 12.4 25.0 98.6 1071.1 1 (07) development 2.0 659.0 140.0 799.0 900.0 7.0 5.0 58 Vocational, KS 3 1020.Middle ability boys, Satisfactory competency and lower ability girls, white Moseley Park Foundation Technology (11-18) 3 371 30-40% 20.1 1054 167 1221 1264 96.6 8.8 9.7 24.0 99.0 979.1 (05) community programmes 2.0 911.0 147.0 1058.0 1100.0 6.0 4.5 54 and Caribbean heritage. 1020. Upper ability boys MFL, Training School, and girls, SEN school action inclusion, community Our Lady & St Chad plus, mixed white and Black cohesion, skills Catholic Sports College VA Sports (11-18) 2 316 10-20% 24.4 701 123 824 896 92.0 9.9 11.1 27.0 99.0 1016.3 2 (06) 2.0 759.3 138.0 897.3 900.0 6.5 5.0 53 Caribbean Parkfield High Community MfL (TBC) (11-18) 2 374 10-20% 37.8 910 108 1018 1733 58.7 9.4 9.4 13.0 100.8 970.5 3 (07) 1011. Middle ability girls, Science, technology, middle and lower ability community Smestow, A Specialist boys, white and mixed development, skills Sports College Community Sports (11-18) 3 1859 30-40% 11.8 798 177 975 996 97.9 7.6 8.3 42.0 98.1 985.8 3 (06) 2.0 800.0 190.0 990.0 1050.0 5.5 2.5 69 white and Black Caribbean
St Edmund's Catholic, A HE/FE centre, 1015. Middle ability girls, Specialist Mathematics & community resources SEN school action plus Computing College VA Maths and Computing (11-18) 3 1252 60-70% 10.9 663 140 803 754 106.5 6.6 6.5 58.0 100.2 1005.4 3 (06) 2.0 700.9 157.0 857.9 900.0 5.0 2.5 74 Skill develo pment, 1015. Upper ability boys, progression, St Peter's Collegiate Indian heritage, mixed community/HE Church of England VA Technology, Vocational (11-18) 3 1969 60-70% 3.2 764 242 1006 1013 99.3 4.2 4.0 63.0 100.3 1004.0 2 (07) 2.0 823.0 3.0 1.5 80 heritage development 250.0 1073.0 1100.0 1012. Upper and middle Federation, Trust or Trust like arrangements in conjunction with locality PRU's with provision, based conjunction like in arrangements Trust or Trust Federation, Competency and skill ability boys, white, The King's Church of Visual Arts, science, sports (11- development, Pakistani and Black community links England VA 18) 3 771 60-70% 16.6 730 121 851 1078 78.9 7.6 8.0 23.0 98.7 990.8 3 (06) 2.0 780.5 147.0 927.5 900.0 6.0 4.5 61 Caribbean herita ge The Northicote Community Maths and Computing (11-18) 3 474 10-20% 20.3 762 117 879 773 113.7 8.3 9.2 27.0 101.0 1036.1 Good (05)
effective and HE/Business links Pendeford Business & constantly Enterprise College} Community Business and Enterprise (11-18) 2 444 40-50% 30.8 468 100 568 827 68.7 9.8 10.7 18.0 97.8 962.3 improving (04) 2.0 1000.0 160.0 1160.0 1200.0 4.0 60 Wednesfield High, A Thematic curriculum 1020. Lower ability girls, 6.0 Specialist Engineering model, community, middle ability boys, white inclusion, cross phase College Community Engineering (11-18) 3 953 40-50% 14.3 934 151 1085 1316 82.4 9.2 9.3 28.0 99.2 979.2 4 (07) 2.0 722.0 98.0 820.0 900.0 6.0 4.5 60 heritage HE links, post 16 Wolverhampton Girls' MfL, (Humanities TBC) (11-18) 1011. No relatively centre, ICT and skill High Foundation Single Sex Selective 2 2463 30-40% 0.9 534 212 746 747 99.9 3.1 3.2 99.0 103.5 1000.2 1 (06) 2.0 600.0 3.0 1.5 100 underperforming group development 230.0 830.0 900.0 13979 2690 16669 18371 90.7 13867.0 2806.0 16673.0 17850.0 Green Park Community 2 25.3 79 20 99 7.3 8.0 100.0 2 (06) 2.0 5.0 2.0 NewTotal Park Community 2 22.0 46 0 46 17.9 103.3 2 (06) 2.0 10.0 7.0 Penn Fields Community 2 39.5 160 0 160 8.8 101.4 1061.4 2 (07) 2.0 7.5 5.0 Penn Hall Community 2 22.5 55 24 79 12.0 99.0 1027.7 2 (07) 2.0 7.5 2.0
Tettenhall Wood Community 2 26.3 47 9 56 7.8 100.0 Very Good (03) 2.0 5.0 2.0 Westcroft School & Community Sports College Sport and Vocational 2 48.0 166 0 166 11.5 100.4 1017.4 3 (07) 2.0 7.5 5.0 The Braybrook Community Key Stage 3 PRU 4 41.9 2 0 2 2 (06) 2.0 10.0 7.0 locality PRU's provision, based Midpoint Community Key Stage 4 PRU 2 50.0 45 0 45 3 (07)Federation,like Trust or Trust 2.0 10.0 7.0 arrangements in conjunction with The Orchard Community Home and Hospital PRU 2 19.4 38 0 38 2 (07) 2.0 10.0 7.0 14
Appendix 3 Secondary Schools value-added data Key Stage 3 English Maths Science 2005 2006 2007 2005 2006 2007 2005 2006 2007 Wolverhampton 67 67 68 68 68 67 59 60 62 Statistical Neighbours 68 66 66 68 71 69 62 65 65 National 74 73 73 74 77 75 70 72 72
2005 2006 2007 Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3 VA 99.2 99.4
Key Stage 4 5+ A* - C grades inclu English 5+A - C grades and maths 5+ A* - G grades 2005 2006 2007 2005 2006 2007 2005 2006 2007 Wolverhampton 55.1 55.9 60 34.2 34.6 35 87.4 86.5 87.9 Statistical Neighbours 47.0 36.2 84.0 National 57.1 59.2 45.0 45.8 90.2 90.5
2005 2006 2007 Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 4 VA 988.5 999.9
2005 2006 2007 Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 4 VA and CVA* 996.6 999.5*
Post 16 Average Points Per Candidate 2005"" 2006 2007 Wolverhampton 202.4 567.9 588.4 National 277.6 721.5
Source DCSF- Achievement and Attainment Tables DCSF - SFR - SN data 15 NFER - SN Model - 2006 SN data NCER - 2007 exam data "" UCAS Points
Appendix 4
Sustainability - Providing Sustainable Schools at the heart of Sustainable Communities
Progress towards achieving sustainability in the City is guided by the “Sustainability Charter” of the Wolverhampton Partnership. It sets out 26 principles; the Annex highlights those of particular relevance to BSF. They are brought into focus by the refreshed Community Plan which now acts as the Local Agenda 21 Strategy for the City. BSF is essential to deliver for the Plan not only through improved performance in traditional areas such as CO2 emissions, ecological footprint and biodiversity, but also “softer” areas such as increasing levels of activity, developing lifelong learning and extending the range of cultural and leisure facilities. That is, BSF is at the heart of renewing communities and encouraging social cohesion.
It should be noted that BSF comes at a time when there is a substantial drive to improve the Authority’s leadership on delivering sustainability and to which it is intrinsically part. The Council is working to translate the Community Plan into a Sustainable Communities Plan which will form the backbone of the next Local Area Agreement submission. This strategy will be sufficiently in place to inform Part 2 of the Strategy for Change. At the same time a Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan is being prepared in response to the Wolverhampton Declaration on Climate Change, which was signed by the Leaders of all of the political parties on the Council, exemplifying the Authority’s commitment to sustainability. This will be supported by a Carbon Management Plan drawn up in partnership with the Carbon Trust and covering educational establishments. It should be noted that schools are already monitored on sustainability in Wolverhampton’s “Record of School Effectiveness (ROSE)”. Given such a community and corporate context, it goes without saying that BSF in the City will be expected to meet BREEAM “Excellent” standards. Three new school buildings, currently at design stage, are intended to achieve BREEAM excellent ratings.
Some examples of how sustainability may be delivered through the BSF are outlined below in accordance with the eight “doorways” of the DCSF Action Plan for “Sustainable Schools for Pupils, Communities and the Environment”:
• Food and Drink – ensure facilities for the preparation of fresh food for catering and curriculum purposes and composting of residues • Travel and Traffic – integration and encouragement of walking and cycling into the fabric of schools and pupil lifestyles. Currently 80% of schools in the City have or are working towards having an approved Travel Plan. • Purchasing and waste – delivery of educational and economic benefits through the localisation of procurement for construction and maintenance. School facilities as exemplars for the community in re-use and recycling. • Energy and water – energy and water reductions to be 5% greater than national targets or those for BREEAM “Excellent” whichever is the better. Energy to be entirely from direct or indirect renewable resources with opportunity for CHP to be explored in all cases. • Buildings and Grounds – schools shall act as flagships for their communities in managing their estate to deliver sustainability including internal and external performance monitoring accessible remotely by all, enhanced biodiversity in accordance with the local BAP and annual reporting in a comprehensive way on such matters. • Inclusion and participation – grounds and facilities management to incorporate elements for ready management by pupils/community groups with appropriate monitoring and reporting so that the implications of specific actions are understood. • Local well-being – buildings and grounds designed to maximise the Extended Schools initiative whilst facilities design reduces the resource implications. • Global dimension – source of materials and the sustainability implications to be logged, including during design with whole life costings. Pupil/parent contacts to be used to develop global networks. • Governing Bodies draft terms of reference includes working towards achieving Sustainable status in accordance with the Governments aspiration to achieve this by 2020
Annex to Appendix 4:
Summary of Charter Principles particularly relevant to BSF
• General and Economic: o Principle 1 - Demonstrating sustainability through the integration of environmental, social and economic considerations into all aspects of our activities and policies. o Principle 2 – Ensuring that we don not export problems geographically or temporarily. o Principle 3 – Meeting local needs as locally as possible o Principle 7 – Promoting a wide range of opportunities for life-long learning • Environmental: o Principle 9 – Modify our activities to ensure that they are consistent with current scientific and technical understanding o Principle 10 – Priority given to ecologically sound means of transport o Principle 11 – Contribute to the provision of high quality neighbourhood environments and the creation of ecologically diverse ‘natural’ environments safe for all. o Principle 12 – Manage the use of renewable resources in ways that protect the health of ecosystems and non-renewable resources in ways that minimise depletion and cause no serious long term damage.
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o Principle 13 – Encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies and techniques o Principle 14 – Apply the waste hierarchy and develop/provide goods and services that use natural resources effectively and can be reused, recycled or disposed of safely o Principle 15 – Prevent pollution and improve the quality of our land, air and water o Principle 16 – Recognise that renewable energy is the only sustainable alternative to fossil fuels • Social: o Principle 18 – Ensure our services are genuinely responsive to the needs of the community o Principle 21 – Promote and implement Travel Plans aimed at reducing the need to travel o Principle 22 –Proactive in designing out crime in new developments and promoting high levels of confidence in public safety o Principle 24 – Encourage all ages to become involved in their communities and care for the area
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Appendix 5
Glossary of Terms
ALI Adult Learning Inspectorate BSF Building Schools for the Future CAF Common Assessment Framework CoVE Centres of Vocational Excellence CPA Comprehensive Performance Assessment CPD Continuing Professional Development C&YP Children and Young People C&YPSMB Children and Young People Strategy and Management Board DCSF Department for Children, Schools and Families E-CAF Electronic Common Assessment Framework EBP Education Business Partnership FAM Funding Allocation Model FE Further Education FM Facilities Management HE Higher Education HEI Higher Education Institutes ICT Information and Communication Technology LAC Looked After Children LEP Local Education Partnership LGC Local Government Commission LLSC Local Learning and Skills Council MAST Locally based team for delivering multi-agency services for children and young people NEET Not in education, employment or training PCT Primary Care Trust PfS Partnerships for Schools PFI Private Finance Initiative PRINCE2 Projects In Controlled Environments, version 2 PRU Pupil Referral Units SAP School Action Plus SEN Special Educational Needs TAC Team Around the Child WCC Wolverhampton City Council
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