This week I look forward to some challenges and opportunities for families over the summer and a reminder of council and city region priorities following the national vote for Brexit.
Sixth Form Education
My starting point has to be the issue which has received a great deal of press in recent months – the closure of 6th form Education at Halewood Academy. My response to this momentous decision was this:
“We have now been formally notified that the Regional Schools Commissioner and the Department for Education have agreed Halewood Academy’s proposals to cease A Level provision. As we have said before, the school is an Academy, which means that it is completely independent from the Council, so we have no powers to intervene in this decision.
We are naturally disappointed with this outcome but are pleased that there is now some clarity for the Academy and its students. In particular, it’s important to be clear that A Level provision won’t cease immediately – it will happen in 2017. We are pleased that students who are currently part-way through their studies will be allowed to continue at Halewood should they choose to – something we pressed for reassurances about.
Looking at the wider picture and implications for Knowsley as a whole, we have been in discussion with the Government on this matter and – as we announced earlier this month – we have committed to work together with the aim of establishing new Sixth Form provision in the Borough from September 2017.
The aspiration which we share with our local MPs and the Government is that young people growing up in Knowsley will have the option of studying for A Levels with a high quality provider within their home borough in future. Work on this has begun and we will share more details as soon as we are able to do so.”
Brexit
Well it happened! Knowsley voters reflected the national picture with a close vote for leave and we will be leaving the EU at some point….. soon. I was on the side of Remain and naturally disappointed with the election outcome. But I am a realist and a democrat, and respect the decision made by voters across the country. Brexit will bring challenges in the short and medium term for Knowsley Council and the city region, not least because of the uncertainty about funding and development of the ‘Northern Powerhouse’. I will keep you posted on developments through my blog.
Children’s Services and the Summer of 2016
The summer of 2016 will bring challenges and opportunities for the staff and teams in the Children’s Services portfolio.
Paul Boyce and I look forward to welcoming OfSTED to Knowsley in August for a short inspection of practice in Social Care. We hope to demonstrate the improvements Knowsley has made in the past 2 years and move closer to lifting the label of ‘inadequate’. I will join Paul and the teams in aiming to show the best of Knowsley next month.
I will be hearing more about Summer plans from our Early Help Children’s Centres. This summer they will be embarking on a project with partners across the voluntary, community and faith sector to offer healthy snacks alongside regular activities. The project will aim to reach children/young people who will benefit most from the activities (particularly those currently receiving free school meals); but the project is also about celebrating and valuing the work of those fantastic groups we have in Knowsley’s third sector who are the backbone of Early Help in our borough.
I thank Knowsley schools for their great work through 2015/16. The Heads, teaching staff and governing bodies continue to provide inspiration to great numbers of our families including many who have been dealt a difficult hand through poverty, inequality or other factors. I wish them a restful break over the Summer and hope we improve further in 16/17.
It has been a few weeks since my last blog hence the detailed content. Please drop me a line if you have any questions or queries.
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