Strategy for Change

The Government has pledged to create schools that are equipped for 21st century teaching and learning, and are at the heart of their communities with children’s services in reach of every family. Significant capital investment offers the chance for every local authority in England not only to renovate their schools, but to transform education in a way that best serves their local communities for generations to come.

To engage with the National Investment Programmes, Plymouth City Council established a special project team within Children's Services. The team has pulled together a number of citywide strategies and developed an over arching strategy for change, Investment for Children, which outlines how capital investment in the services for children will shape a future of environments that will achieve the objectives above.

The holistic 0 to 19 Strategy will form the basis of the Council's rationale for funding allocations from the Primary Capital Programme (PCP) and Building Schools for the Future (BSF).

Consultation

During the development of the Strategy for Change, Plymouth City Council’s School Implementation Plan 2005 to 2015 and the preceding Ideas for Change consultations of 2004 to 2005 were thoroughly reviewed. The consultation on Ideas for Change II was organised into three distinct phases.

The first phase of consultation was what the team called 'listening meetings' where groups, organisations, partners and individuals were engaged in discussion and given the opportunity to offer their opinions, advice and forward thinking. This stage also involved a number of 'conference' events for headteachers and other partners, as well as two events dedicated to listening directly to children.

The second phase was the production of the documentation. In this period Council departments and partner organisations were engaged in the drafting of the text. The Ideas for Change II proposals were also shaped by headteachers.

The third phase was a public consultation, launched successfully through the local news media and accessed by parents, school governors, teachers, students and other interested parties utilising a mobile exhibition and this webpage.

Ideas for Change II

The City Council's proposals for schools in each locality are those we believe can be implemented over the next 15 years and will embody our Strategy for Change. Above all else, the proposals are designed to raise attainment.

Plymouth and its schools and colleges have made considerable progress in raising educational attainment for children and young people, especially in English and literacy for 11, 14 and 16 year olds. This year saw our best key stage 2 results ever. Our performance compares well against similar local authorities. Across key stages 2, 3 and 4 we are higher than similar local authority averages in all areas. When social deprivation is taken into account our results consistently place the city in the top half of all local authorities.

We have lofty aspirations for all our children and young people and deprivation is no excuse for low attainment. We want all children and young people to grow up enjoying their learning so that they become well equipped for life with the values, knowledge and understanding that will enable them to 'exceed in their hopes for the future' (Children and Young People’s Plan). All the city's schools and colleges share these aims and all are working hard to achieve them.

Plymouth has an opportunity, through the Government's Primary Capital and Building Schools for the Future programmes, to significantly improve teaching and learning by designing and building better, more suitable and more exciting learning environments. Developing confident young people who have high self-esteem, strength of character and the essential life skills for the 21st century will result in higher standards. We want all our children and young people to continue learning for longer and gain the qualifications they need to progress into further and higher education and skilled employment. Consequently all our proposals will contribute to building on the excellent work of our schools and colleges in raising aspirations and enabling all students to achieve their potential.

Standards in our most challenging neighbourhoods are improving well at Key Stages 2 and 3, but there is still much room for improvement at Key Stage 4. A number of our proposals will therefore target these communities for major and early investment that will give their local schools the sort of facilities that will inspire the students, their teachers and the communities they serve.

The Council takes its responsibility for commissioning schools seriously and has considered how best to redefine the pattern of provision across the city and promote and support community-facing networks of schools supported by trust, academy, voluntary and community partners. We propose to commission and maintain a diverse pattern of school provision. Trusts, academies, voluntary schools, federations and all-age campus developments will be encouraged and supported, provided they are committed to collaboration, so that collective responsibility for the children and young people in the city further improves.

For further information on the strategy, Investment for Children, and the Ideas for Change II proposals, please see below:

Exhibition display panels [300.6KB]

Plymouth City Council Investment for Children [1.8MB]

Secondary National Challenge Parental Information [23.5KB]

The latest news on Plymouth's Strategy for Change and updates on school projects can be found on our latest news page.

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