The Commission for Children and School Results

RAISING EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT:

AN INVITATION TO PRESENT YOUR VIEWS

The current position

Raising educational standards is the Isle of Wight Council’s most important priority. The Joint Area Review (JAR) says that the Island’s overall education provision is inadequate and that improvement in education for 14-19 years olds since the last inspection in 2003 has been too slow.

Within its Corporate Plan, the council has made it a priority to drive up educational standards in all Island schools, such that our children are performing to the national average standards as a minimum, and to implement a schools improvement programme that can be embedded within the current three tier system. This remains the position for the foreseeable future; a number of measures are already in place and we are currently working with the Department for Education and Skills on our school improvement action plan and implementation programme. However, several key factors make it essential to consider school organisation arrangements in the medium and longer term, ie from May 2009 onwards:

· almost all of the Island’s middle schools are too small to provide the necessary range of specialist teaching for their Key Stage 3 pupils – and the Joint Area Review is critical of the current arrangements for Key Stage 3 ;

· the Government has made a commitment to modernise school buildings under the Building Schools for the Future programme: this means that the Island will need to be committed, by 2012, to a pattern of school organisation which will last;

· the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) want to modernise the facilities at the Isle of Wight College and, in the light of the Island’s relatively low standards at both GCSE and at A level; intend to include a sixth form centre there;

· there will be new curriculum arrangements for 14-19 year olds from September 2009;

· even allowing flexibility for the exercise of parental preferences, there is surplus capacity in several schools.

A proposal from the Learning and Skills Council

The Learning and Skills Council is responsible for funding the education of 16-19 year olds. They have made proposals to build a sixth form centre at the Isle of Wight College. They consider the best option for young people would be to bring all sixth form provision together into one place at the College. This would bring a substantial inward investment to education on the Island (approximately £26m); and make it easier for post-16 learners to mix academic and vocational courses.

However, it would also probably lead to a reorganisation of schools across the Island; it would place sixth form education in the hands of a single organisation; it could create more transport congestion around Newport; and it would generate significant risks during the period of transition. But a reorganisation of schools would make it possible to provide more specialist teaching for Key Stage 3 pupils.

· Should the Council accept the LSC’s offer to build a sixth form centre at the College?

· Should the Council take the opportunity to reorganise its schools?

· Are there other suggestions you could make to raise educational standards?

Consultation arrangements

The Policy Commission for Children and School Results is gathering evidence to help it to make recommendations to the Cabinet about the way forward for schools and school standards on the Island.

If you have views about this, you are invited to submit your written evidence to Paul Thistlewood, Overview and Scrutiny Officer, The Policy Commission for Children and School Results, Isle of Wight Council, County Hall, Newport PO30 1UD by Friday 13^th October 2006.

The Policy Commission will seek to clarify the written submissions by inviting selected stakeholders to answer questions at meetings in early November. It will then consult parents and young people on their final proposals before submitting their recommendations to the Lead Members for Children’s Services in early January.

You can find background information and suggestions of other options on the Council’s website at www.eduwight.iow.gov.uk as follows:

• the current school organisation pattern
• current educational standards and recent trends
• our ambition and targets relating to raising standards
• curriculum changes (particularly for 14-19 year olds)
• potential impact of regeneration on the Island
• proposed options and timescale for consultation
• scoping document for Commission for Children and School Results
• One School Pathfinder – DfES guidance
• Statement of Intent from the Learning and Skills Council

Written submissions to the Policy Commission will be put onto the website as they are received.

Pathfinder Project for Building Schools for the Future

At the same time as the LSC has brought forward its proposals for new buildings at the Isle of Wight College, the Government has announced that the Isle of Wight is to be given the opportunity to bid for pathfinder funding for a new secondary school, in advance of the Building Schools for the Future programme which is not due to be implemented on the Island until 2014. The Council is proposing to bid to rebuild Cowes High School. As the bid has to be submitted by the end of November, it will be a flexible proposal for either a 13-18 school or an 11-16 school for 1350 pupils. The position can be further clarified after the Policy Commission makes its recommendations in January.