Agenda item

Cabinet considered the Worcestershire Education and Skills Strategy 2019-2024,

The Cabinet Member for Education and Skills introduced the report and commented that Worcestershire had a wide range of schools and did not have a one-size fits all approach to education provision. However, the Council had an aspiration to drive up standards and provide a good or outstanding school for every child in the county and had a target that 90% would be so. The Council also aspired to build skills for the future, improve support for vulnerable learners and SEND, improve social mobility for children and young people and ensure that the county had a well-equipped and educated workforce. In developing the Strategy, the Council had ensured that stakeholder partners had been engaged through the Education and Skills Strategy Board. He thanked all stakeholder partners as well as officers for their contribution. It was important that the Strategy was continually reviewed and valued by schools and parents. 

The Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Environment emphasised that the education provision at all levels should be tailored to provide children and young people with the appropriate skills to enable them to be fit for the work place, in particular, he highlighted the need to fill vacancies in areas such as engineering.

The Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Communities welcomed the inclusion of skills provision in the Strategy, in particular reference to further education and vocational courses. It was important that colleges provided the right courses requested by local businesses as well as appropriate apprenticeships. Higher education graduates should be encouraged to remain in the county to improve the skills-base of the workforce. In response it was stated that this approach should not be at the expense of encouraging skilled workers to relocate to the county from elsewhere.

The Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Economy and Infrastructure commented that there was a fixation in the education system on performance league tables. Although this approach benefited the higher achievers, it was to the detriment of lower attaining students. There needed to be a focus on a broad range of educational attainment instead.

The Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Adult Social Care emphasised the importance of providing a curriculum that inspired and enhanced graduate level opportunities to stem the flow of talent out of the county which had an indirect impact on social mobility.

A member from outside the Cabinet queried how this Strategy linked into adult learning.  The Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Communities responded that the adult learning service worked closely with the library service delivering services through libraries and community centres. It should be noted that this service had been rated as good by Ofsted.

A member from outside the Cabinet commented that the Strategy lacked explicit reference to partnership working with independent schools and the indirect impact this provision had on social mobility. The Cabinet Member for Education and Skills highlighted the importance of parental choice in education and noted the importance of collaborating with the independent education sector.

The Leader of the Council commented that the Council had an important leadership role in collaborating with partners to provide an effective education provision. The population of the county was growing and it was vital to have sufficient places in good or outstanding schools. The Strategy set out the Council’s expectations of Worcestershire Children First for the future education provision in the county.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:

a)    approved the Education and Skills Strategy 2019-2024 on behalf of the Council; and

b)   noted that a progress update will be provided in 12 months as part of the annual report from Worcestershire Children First.