To seek Cabinet endorsement of the guiding principles for the Herefordshire learning community on behalf of the Council.

To adopt their use in policy-making and decisions for all business affecting the education and development of children and young people including the Council’s root and branch reviews covering living, learning and working in Herefordshire.

THAT:

(a)  the guiding principles for the Herefordshire learning community be endorsed and adopted on behalf of the Council and;

(b)  the Council uses the guiding principles in policy making and decisions in all business affecting the education and development of children and young people.

The context for educational provision has changed significantly in recent years, with changes in responsibilities for the Local Authority, early years’ settings, schools and colleges.  The introduction of the Early Years Foundation Stage has placed increased expectations upon early years’ providers in terms of standards and quality of provision.  Successive governments have introduced legislation to give greater autonomy to schools and to make it easier for popular and successful schools to expand.  The current Government is introducing further legislation aimed at making such expansion easier for schools.  The effect of this for Herefordshire at a time of falling school rolls is that surplus capacity at other schools, and possibly vulnerable schools in terms of pupil numbers, is increased.  The role of the local authority as a commissioner of education and training provision and as a champion for parents, children and young people is enhanced and colleges, which have enjoyed a greater degree of autonomy for almost two decades, have had to react to increased Government expectations whilst funding in recent years has reduced. 

       There is a sense by all sectors of the learning community of the need to work together as one Herefordshire learning community, irrespective of sector or status.  This set of guiding principles is relevant for all partners to sign up to.  They are what unify us as a Herefordshire learning community.      

       With the impact of falling pupil and student numbers and the consequent reduction in revenue and capital resources, Herefordshire faces increasing challenges to maintain and improve education and development opportunities for all of its children and young people.  This may be compounded in future by a national funding formula for schools which may not improve Herefordshire’s funding position as a very low funded local authority area.

       The Herefordshire learning community, all those who commission or provide education and training for children and young people recognise the need to respond to those challenges as a whole learning community.

       The guiding principles have been established in consultation and partnership with the county’s education and training providers.  They offer a framework for all education and training commissioners and providers to plan and work collaboratively to ensure Herefordshire’s children and young people get every possible opportunity to achieve their best.

       This approach will help to enhance opportunities for children and young people into adulthood by ensuring that education and training links closely with the business and wider community needs in Herefordshire now and into the future.

       It is intended and anticipated that commissioners and providers across Herefordshire will ‘sign-up’ to adopt the guiding principles.  Endorsement and adoption of the guiding principles by Cabinet on behalf of the Local Authority will demonstrate the Local Authority’s commitment and community leadership.      

The guiding principles could be rejected.  This would be counter to the wishes of the learning community, including academy schools, who have pressed for a vision and set of guiding principles to be explicitly stated and acted upon by the Council.  There is widespread expectation that the guiding principles will be established and a consensus achieved about them.

Consultation is taking place between November and January with representative groups throughout the Herefordshire learning community.