Corporate Strategy
Medium Term Corporate Strategy to 2009 Improving Life in Leicestershire
Children and Young People
The Children Act 2004 has significant implications for the future organisation of
services for children. We will ensure that the changes arising from the Act including a new Children
and Young People’s Plan, Children and Young People’s Service, Leicestershire Children’s Partnership/Trust
and new Safeguarding Board clearly focus services on our priorities of excellent educational achievement
and the protection and safeguarding of children. We will work with all our partners, particularly schools,
to ensure that the voices of children and young people are heard and influence the services provided.
Our aim is that by 2010 children and young people make better progress in our schools
than in the rest of England. To do this we need to ensure that all our services are designed to maximise
the contribution they can make to our children’s education. For example, continuing to provide homework
clubs and develop improved resources for children in libraries, and ensuring our museums and country
parks have a well presented educational element such as the Fashion Gallery at Snibston and Education
Centre at Bosworth Battlefield.
We will:
- be in the top 25% of authorities for achievement at Key Stages 2 and 4 and
top 10% at Key Stage 3;
- reorganise secondary education in Melton Mowbray and the Vale of Belvoir and act on the
findings of a wider review of education provision across the whole County;
- increase support and challenge for underachieving schools and ensure that teaching and
learning is always found to be imaginative, engaging and motivating and that all schools achieve Grade
2 or above for teaching and learning when OFSTED inspections take place;
- improve educational achievement of pupils with special needs and underachieving groups
such as looked after children, boys, pupils excluded from school, and those in the lowest quartile of
attainment;
- improve the supply and quality of child care places;
- safeguard children through effective strategies to protect them from deliberate harm and
neglect, combat the use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco, reduce the levels of teenage pregnancy and levels
of offending and reoffending;
- develop new area based special schools, reduce the number of pupils with special educational
needs in out of county placements and reduce the need for statutory assessment;
- promote strategies to improve school attendance, reduce exclusions and encourage good
behaviour such as our successful yellow bus scheme and ensure rigorous anti-bullying measures;
- improve children’s health through work on school sports, school travel plans, improvements
in the quality and take up of school meals and health awareness education;
- raise the quality of life of looked after children and care leavers through our actions
as corporate parents in support of our Corporate Parenting Policy;
- deliver improved school accommodation including new schools at Wigston, Coalville, Oadby,
Shepshed, Enderby and Ravenstone and modernise learning facilities;
- complete the roll out of 4+ education across the County and implement the Childcare Strategy
including 24 more Children’s Centres in the County by 2008;
- develop a county-wide extended schools strategy and wrap around care; support extended
school initiatives to encourage schools to increase opening hours and offer additional facilities such
as child care, study support, health and social care and parenting support;
- develop our youth services to respond to legislation arising from the Government’s Youth
Green Paper.
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HIGH PRIORITIES
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WE WILL ACHIEVE
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Increase academic achievement – particular focus on Key Stages 2 and 4 and underachieving groups
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10% of schools in the top 5% nationally at Key Stage 2; 25% of schools in the top 5% nationally at Key Stage 3; 10% of schools in the top 5% nationally at Key Stage 4 Increase the average point scores achieved by 6 points, 10 points and 21 points over the next three years (LAA target)
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A new children and Young People’s Service and integrated child care services
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A fully integrated Children and Young People’s Service in place by 1 April 2007 Mechanisms to promote and respond to the views of children and young people 24 Children’s Centres by 2008
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Respond to Childrens Trust Requirements
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Implementation of the national Childrens Trust arrangements by 2008
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Good quality local placements for looked after children
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Reverse the trend of year on year net loss of foster placements
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Improve life chances and opportunities for vulnerable young people (LAA target)
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Reduce permanent exclusions of 11-19 year olds by 39 (34%) Increase the percentage of young people with a reprimand prevented from further offending from 64% to 70% Increase the number of under 18’s in drug or alcohol treatment by 120 young people Reduce the number of young people made homeless as a result of family breakdown by 39 (28%)
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Reduction in smoking prevalence in 5 schools (LAA target)
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360 fewer smokers or 20% reduction
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Other Local Area Agreement priorities
- Improved engagement of 14-19 year olds in education and training.
- Improved school attendance (including looked after children).
- Improve the physical health of children and young people.
- Improve the mental health and emotional well being of children and families.
- Improved sexual health services for children and young people, particularly boys and young
men.
- Improved personal and social development and enjoyment of culture and recreation.
- Increase the contribution of ‘traditionally excluded’ groups in consultation/active involvement
processes.
- Extended services developed in primary and secondary schools and Childrens Centres.
- Sufficient quality child care places provided across the County.
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