Commissioning and Diversity

The dowloadable documents located below are provided as reference material to enable parents, young people, governors, head teachers and elected members to keep up to date with a fast moving area.

 

 

The Government has set out its vision of a new role for local authorities:

 

“The best local authorities are strategic leaders of their communities, listening to, and then speaking for their citizens, demanding the very best for those who elected them and building cultural and civic identity. They work with neighbourhoods and local communities to help them articulate their needs, and ensure that the pattern of local services matches up to their vision and aspirations. They act as the commissioners of services and the champions of users” (Higher Standards, Better Schools for All Chapter 9: A New Role for Local Authorities)

 

In response, Sheffield has developed a ‘blueprint’ document as a framework for commissioning through the Children and Young People’s Service.  It forms the basis of further work being undertaken to audit the level of readiness for effective commissioning throughout the Directorate.

 

 

The Government has also made it a legal requirement through the Education and Inspections Act 2006 that Local Authorities “promote diversity and choice” in the provision of school places.  At a strategic level, Sheffield responded by developing a protocol entitled “Working with Equity and Excellence” which sets out a common set of principles and ways of working which any new partner or sponsor would adopt.  Schools were then consulted in order to identify whether there were interested in exploring Trust or Academy status.  Sheffield also adopted the principle that any such decision should first be informed by consultation with the community of the family of schools through a Neighbourhood Commission process.  The first school to do so was Parkwood, which is in the process of exploring Academy status with the charity Edutrust.