Transforming Sheffield (14-19 Education)
The Sheffield Strategy to transform secondary education through the creation of a lasting Diversity Framework is an exciting innovative plan. It is being driven by the active partnership of Sheffield's school, the Sheffield College, the South Yorkshire Learning and Skills Council and the Sheffield Children's Service Authority.
The context in our city illustrates the energy and commitment to grasp and deliver the Government's agenda for transformation. In the secondary sector there has been an unprecedented level of capital investment. Inner city schools have made significant progress in GCSE standards. Post 16 achievement levels in the 11-18 schools are very high. There are stunning examples of first rate practice which have their roots in imaginative implementation of Government policy. The city is already a key player in many Regional Development Agency (RDA) and European investment plans, including an Objective 1 programme. The CSA has improved significantly in recent years and provides a clear strategic lead.
The state of readiness of all involved agencies and their staffs for the process of transformation offers a unique opportunity for the transformation process because:
- the quality of leadership of schools is good overall
- headteachers are committed to collaboration
- the secondary school system has a coherent and well integrated structure
- Sheffield is the economic "motor" of the sub-region
- the 14-19 curriculum for the City and sub-region is about to undergo significant development and change
- Sheffield's Key Stage 3 strategy is significantly advanced
- key partnership bodies are committed to levels of collaboration and joint effort that have not been seen previously
The strategy addresses key challenges of attainment and inclusion in our city:
- to raise attainment at Key Stage 4 to Local Public Service Agreement targets
- to increase the rate of improvement at Key Stage 4 to the level of the rate of improvement nationally
- to diminish the variability of levels of performance between ethnic minority groups
- to increase Post 16 participation and retention rates
Following consideration of and in response to the Government's reform agenda, the Principles, drawn up to direct the implementation of the stragegy, provide firm foundation for inter-dependant, "joined up" planning and action from the wide range of agencies concerned with education in our city. Common values relating to Equity of value and access, the core goals of Teaching and Learning, the primacy of Trust to underpin effective collaboration and Ambition to deliver excellence for all in every community have been agreed. With such collaboration and focussed activity, there will be an inevitable synergy, to the benefit of our young people, both in Sheffield and its region.
In the Structural Strands section of the framework we rationalise and bring together a range of diverse initiatives, welding them into a coherent, city-wide transformation strategy whose key themes are:
- Transforming Leadership
- Transforming Collaboration - Specialist Schools Programme
- Transforming Collaboration - Pathfinder programme
- Transforming Teaching and Learning - 14-19 strategy
- Transforming Teaching and Learning - E-learning and ICT
"Transforming Sheffield" was launched at The Source on Thursday June 5th 2003. David Miliband MP, Minister for School Standards attended the event to publicly endorse the enterprise shown by Sheffield in developing a programme for the 14-19 age range which will enhance and broaden educational opportunities for young people in the city.
He said
"Sheffield Children's Service Authority is developing a bold and exciting vision for education in the City.
Specialist status provides a spur to school improvement that enables the comprehensive system to respond to the talents and needs of individual pupils. We are planning a further 1000 specialist schools by 2006 (bringing us to a total of almost 2000 specialist schools across England) and eventually we want all schools that are ready to become specialist schools to do so.
Sheffield's plans will help develop centres of excellence that support teaching and learning so that every teacher is better equipped to teach their subject effectively.
The Sheffield approach focuses on collaboration between schools and links together a number of programmes to offer a broad range of curriculum options to meet the needs of Sheffield's young people.
I congratulate Sheffield on its plans. I know that other authorities have similar aspirations and look forward to continuing to work with them."