People have aspirations and achieve their ambitions through education, training and lifelong ...

71 Pages·2014·1.54 MB·English

People have aspirations and achieve
their ambitions through education,
training and lifelong learning
Essex County Council Commissioning Strategy
2014-2018

Version: 8
Date: 30.09.14
Author: Chris Kiernan
Approved by: Cllr Gooding
Next Review: Annually

Contact: Chris Kiernan
[email protected]
Strategy development (1/3) 2
Version Control
Version number Date Author Comment & nature of update
1 21/02/14 Nicola Park Initial draft for sharing with TC and RG
2 12/03/14 Nicola Park Draft for sharing with development groups
Draft reflecting comments received from
3 28/03/14 Nicola Park development groups and further developed data
slides
Draft reflecting comments received from SLT and
4 11/04/14 Nicola Park
Finance
Draft reflecting further comments for consideration
5 22/04/14 Nicola Park
at CCB meeting on 30/04/14
Draft reflecting comments from CCB meeting on
6 13/05/14 Nicola Park 30/04/14 for presentation to SCB and PLT on
19/05/14
Draft for public consultation reflecting amendments
7 23/06/14 Nicola Park made by PC and HR on employability and skills
indicators
Final draft reflecting outcomes of public
consultation, further changes on employability and
8 30/09/14 Nicola Park
skills indicators from PC and updates to finance
slides
Strategy development (2/3) 3
Roles and responsibilities
Lead commissioner(s): Chris Kiernan– Interim Director for Commissioning Education and Lifelong Learning
Paul Bird – Director for Commissioning – Transport and Infrastructure
Supporting Commissioner(s): Graham Ranby – Head of Commissioning Education and Lifelong Learning (Planning and Provision)
Annemarie Blackshaw – Head of Commissioning Education and Lifelong Learning (SEN/AEN Provider Services)
Clare Kershaw – Head of Commissioning Education and Lifelong Learning (Schools)
Stavroulla Yiannou – Head of Commissioning Education and Lifelong Learning (Early Years)
Michael O’Brien – Head Commissioning Education and Lifelong Learning (Youth Services)
Peter Cook - Head of Commissioning Education and Lifelong Learning (Skills)
Pippa Shukla – Lead Strategic Commissioner - Pupil and School Intelligence
Jason Fergus – Head of Active Essex

Jane Gardener – Head of Commissioning Growing Essex Communities

Dominic Collins – Head of Commissioning Growing Essex Future Development

Sheila Norris - Director for Integrated Commissioning & Vulnerable People

Lead member: Cllr Gooding – Cabinet Member for Education and Lifelong Learning
Lisa Wilson – Commissioning Support Manager
Officers:
Nicola Park – Senior Policy and Strategy Advisor (People)
Strategy development (3/3) 4
Process

The development of this Strategy has been based on a set of ‘Turning the Curve’ reports for each indicator group produced in January 2014. The process for
development was agreed with the Lead Commissioner and has involved: detailed discussions with the Lead Commissioner and all associated Tier 4
Commissioners, early and ongoing engagement with Cllr Gooding and a number of workshops focused on specific indicators involving commissioners and
operational teams. The content of the Strategy is fully reflective of the outputs of these engagements. Throughout the process there has been involvement of a
variety of support functions from Strategy, Transformation and Commissioning Support . Performance and Business Intelligence, Information Services and
Finance have also been directly engaged. The Strategy has been subject to a number of quality assurance processes based on the agreed quality expectations.

The Strategy has been subject to a period of public consultation and this version is reflective of an analysis of comments made during that process.

The Strategy will be subject to on-going review and revision to ensure it remains up to date and relevant.

An Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) has been completed for this Strategy which identifies at a high level the potential impact of the outlined activities on
different equalities groups. Individual EqIAs will be completed as required for each individual aspect of the work included. As this Strategy is a high level
document it does not include a detailed examination of how the identified issues reflect any particular equality group. There is however a commitment
throughout all indicators to ensure that the work outlined appropriately accounts for the requirements of various vulnerable and other groups. The specific
requirements of these groups in accessing the outlined provision will be considered during the more detailed work of implementation. There are a number of
actions throughout the Strategy about the improvement of data collection and analysis – this work will include ensuring we have the data available to help us
better understand the needs of our residents from all equalities groups and how we can best meet these .

How this Strategy will be implemented

This Strategy is a high level document covering strategic actions related to a number of different services within Essex County Council and partner agencies. It
sets out a programme of work which is intended to be implemented over a four year period. As such it is not intended to provide full detail about precisely how
and when actions will be implemented or how this will be resourced. On completion this document will be translated into a more detailed work plan which will
define the specific commissioning and other activity required to implement the actions – these plans will be aligned to available resource and inform future
resource planning. These work plans will further influence the development of individual team and service plans and will also identify dependencies with the
work of other agencies. It is recognised that activity required to implement this Strategy can also be found outlined within existing partnership and other high
level plans and strategies, for example the Children and Young People’s Plan – this activity and the links with the Strategy will be identified and reflected in the
work plan.

The Council is committed to on-going consultation with relevant partners and partnerships , including, for example, the Local Children’s Partnerships, in
implementing this Strategy and to co-designing responses to the identified issues. It recognises the contribution that partners can make and the positive work
that is already being undertaken which this Strategy can draw on and further promote.
People have aspirations and achieve their ambitions through education, training and lifelong-learning 5
Essex County Council is responsible for ensuring that Essex residents have high ambitions for what they want to achieve and for enabling
them to achieve these ambitions. It does this through working with partners to influence the provision of, and supporting residents with
access to, a range of opportunities linked to education and lifelong learning from birth and throughout the rest of their lives. These
opportunities encompass:

• high quality early years provision;
• world class education in schools, further and higher education institutions;
• a diversity of training and other support focused on employability and skills;
• the availability of other learning and development opportunities recreational and otherwise intended to enrich life generally.

Why is this outcome important to Essex and Essex County Council?
We want all children to achieve the best start in life that they can during their early years so that when they begin school they enjoy learning and
have a strong foundation for high achievement throughout the rest of their lives. Good levels of educational attainment are important to us as
they are an important driver of economic growth. People who have higher levels of attainment are also more likely to have longer, safer and
healthier lives. We want to drive out inequality in attainment across Essex to ensure that we become amongst the best in the country overall. We
also want to foster a culture of lifelong learning so that people of all ages have a thirst for learning in all its guises.

In a constantly changing global economy it is important that Essex has a highly skilled and adaptable workforce which reflects the needs of the
local economy and local communities. Residents will need, and want, to be able to continue to develop and add skills throughout their lives. We
want to support residents to achieve their ambitions through a comprehensive range of world class provision which is delivered through a
simplified, localised and cost effective education and skills system.
Summary 6
This Commissioning Strategy is intended to shape our activities and behaviour over the next four years, making clear how we will use capacity within ECC, across
partners and amongst current/new providers, to make progress towards the Outcome.

The big issues we face that this strategy seeks to address are:

• School performance is not good enough
• Beyond schools, quality of data is poor
• Too few people have sufficient levels of literacy and numeracy
• The number of NEETs have reduced but further work needs to continue

The strategy encapsulates actions that will seek to turn the curve in these areas. The headline actions being proposed to address the issues are:

• A transformation of how services to and for schools are provided, this will include consideration of the role of Essex Education Services
• The commissioning of a new data system to support ‘one vision’ of the child – a single record
• A data focused approach to targeted interventions in education and lifelong learning
• A whole Essex approach with partners to maximise the skills levels for literacy and numeracy
• Work with schools and colleges to ensure early identification of young people at risk of disengagement and becoming NEET and to ensure robust transition
plans are established
• A review of how adult and community learning is provided in Essex

The Strategy recognises that any proposed actions must be aligned to available resources and that resources are likely to be reduced as the Council seeks to close
the current budget gap for 2015/16 and 2016/17. There are clear examples within the strategy (in bold) where actions are expected to deliver services at reduced
cost (for example Education Services to and for Schools) and also a clear indication (annotated by **) of which agreed indicators / actions are a higher priority
than others. This prioritisation will be used to support future resource allocation. Further more detailed work in respect of this will follow in future iterations and
also via the development of the corporate commissioning workplan which will identify the detail of how the Strategy will be delivered. The activities outlined will
need to be reviewed on an annual basis to ensure they remain affordable as budgets change.

In terms of prioritisation of indicators the Council believes that indicators 1,2 and 4 (numbers of good and outstanding schools, children achieving at school and
NEET) should be prioritised for action and resources over others. This is on the basis that turning the curve against these indicators has the largest potential to
have a positive impact on the other indicators for this strategy and beyond, and, to improve residents’ life chances. These are also the indicators where we have
the greatest direct role and responsibility and therefore greatest potential to enact change through our own agency; our ability to influence a turn in the curve
against other indicators is less as our principal means of doing so is through influencing the actions of others. This prioritisation should not be taken to imply that
the Council holds action against other indicators as less important or that action will not be taken against these; it is however likely to be different in nature.
Links to other outcomes (1/3) 7
This Strategy recognises that there are important links between it and the other corporate commissioning strategies, in particular those for Children in Essex get
the best start in life, People in Essex enjoy good health and wellbeing and Sustainable economic growth for Essex communities and businesses. There are
dependencies both to and from the actions identified in this strategy and in others; there are also some duplicated actions and actions sitting within this strategy
which will also contribute to the achievement of other outcomes and vice versa. This Strategy should therefore be read in conjunction with those created for the
other outcomes. The key links are described below.
Children in Essex get the best start in life
Percentage of children ready for school, Percentage of children achieving a good level of development by the age of five, Percentage of families living in temporary
.
accommodation, Percentage of children living in non-working households
There are important dependencies between activity to improve performance in schools and the need to ensure that children entering Essex schools do so with a good level
of development and are ready to achieve. Schools need to ensure that children enter primary education with an accurate baseline assessment and that early support has
been obtained for children identified as having needs within early years settings. There is a need to further develop the engagement of primary school heads with early
years settings, and of early years settings in the education partnerships and federations in their local areas. Early years settings and services also have an important role to
play in working with parents to improve aspiration and in providing them with access to / facilitating their access to training and support, including through the provision of
childcare. Work related to families living in temporary accommodation and children living in non-working households is being taken forward through the development of a
Child Poverty Strategy. Research shows there are important links between child poverty and educational attainment. There are also clear links between child poverty and
the work covered within this Strategy related to increasing employment and skills – there are particular links between poverty and maternal employment and early years
and childcare settings can have an important influence on this.
People in Essex enjoy good health and wellbeing
People in Essex have a healthy life expectancy, Reduced differential in life expectancy across different areas of Essex, Prevalence of healthy lifestyles, Percentage of Essex residents
who consider themselves to be in good health, Life satisfaction rates, Percentage of children achieving at school, Percentage of working age people in employment, Percentage of
families living in safe and suitable housing, Percentage of households living in fuel poverty, Prevalence of mental health disorders among children and adults, Teenage pregnancy
rates
Participation in high quality education, the attainment of basic and higher level skills, the development of high aspirations and of a love of learning have an important role
to play in promoting good health and wellbeing for our residents. This is due to the impact of these things on residents in their own right and also because of their impact
on enabling them to obtain well paid, fulfilling and sustainable employment. Engagement in learning can have a particular transformative role in respect of the well-being
of identified target groups, such as those with mental health disorders and physical ill health. Schools and other education institutions have particular responsibilities in
promoting healthy eating, engagement in physical activity and safe sexual activity in young people. There is additionally clear evidence that engaging in volunteering has
the potential to improve both mental and physical wellbeing of volunteers and as many of those who volunteer do so in sports and sports related activities this
volunteering further promotes the wellbeing of those engaged in the activities themselves. The lack of good health and wellbeing can be an important barrier to
engagement in education which can affect both children and young people and adults. Improving rates of participation, engagement and positive outcomes in education
(particularly amongst certain groups) is therefore highly dependent on activity within the health and wellbeing strategy.
Links to other outcomes (2/3) 8
People in Essex live in safe communities and are protected from harm
Level of crime in Essex, Number of children subject to protection plans, Number of children in care, Rate of anti-social behaviour in Essex, Number of people killed or seriously
injured on Essex roads, Percentage of residents who feel that Essex roads are safe, Hospital admissions caused by injuries to children and young people, Hospital admissions
caused by injuries to adults, Incidents of domestic abuse, Percentage of residents who feel safe
Schools and other education institutions have an important role to play in respect of safeguarding children and young people both by contributing to the early
identification of problems and seeking / providing appropriate early help solutions for these and through the engagement of schools with other agencies when
there are more serious concerns – appropriately identifying and reporting issues and participating in child protection core groups etc. The important role of
schools in identifying and monitoring domestic violence in households has been increasingly recognised in national and local serious case reviews. Education
institutions also have a role to play in educating young people in respect of risk taking behaviours and reducing instances of this and also about safe and respectful
.
relationships. The levels of working age adults in employment will have an impact on levels of crime and the perception of residents of their safety within
communities.
Sustainable economic growth for Essex communities and businesses
Job growth in a) key locations and b) key sectors, Percentage of working age people in employment, Median earnings, Number of bus and / or community transport journeys ,
Increased connectivity and journey time reliability on priority route network , Coverage of superfast broadband services, Supply of fit for purpose business premises, Sustainable
business start-up rates, Percentage of Essex businesses who think they can recruit suitable people, Business rates growth , Housing growth in key locations
The achievement of children within our education system and the work we can do with adults to improve skills levels has a key impact on the ability of our
economy to prosper as a result of the availability of a skilled and work-ready workforce. It is vital that we foster the development of links between businesses and
educational institutions at all levels to ensure that provision meets the needs of business and enables them to fill skills gaps. Education has a key role in
encouraging residents to achieve sustainable and better paid jobs and in facilitating them into these. Businesses need to be involved in developing new education
provision both at the further / higher end and in terms of academy sponsorship.

The link between this indicator and that related to economic growth is of principal importance and activity across the two should be read in this context. An
important shared theme across them is the promotion of high aspiration. This strategy is essentially about ensuring that Essex residents have high aspirations
and ambitions about what they want to achieve in life and that these aspirations and ambitions are developed on the basis of an informed consideration of
potential options. The development of this through the actions in the education strategy will underpin the successful achievement of indicators related to
economic growth. Specific stand alone activity related to aspiration is also required under economic growth strategy – for example that linked to encouraging
residents to have the ambition to start their own businesses and encouraging those already with businesses to further grow them. It is also important that the
economic growth strategy delivers the jobs and diversity of employment opportunities for residents with ambitions to be in employment, and particularly in high
skilled employment, for residents to move into. Aspiration and ambition across either strategy cannot be raised by Essex County Council operating in isolation and
will involve us influencing the actions of a range of other stakeholders and partners so that they share in this and align their own strategic intentions and allocation
of resources with ours. Further consideration is required about how this activity can best be coordinated and used to maximum effect.
Links to other outcomes (3/3) 9

People in Essex experience a high quality and sustainable environment
Residual waste volumes, Cost of energy to households, Preventable flooding incidents, Level of pollution, Condition of roads and footways, Access to valuable open spaces,
Perception of the quality of the environment in Essex’s cities, town and villages
The engagement of learners and volunteers with the environment has a number of potential benefits particularly when targeted towards key target groups. There are
good links between Essex outdoor facilities and schools and the incorporation of the outdoors into curriculum has the potential to enrich this and provide children with
experiences which they may not access normally. There is potential for the Council to further influence schools in respect of their use of these facilities by promoting the
resources that are available and encouraging new thinking about how to access them in terms of costs of transport etc. There are also a number of programmes aimed at
engaging NEETs in environmental projects and further utilisation and development of these should be considered as part of the development of the provision available for
NEET young people. There are also strong links between the environment and volunteering with many environment projects relying on the input of volunteers – further
consideration could be given corporately to how volunteers could be directed towards such projects and the use of volunteers considered during the commissioning
process for them.
People in Essex can live independently and exercise control
Proportion of people who live independently, Percentage of people who regain or increase their level of independence following hospital admissions, Access to end of life care in
their preferred placement of choice, Number of children and adults who receive social care support, Number of people with personal budgets
Engagement in education and lifelong learning can have an important contribution to enabling people to enhance their independence; this applies both to residents who
may experience issues impacting on their independence in adult life and to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. Activity to increase
the independence of adults of working age who wish to seek employment and are able to work will have an important contribution to indicators in this and other strategies
about working age adults in employment and NEET. It is recognised that whereas the indicator related to volunteering sits within the education and lifelong learning
outcome, volunteers will have a key contribution in supporting people to be independent and their role in respect of this will be further developed via activity initiated in
response to the Who Will Care? Commission. Engagement in volunteering promotes people’s health and wellbeing and can also help them retain and regain their
independence, often acting as a pathway to employment. Lack of independence can be an important barrier preventing both children and young people and adults in
engaging in education and so it is recognised that helping people to address this can have an important contribution to improving rates of participation and the outcomes
from this.
Cross cutting indicators and themes (1/2) 10

Rates of volunteering:
Throughout the course of the development of these strategies it has been identified that there are some indicators which, although they are situated under one
particular outcome, are relevant to all. One such indicator is ‘rates of volunteering’. This is appropriately situated under the Education and Lifelong Learning
outcome due to volunteering being identified as an activity in which people engage which contributes to their ‘lifelong learning’; there are also important links
between volunteering and employment as volunteering has the potential to increase skills levels and can be used as a pathway to work. Volunteering is however
an important tool in the achievement of many of the other outcomes and the use and value of volunteers and the development of civil society has already been
considered and is being further so under work related to Community Budgets and the Who Will Care commission. These are primarily related to outcomes on safe
communities and living independently. The activity outlined in this strategy should not therefore by taken to represent the totality of the organisation’s
commissioning intentions in this area and are primarily representative of volunteering activity which is more explicitly geared towards young people, those
requiring to enhance their skills level s and those seeking to volunteer to contribute to their lifelong learning. There are some actions related to the engagement of
Essex County Council employees in volunteering which are included here as a result of the potential of this activity to contribute to their learning and development
and also some other corporate actions which are not explicitly related to this outcome and which have the potential to contribute in a cross cutting manner
against all seven outcomes.

Similar cross cutting activity has also been identified in respect of housing, poverty and safeguarding.

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012
The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 became law in 2012 and has been applicable from January 2013. The Act places a duty on public bodies to consider
social value in commissioning and procurement activity and applies to the provision of services, the provision of services together with the purchase or hire of
goods, or the carrying out of works. The Act states that the authority must consider:

a) how what is proposed to be procured might improve the economic, social and environmental well-being of the relevant area, and
b)how, in conducting the process of procurement, it might act with a view to securing that improvement

It also requires that local authorities must consider whether to undertake consultation in making these decisions and in essence outlines an expectation that there
should be consultation with stakeholders to better understand social value and improve service specifications.

This is a cross cutting theme in that it should be applied to commissioning decisions made in respect of all of the strategic intentions outlined in this strategy. It
however also has specific relevance to indicator 8) rates of volunteering , as it encourages commissioners to consider when commissioning / establishing new
services the potential there is in communities to deliver these themselves – either through the voluntary or community sector or through other forms of civic
actions, both utilising the skills of volunteers. Commissioners can clearly influence the development of the VCS, civic society and volunteering through the
commissioning decisions they make and this may well be to the benefit of the area in focus.