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

People have aspirations and achieve their ambitions through education, training and lifelong learning Essex County Council Commissioning Strategy Version: consultation draft

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 Draft for sharing with development groups 3 28/03/14 Draft reflecting comments received from development groups and further developed data slides 4 11/04/14 Draft reflecting comments received from SLT and Finance 5 22/04/14 Draft reflecting further comments for consideration at CCB meeting on 30/04/14 6 13/05/14 Draft reflecting comments from CCB meeting on 30/04/14 for presentation to SCB and PLT on 19/05/14 7 23/06/14 Draft for public consultation reflecting amendments made by PC and HR on employability and skills indicators

Strategy development 3 Roles and responsibilities Process
Lead commissioner(s): Tim Coulson – 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 Lead member: Cllr Gooding – Cabinet member for Children’s Services Officers: Lisa Wilson – Commissioning Support Manager Nicola Park – Senior Policy and Strategy Advisor (People) Process The development of the strategy has been based on a set of ‘Turning the Curve’ reports for each indicator group produced in January 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, 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 Performance including Commissioning Support, Insight and Analysis and the Transformation Support Unit. 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.

People have aspirations and achieve their ambitions through education, training and lifelong-learning 4 Essex County Council is responsible for encouraging Essex residents to 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 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 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) 6
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 schools with an accurate baseline assessment and that early support has been obtained for children identified as in need 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 which develop in their 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. 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 activity 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.

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 level s 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 related to 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, 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 aligning 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.

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 corporate indicator related to volunteering sits within the education and lifelong learning outcome that volunteers have a key contribution to play 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 people retain and regain their independence, often acting as a pathway to employment.

Cross cutting indicators and themes (1/2) 9
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 this. 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 which 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 situated here but are not explicitly related to this outcome and which actually have the potential to contribute in a cross cutting manner against all seven. Similar cross cutting activity has also been identified in respect of housing and 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 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.

Cross cutting indicators and themes (2/2) 10
Early intervention and prevention: This is a key theme running throughout all 7 strategies and specifically applies to a number of aspects of the Education and Lifelong Learning Strategy. Early Intervention is about ensuring access to early help for people at the place and point of need with the purpose of preventing escalation, and about targeted early activity for particular groups and individuals. Early can mean either or both: early in life and early in the development of a problem. Interventions can be universal or targeted. Adopting the principle of early intervention in all that we do will ensure that all people born, growing up and living in Essex will be supported to have the best start in life and develop, live, work and age well. For people it: Delivers improved outcomes; Builds resilience, capacity and independence; Prevents problems developing ; Protects people who are at risk from developing problems; Reduces the severity of problems that have already emerged; Avoids recurrence of problems For our system it: Reduces social cost Reduces financial burden Targets help and activity where most effective Early intervention should be an explicit consideration in all commissioning decisions. The successful achievement of many aspects of this strategy is dependent on effective universal and targeted activity in early years, and the successful achievement of indicators in other strategies, particularly economic growth, are dependent on effective actions being taken to address problems while children are still in education which may impact on their future health and wellbeing and productivity. There are explicit links with activity outlined in respect of children with special educational needs and disabilities and also other vulnerable groups, including actions linked to safeguarding. An explicit reasoning behind many of the actions outlined in respect of the improvement of data systems and functions, for example regarding school performance, is to enable better early identification of arising problems so that these can be tackled prior to their escalation and them needing more costly interventions at a later stage. Achieving effective early intervention should over the long term assist the Council with closing its identified funding gap.

Indicators These indicators are those through which progress will be tracked towards the achievement of the outcome. These indicators do not seek to measure the effectiveness of particular services, programmes or agencies. Rather, they seek to quantify the key changes the Council should expect to see as the outcome is achieved. All indicators have been selected based on the extent to which they a) say something of central importance about the outcome, b) are common sense and communicate with a broad range of audiences, and c) are based on data that is accurate, reliable, consistent and available on a regular and timely basis. Group Agreed indicators (and groups) Group Lead A 1) Percentage of children attending a good school ** Tim Coulson Common to A and B 2) Percentage of children achieving at school ** (measured at Foundation, KS2 and KS4) [commissioners also seek to measure closing the gap for Looked After Children] 3) Rates of literacy and numeracy at all ages 4) Percentage of young people aged not in education, employment & training ** B 5) Percentage of adults participating in lifelong learning Paul Bird 6) Percentage of working age people in employment 7) Percentage of people participating in further education/higher education/vocational learning C 8) Rates of volunteering

The curve we wish to turn 12
For all indicators a desired performance curve has been identified. In many case there is not sufficient data or easily analysable data to enable us to adequate plot predicted future performance against a desired curve and therefore at this stage this has only be plotted for indicator 1. Where required this has been identified as an issue with an associated action against each relevant indicator. The ability to do this is also impacted by changes to definitions and frameworks meaning there is a lack of comparable historical data – this is a particular issue in respect of school attainment. No. Indicator Comments 1 Percentage of children attending a good school Increase the percentage of schools rated good and outstanding Increase the percentage of children attending a good and outstanding school Aim for 100% schools judged good outstanding and 100% of children attending a good or outstanding school by 2018. Increase the percentage of new places commissioned in good or outstanding schools from 77% in 2012 towards a target of 100% in 2018 2 Percentage of children achieving at school – measured at Foundation, KS2 and KS4, including analysis of the gap for Children in Care To improve performance so that Essex is in the top quartile compared to other local authorities by 2018 (for Foundation, KS2 and KS4) 3 Rates of literacy and numeracy at all ages Increase in skills levels of Essex residents compared to England averages 4 Percentage of young people not in employment, education or training Maintain the positive reduction in NEET figures in accordance with identified service targets Maintain and continue to improve low levels of ‘unknown’ figures Increase the numbers of young people accessing good quality youth services 5 Percentage of adults participating in lifelong learning Increase the overall percentage of residents engaged in lifelong learning. 6 Percentage of working age people in employment Increase in number of residents in employment against baseline position 7 Percentage of people participating in further education/higher education/vocational learning Increase levels of participation against baseline position 8 Rates of volunteering Increase the number of people who state that they regularly volunteer against baseline position Increase the numbers of young people engaged in positive activities For all indicators attention will be paid to disparities in outcomes between different geographical areas and equality and diversity / vulnerable groups. In all cases actions will aim to improve the performance of the lowest attaining areas / groups by raising their performance towards the level of the highest.

Essex structural context (1/3) 13
The work outlined in this Strategy will be lead by Education and Lifelong Learning Commissioners sitting within the People Commissioning Directorate. The key areas of responsibility within the remit of these commissioners are: providing leadership to the education and skills sector in Essex and commissioning work to: drive up standards in under performing schools, improve access to education and educational outcomes for all children and young people and adults (particularly those vulnerable to educational and social exclusion) and improve the likelihood of employment. This includes: commissioning sufficient high quality early years and childcare provision ensuring high quality school places commissioning support, advice and professional development for headteachers and school staff commissioning school governor recruitment and training commissioning curriculum development and progression routes post-16, including apprenticeships commissioning attendance and behaviour services, including provision for young people not attending school commissioning support for children and young people with statements of special or additional educational need commissioning infrastructure for maintained schools facilitating community-led youth services commissioning adult and community learning Commissioning and influence: The key organisations through which education and lifelong learning are delivered to residents are: early years settings, schools (including academies and free schools), further and higher education institutions and vocational training providers. There is limited direct delivery by Essex County Council and the relationship between the Council and these organisations is mainly one of a commissioning and influence. This is reflected in the actions selected for this strategy. Our relationships are stronger and more direct within the early years and schools sector than they are with other providers (for example further and higher education institutions and vocational trainers) however even here and particularly in relation to schools the nature of our impact is changing due to the increased autonomy within the sector. Overall this impacts our ability to influence the development of provision and also to track outcomes particularly for some indicators. A key priority area for influence based on the importance of getting things right in this sector to enable positive progress against other indicators and also due to the amounts of funding involved is the spending of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) by schools (as agreed at the School’s Forum). Actions in this strategy are written in the context of the totality of spend across the partnership and are in particular predicated on our ability to influence where and how this money is spent in support of our strategic actions. It is also important that Essex uses its power to influence at a national level informed by the intentions of this commissioning strategy – for example in respect of the current DfE consultation on the Education Services Grant (ESG) (see national legislative and policy context slides). More detailed information about our role in respect of different providers is included on the next two slides and in the slides related to partners and partnerships. Transformation: Essex County Council has been undergoing a process of transformation to embed a commissioner / provider split into the way it is organised and operates. This process has yet to be fully embedded in the area of Education and Lifelong Learning and as a consequence there are some areas of the service where commissioners also still have responsibility of the provision of services. Further reorganisation and restructuring activity will continue to be rolled out through the course of this Strategy and is referred to where appropriate in the outlined actions. A number of core statutory responsibilities held by the Council relate to education, particularly those related to school planning, provision and admissions. For these areas although there is technically scope for delivery through other means there are unlikely to be significant overall benefits from this and therefore some aspects of direct provision are always likely to remain.

Schools and academies: In Essex there are: 459 primary schools, 77 secondary schools, 17 special schools. The range of educational provision for children and young people is now both broad and complex in terms of the number of providers involved and also their roles. An increasing number of these schools are academies, particularly at secondary level and now increasingly at primary; the presumption in law is that all new schools will now either be academies or free schools. Essex County Council does not have a preferred model of school organisation and leadership and believes the key driver in decision making in respect of this should be the model which is most likely to lead to sustained improvement in outcomes. It is an advocate of academisation when this is an appropriate choice for the school and has a role in advising and supporting schools wishing to become an academy however it supports the free choice of schools in this process. With the introduction of greater autonomy in the education landscape the role and responsibilities of local authorities in terms of school places has changed. Its role now centres around four key functions: as a champion of children, families and communities, as a commissioner and enabler of effective commissioning, as a facilitator of partnerships, and as the maintaining authority for community schools. Essex County Council no longer provides school places but instead commissions them from a range of providers including schools, academy trusts and sponsors of academy chains. The County Council does however retain a statutory responsibility to ensure there are sufficient school places available every year, that there is diversity across the school system and that parental preference is maximised. In its strategic role, the County Council must ensure there is a response to changes in demand over time by securing the increase or removal of capacity, this can be achieved in a number of ways, including: commissioning new schools, extending existing schools, reducing places at existing schools, promoting the reorganisation of schools, and reviewing priority admission areas. Whilst the County Council has moved to be a commissioner of school places, it still has parallel responsibilities as a provider in respect of a number of community and voluntary controlled schools. Independent Schools: There are 50 independent schools in Essex. The local authority does not have any formal role in respect of independent schools and is not responsible for their results. Essex does however have a general duty towards all Essex children and young people including those in independent schools and would seek to influence providers were there were concerns. Essex recognises the skills and expertise that exists in this sector and is encouraging of the engagement of independent schools in informal and formal school partnerships, federations etc.. and potentially as academy sponsors. Particularly in respect of provision for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities the local authority may also commission places within independent schools (both inside and outside of Essex) as suited to the needs of the individual. Generally in the context of the reducing funding envelop for this strategy the intention would however be to seek to develop provision in Essex maintained schools and academies to meet specific needs and encourage early identification and response to problems to prevent them reaching a level where a child may need to have a specialist place in an independent provider commissioned (see for example actions in indicator 2 re provision for children displaying sexualised behaviour). Further Education is nationally funded by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) which is an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Funding is provided to colleges, private training organisations and employers. The government aims through its funding decisions to make sure that further education provides the skilled workforce employers need and helps individuals reach their full potential. This includes funding provision in the following areas: traineeships for young people not in education, employment and training (NEET), apprenticeships and careers guidance. In Essex we are working to develop the breadth of opportunity and access for all young people to remain engaged in some form of learning up to the age of 18 through the county’s Employability & Skills Unit which works with schools, colleges and independent training providers to achieve this. Our specific duties in this area are to: promote effective participation in education or training to young people for whom we are responsible; ensure that sufficient places are available to meet the reasonable needs of all young people, and to encourage them to participate; make available to young people support that will encourage, enable or assist them to participate

Higher Education is nationally funded and delivered by independent institutions. The distribution of funding is overseen by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. The role of this organisation also includes monitoring that universities and colleges are financially healthy, that their courses are good quality, and that everyone with the potential to enter higher education has a fair chance to do so. The Government’s intention is generally to ensure that more public funding for teaching is routed through the student loan system and less through HEFCE, with the HEFCE taking on more of a regulatory role. The increasing use of modular course structures means that higher education qualifications are now more flexible than ever and can be tailored to meet the needs of the individual and their employer (if appropriate), or transferred between institutions. This has the potential of attracting additional people to consider engagement. Special Educational Needs Provision: The Local Authority has a critical role as champion for vulnerable children and young people. It will ensure that that all Children and Young People with SEND have a full range of support and opportunities available to them and are provided with opportunities to maximise their life chances, goals and aspirations. Our strategic priorities in this area have been identified in the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Strategy. Essex continually reviews its portfolio of specialist SEN providers to ensure it meets the needs of current and projected SEN populations. Specialist SEN Provision is a term used to describe discrete school based provision made available to support pupils with statements of special educational needs. In Essex this provision consists of Special Schools and Additionally Resourced (Enhanced) Provisions attached to mainstream schools. Essex is seeking to commission an increased amount and spectrum of specialist provision and to consider possible delivery options, taking account of all potential consequences and risks associated with increasing specialist SEN provision and the availability of capital and revenue resources. The strategic direction is: To maintain and develop special school provision in Essex, maximising the expertise available in Essex’s specialist providers to deliver advice and guidance. To increase specialist provision proportionally across the four quadrants of Essex in response to predicted demand for places. To establish additional enhanced provision and outreach support for pupils of mainstream ability with low incidence high level needs e.g. those with ASD Autistic Spectrum Disorders. To ensure Essex has a continuum of alternative educational provision for young people with additional educational needs. Essex Education Services (ESS) is an Essex County Council in house delivery vehicle for school improvement services which trades with schools both inside and outside of Essex. The service offer includes: education consultancy, finance support, governor services, education HR, the School Library Service, Target Tracker and professional development. The services offered are strongly evidence and researched based, grounded in a detailed understanding of what is required for schools to be effective. The service has a clear business plan to 2015/16 and beyond which includes the development of new products and the growth of the customer base in terms of numbers of customers and income generated. The role of Essex Education Services moving forward will be considered as a key element of the work outlined in this strategy to transform how services to and for schools are provided. As a service provider EES sits outside of the Education and Lifelong Learning commissioning function of the Council and under the Deputy Chief Executive. Adult Community Learning (ACL) There are a number of providers within the market who provide adult community learning and with whom we need to work to contribute to outcomes against indicators related to this. In addition there is some direct provision of Adult Community Learning by Essex County Council which is primarily funded by grants (including those from the Skills Funding Agency).

National legislative and policy context (1/2) 16
The current policy programme of the Department for Education which is reflected in and influences this Strategy is made up of the following policies. Policies with particular relevance to actions within this Strategy are highlighted in blue: Making Schools and Colleges more accountable and giving them more control over their budgets Creating a fairer and more equal society Helping to reduce poverty and increase social justice Giving all children a healthy start in life Raising the achievement of disadvantaged children Getting more people playing sport Improving the quality of teaching and leadership Improving the adoption system and services for Looked After Children Reforming qualifications and the curriculum to better prepare pupils for life after school Improving the quality of further education and skills training Increasing options and provision for children with special educational needs Improving the quality and range of education and childcare from birth to 5 years Making the construction and maintenance of school buildings more cost effective Supporting vibrant and sustainable arts and culture Making the family justice system more effective Supporting social workers to provide help and protection to children Making inspections of schools, colleges and children’s services more effective Increasing opportunities for young people and helping them achieve their potential Improving behaviour and attendance in schools Improving education for pupils outside of mainstream schools Increasing the number of academies and free schools to create a better and more diverse school system

National legislative and policy context (2/2) 17
There have been significant legislative and policy changes in recent years which have influenced the role and responsibilities of the Council and how we need to work. These include: Policy development Key strategy links Academisation and free schools ; development of regional schools commissioners 1 and 2 Special Educational Needs reforms Raising of participation age / new study programmes 3,4,7 Children in Care – Virtual Headteacher Reforms to National Curriculum and Assessment 2 Reductions in funding for further and higher education 3,5,7 Teachers’ Performance Related Pay Savings to the Education Services Grant for A full detailed analysis of these changes and their implications for this strategy can be found in this slide:

Delivering change within our financial envelope (1/3) 18
The Council has budgets for Education, Training and Life Long Learning activities within the Council’s revenue budget and the ring-fenced Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). Funding for schools comes primarily through the (DSG) – the DfE provides the Local Authority with the total DSG budget which has been made up from 3 blocks- as outlined below. Decisions made on the allocation of the DSG are made via the Schools Forum and the Local Authority acts to influence the spending of the DSG through this organisation. • Schools Block (2014/15 £ m) This is basic school funding based on pupil numbers plus additional funding for a series of factors such as deprivation and English as a second language • Early Years (2014/15 £59.048m) This block funds the provision of places for children at private, voluntary or independent settings across the County • High Needs (2014/15 £ ) This block contains funding based on SEN pupil numbers, it also funds special schools, pupil referral Units and other enhanced provisions 2014/2015 Financial position In 2014/15, the total Schools DSG budget amounts to £968.9m, of which £455.5m is budget for primary schools and £397.9m to secondary schools. Of the total amount, £375.8m is allocated out to the Academy Schools in Essex. The majority of the reminder of budget is provided directly to maintained schools with the exception of some budgets (totalling £70.1m), that Schools Forum agrees to retain centrally. The material budgets relating to this Outcome are listed in the adjacent table:

There are also a series of Council and grant funded budgets that support Education, Training and Lifelong Learning activities attributable to this outcome. The budget amounts for 2014/15 are summarised in the adjacent table: These budgets are part funded by grant. In particular, Adult Community Learning budget is supported by a Skills Funding Agency grant and learner income of £12.6m and the variety of services to and for schools is supported by the Education Services Grant, which is estimated to be £15.3m in 2014/15, falling to £11.6m in 2015/16 as a result of an announced 20% cut in funding by Government. Budget area Total Employability and Skills £4.3m Planning and Admissions (including Home to School Transport Budgets) £27.6m Special Educational Need Services £5.3m Standards and Excellence £2.5m Director budget (including additional school improvement services £9.7m Adult Community Learning £13.9m £62.0m Essex Education Services The MTRS has stretching targets built for Essex Education Services (EES). It is expected to deliver a surplus of £1.6m in 2014/15, £2.2m in 2015/16 and £3.4m in 2016/17. This strategy refers to opportunities where surpluses generated by EES may be hypothecated to funding school improvement. Any such proposal needs to be seen in the context that this would increase the Council’s funding gap if existing target surpluses built into the MTRS were then used as additional school improvement spend. Any surpluses generated over these target surpluses are not currently ring fenced and therefore a decision would be needed as to whether this is used to fund school improvement services, help bridge the Council’s funding gap, or used to support other priorities that the Council has.

Therefore the 2014/15 budget has been aligned against agreed activities. If the Commissioning Strategy has actions that will deliver new ways of providing services, then this will need to be contained within the existing budget. This would mean that existing activities may have to stop or dramatically reduced. The Council’s Medium Term Resource Strategy currently has a funding gap of approximately £237m+ to 2016/17 and it is expected that commissioning outcome strategies will identify ways in which this gap can be closed. The actions highlighted within this strategy need to be seen within this context and further work will need to be undertaken to prioritise actions so as to ensure that a reduced funding envelope is used most effectively to deliver the best possible outcomes. Whilst the DSG is driven by Government and therefore future budget allocations are to a degree unknown, the table identifies the impact of reduced funding on the non-DSG budget if there were expenditure reductions of 10% or 20% Areas 15/16 Budget as per MTRS (£m) 15/16 budget with 10% reduction (£m) 15/16 budget with 20% reduction £m) Employability and Skills 2.8 2.5 2.2 Planning and Admissions (including Home to School Transport budgets) 26.3 23.7 21.0 Special Educational Need Services 5.3 4.8 4.3 Standards and Excellence 1.3 1.2 1.0 Director budget (including additional school improvement services 9.9 8.9 7.9 Adult Community Learning 13.4 12.1 10.7 Total Budget 2015/16 59.0m £53.1m £47.2m Therefore, to reflect these potential budget reductions, the strategy needs to not only further define and prioritise the scale of the actions in the plan, it must also be further developed to identify as to what areas of existing work can be de-commissioned or reduced in a way in that minimises impact on outcomes. Both reviewing options to partially or fully decommission services as well as looking at new ways of delivering successful outcomes will require innovative solutions and new ways of working This expenditure analysis only includes contribution for these outcomes from the Council. It does not include the other funding that comes into Essex to other providers that the Strategy highlights are crucial in ensuring that the Council works with in order to maximise the success of the outcomes.

Key existing and related Essex policies, plans and strategies (1/1) 21
There are a number of existing strategies and plans which address the indicators identified for this outcome. This strategy does not override or replace these strategies but should in the main part identify key activities from them which will contribute to turning the specifically identified curves. On completion of the commissioning strategy and in accordance with agreed review schedules the content of the existing strategies will be further aligned to the commissioning strategy to ensure they reflect the change strategic operating model while continuing to act key drivers for change of identified need. Key existing strategies / plans which should be read alongside this document are as follows: Strategy / Plan Explanation Links to indicators The Lifelong Learning Strategy 2013 A Strategy setting out the pathway for seamless access to learning opportunities through statutory and community provision. Cross -cutting The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Strategy A Strategy for improving the outcomes and raising aspirations of our children and young people aged 0-25 years with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), focusing both on education and the role of other services in delivering the ambition. Cross-cutting / 1 and 2 The Educational Estates Strategy This is a cross cutting strategy aimed at capturing the demands on the educational estate over the next twenty years and putting forward proposals to meet this demand and leverage maximum value. The EES is supported by two further components – the Alternative Funding Strategy (getting more capital) and the Procurement, Specification and Delivery Report - aimed at getting more for the capital we have got. 1 and 2 The School Attendance Priorities Plan Strategic document setting out key priorities and proposed actions in relation to school attendance. Whole Essex Budgets skills reform proposals A proposition to address the fact that young people in Essex are not choosing vocational education and skills courses that give them the best chance of a high value, sustainable and progressive career in Essex nor delivers Essex employers with the people they need to drive up local economic growth. This is both a standalone document and part of the strategic approach to driving up local economic growth contained in the Deal for Growth for Essex. 4,6,7 The Economic Plan for Essex The EU Investment Plan The South East Local Enterprise Partnership Strategic Economic Plan See detail in Economic Growth Strategy 3,4,6,7 Early Years and Childcare – Vision, Core Purpose and Service Delivery, 2013 A series of service priorities for children aged 0-5 across the County with emphasis on a balance between universal provision, access to high quality childcare and services targeted at the most vulnerable families. ‘Building an Active Essex’: A Strategic Plan for Sport and Physical Activity in Greater Essex Outlines how we will achieve the Active Essex vision to: create a more physically active and sporting environment for all people in Greater Essex to enable everyone to participate in the activity of their choice at their chosen level 2, 8 Commissioning School Places in Essex – annual five year Plan Document compiled on an annual basis by the County Council in its role as a commissioner of school places. Including: current organisation of school places, existing capacities and number of pupils attending schools; the size of existing school sites and opportunities for further expansion, forecasts of future pupil numbers, and how any increases might be accommodated, or surpluses addressed. Effective Support for Children and Families in Essex 2013 Key guidance document on integrated working in respect of children and families. Introduces the conceptual windscreen model for developing a shared understanding across all practitioners and managers, children and families, about how we will respond to the requirements of children and young people across four levels of need.

Service user / customer views (1/1) 22
Views of Children and Young People The Schools Health Education Unit Survey (SHEU) survey is a wellbeing survey commissioned by the Involvement of Children, Young People and Parents Team within Essex County Council and delivered by the Schools Health Education Unit in order to collect robust information about children and young people’s lifestyles. The survey is now in its eighth year and the findings are used to inform Essex's annual needs assessment for children’s services and the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment by identifying baseline data and informing targets, service evaluation and improvement. Key findings, relevant to the indicators considered in this Commissioning Strategy are as follows: 75% of primary pupils say they enjoy school but significantly fewer secondary pupils (60%) say this, although the proportions have generally risen over the last six years. 4% of primary and 8% of secondary pupils say they never enjoy school. While 67% of primary pupils always try their best at school, just 38% of secondary pupils say the same: however, just 1% of all pupils say they never try their best. When asked what might help them to do better in school, 59% of primary and 72% of secondary pupils want more fun/interesting lessons, followed by more help from teachers and a quieter or better behaved class. 30% of primary and 16% of secondary school pupils want less bullying. 22% of primary and 14% of secondary pupils say that they did not need any more help to do their best. When asked what they hope to do when they leave school, 56% of secondary pupils say they hope to go to university, 17% want to get a job and 12.5% do not know what they hope to do. The proportion wanting to go to university fell significantly in 2011 but has now risen back to previous levels, with a mirroring fall in those wanting to get a job. These findings are particularly relevant to planning actions under indicators 1 and 2 (children attending good schools and achieving at school), indicator 4 (NEET) and indicator 7 (participation in further / higher education and vocational training). Lifelong Learning Consultation A consultation was carried out in relation to the Lifelong Learning Strategy ( ) in November and December with the feedback reported in January Key highlights are as follows: 476 people accessed the survey, but only 156 completed at least some of the survey (33%) People were asked if they agreed with Essex’s vision for lifelong learning: “We will harness Essex’s entrepreneurial spirit to involve all residents in lifelong learning. We will help all residents to realise their ambitions by supporting a world class education and skills system and build lifelong learning into everything we do” and 92.3% of respondents agreed. People were asked if they agreed with the five priorities of the strategy: (Ensure every child achieves a good level of development in early years; Ensure every child can go to a good or outstanding school; Lead the UK in education and skills attainment; Ensure education and skills provision are driven by the needs of employers; Enable all residents to learn throughout their lives) and 89.8% stated that they did. Although the sample is small these findings indicated a general positivity by Essex residents towards the idea of lifelong learning and the importance of the Council investing in this. Further analysis of these findings will help inform actions against indicator 5, particularly identifying why people who may identify benefits in lifelong learning may be prevented from participating.

Our partners and our relationship with them (1/1) 23
A full overview of the partners with whom we need to work to implement this strategy, their roles and responsibilities and how we engage with them is included on the embedded slide. This also includes an overview of key partnership forums.

1) Percentage of children attending a good school – strategic analysis and insight (1/1) 24
Developing aspirations and ambitions at an early age is vital and attendance at a good school is considered crucial to this. Our actions are focused on both on increasing the percentages of good and outstanding schools and the percentages of children attending these schools. The Ofsted Annual Report (Dec 12) indicated significant regional variation in quality of education in the UK with the East of England being the area of most significant concern; this is a particular issue for primary education. Overall in Essex there has been a positive trend in respect of the numbers of schools being graded good and outstanding from 2009 with the percentage of schools increasing from 66-71% and the percentage of pupils in these schools increasing from 67-71%. Further improvement is however required and there are some localised and specific areas of concern to be tackled. Primary education is of greater concern than is secondary; there has currently been a much lower rate of academisation at primary level than there has at secondary and so this sector has yet to benefit from many of the potential positive benefits this can bring to improving performance. Across all provider types (Nursery, Primary, Secondary, PRU and Special) there is clear evidence of a smaller percentage of children attending good or outstanding schools in the most deprived areas. The Standards and Excellence service have clear processes and protocols to RAG rate all underperforming schools, enabling a clear prioritisation of intervention and support to be established and appropriate commissioning for support undertaken. Support is prioritised for schools requiring improvement and in a category; however these are supplemented by visits to good and outstanding schools to enable more collaborative working and sharing of good practice. Commissioned support, including that provided by Essex Education services, is being targeted at leadership and management, as that is shown to have the greatest impact on school performance. Leadership and management of schools includes governance which has a high potential impact on school performance but where the impact is currently low due to poor quality, ill-focused and non-strategic governing bodies. Governance is a key improvement priority. Alongside this Active Essex are providing targeted support for sport in schools . This is supporting leadership and management and also classroom delivery within Physical Education aiming to ensure high standards of Physical Literacy. In the period 2010 – 2012, 77% of new primary school places commissioned have been at good or outstanding schools More detailed analysis and insight can be accessed in the below slide:

1) Percentage of children attending a good school – the curve we wish to turn 25
Increase the percentage of schools rated good and outstanding Increase the percentage of children attending a good and outstanding school To aim for 100% schools judged good outstanding and 100% of children attending a good or outstanding school by 2018. To increase the percentage of new places commissioned in good or outstanding schools from 77% in 2012 towards a target of 100% in 2018 Source: OFSTED from 31st August 2013 (end of academic year data) NB: performance will be impacted by changes to the Ofsted framework during this time period

1) Percentage of children attending a good school – Issues (1/2) 26
No Issue Strategic action 1a There is not enough good and outstanding leadership in the system at all levels – particularly at primary. Develop leadership in schools at all levels to improve quality of teaching and learning (5) Robustly tackle poor performance (4) 1b Governance is not ambitious enough to raise expectations on the progress and attainment that all children in Essex can achieve; specifically it is not sufficiently focused on improving the performance of groups where there is a gap – governors are not currently acting as a strong enough driver for improvement. 1c We are not ambitious enough in respect of the standards we expect all schools to attain – our activities are by necessity of the available resources targeted towards schools which require improvement and below. Insufficient attention is given to ensuring that schools judged as good maintain this status and are driven to become outstanding Establish and promote a demanding vision and expectations (3) Ensure the availability of appropriate and targeted support for vulnerable groups (6) 1d Local stakeholders do not hold strong ambitions for improvements in their local areas or accept responsibility for bringing these about – all partners in a local area need to contribute to ensuring that all children in that area receive the best possible education. We have not robustly communicated a vision which articulates this as an expectation; consequently we do not have enough partnership support and schools do not accept a collective responsibility for locality educational outcomes. Successful implementation of local improvement activities needs to be underpinned by this. 1e Improvement activity is insufficiently localised and targeted – there are a diversity of issues within the Essex localities which need to be responded to with locally devised and individualised strategies led by local partners rather than with the previously commonly used top down uniform interventions. Transform internal systems and operating models (1) 1f Our interventions are not sufficiently driven by data and are too reactive – we do not have an outstanding data function which enables us to identify and predict local issues, trends, hotspots etc.. early and to respond proactively. We do not always effectively share data with internal and external partners resulting in incomplete understanding ; this does not always place us in a good position to select the appropriate intervention.

1) Percentage of children attending a good school – Issues (2/2) 27
No Issue Strategic action 1g The Council has a changed operating model and reduced resources for school support – we do not have the resources to continue to work with schools in the way we always have done. Schools do not yet fully understand our changed commissioning role and the expectations we have about them driving their own improvements. More funding is now devolved to schools rather than coming to the LA – this is not always used to maximum effect and we need to influence this. Transform internal systems and operating models (1) 1h We are not yet obtaining maximum benefits from the potential of school to school support – as a result of our reduced resources and changed operating model we need to find different and more effective ways of working with schools. We are not yet fully utilising the potential of collaboration and partnership within the system, there is insufficiently developed local systems leadership at all levels and not enough embedded and successful groups and federations. Facilitate and promote the development of school to school support (2) 1i Too many schools with good features are not providing good provision for children and young people with SEND or are failing in respect of attendance – this will act as a limiting judgement in respect of future Ofsted inspections and means that we are not ensuring that all children are accessing high quality education Develop leadership in schools at all levels to improve quality of teaching and learning (5) Robustly tackle poor performance (4) Ensure the availability of appropriate and targeted support for vulnerable groups (6) 1j In some areas of the county, particularly those with high levels of residential growth, or with greater socio-economic challenges there are or are predicted to be insufficient places available in good quality schools or insufficient good quality schools to expand – we are responsible for ensuring there are sufficient school places available in the right areas of need and that places are decommissioned when no longer needed. Decisions made in respect of school organisation and planning have the ability to develop and support the quality of education being provided, to commission new good provision, and the numbers of children attending good schools. The information provided informs the planning and delivery of the Capital Programme in relation to schools. (See Economic Growth Strategy) Commission and decommission school places to meet need and as a driver for improvement in the quality of provision (7)

1) Percentage of children attending a good school - Strategic Actions (1/5) 28
NB: actions deemed as priorities for the achievement of the desired turn of the curve are identified through ‘**’ 1. Transform the delivery of services to and for schools ** Lead Commissioner: Tim Coulson Desired impact Design and implement a new model for Essex Education comprising core statutory functions, commissioners and a delivery arm focused on the provision of evidence based, quality assured and customised support to schools in Essex and outside. Work with schools to implement this model ensuring they are engaged in the development of this new service offer and the expectations on them about new ways of working. Maximise on the potential of this model to generate income to support future service development in the context of the reduced Education Services Grant. Commissioning Ambition to deliver savings of between £3.5 and £4.5m currently not built in to MTRS Savings to core team spend potentially possible in longer term if sustained and positive performance against indicator is achieved. Essex Education develops a sustainable model within a reduced resource envelop New ways of working with schools are identified which enable continued, sustainable improvement without significant LA intervention We develop an attractive service offer which is understood by schools and has a high level of take up in Essex and elsewhere The LA has an outstanding data function which drives improvement The data function ensures that the need for LA intervention can be identified at an early stage and issues addressed prior to being picked up in external inspections Commission a new data system for education to enable more sophisticated and geographically based analysis of performance and early identification of trends and issues, include in these considerations the use of data held by EES. Use the improved information to underpin a more proactive approach to school support and to act as a more effective driver for improvement. Develop the data function Potential costs of up to £1m – not built into Medium tern Resource Strategy. Costs to be factored against current systems spend. Ensure the establishment of a revised working relationship between Standards and Excellence teams and Essex Education Services structured around the commissioning of services based on required outcomes. Approximately £750k spend pa from Standards and Excellence to EES. Level of spend should be impacted by activities to encourage greater self sufficiency in schools and more money coming direct to school for commissioning their own support. Outcomes based commissioning may prove more cost effective. 2. Robustly tackle under performance Clare Kershaw **** Desired impact Take robust action to challenge and address poor school performance and illegal practice including issuing of warning notices, imposition of IEBs and use of Executive Heads ECC provided Minimal cost input Accounted for in MTRS Poor performing schools and professionals are removed from the system Robust strategies and systems are established to support the development of good performance Resources within the system are utilised to maximum effect in improving performance Implement a robust activity for schools requiring improvement to support a sustainable move to good and beyond within an appropriate and agreed timescale Commissioning Additional costs to be identified Monitor the impact of the academy programme to establish a clear position on the benefits , where and how academisation is likely to have the biggest impact and to identify required actions when academisation does not improve performance in the manner expected Influencing BAU activity Develop the available range of partners, external agencies and high performing schools, teaching schools etc. who can assist with school improvement, including through acting as academy sponsors Encourage academy conversion for the purposes of school improvement in appropriate circumstances particularly at primary level and for inadequate schools This would require a greater reduction in services provided by ESG, and increase pressure to transform service s to and for schools Ensure that we obtain maximum learning from schools making improvement journeys and other local authorities who are performing well in this area and that this learning is widely shared Ensure the effective implementation of performance management policies within schools to address performance issues by providing quality assured and evidenced based support and training to schools and governors Ensure activity to target under performing schools is informed by a comprehensive range of factors including levels of absenteeism and performance of vulnerable groups ECC Provided Costs of transforming data systems accounted for in MTRS however not sustainable unless savings achieved from reforming support to and for schools

2. Facilitate and promote the development of school to school support Lead Commissioner: Clare Kershaw Desired impact Encourage the development of a full range of school partnership arrangements focused on raising standards including informal groupings and federations; where possible encourage the engagement of early years settings and providers within these. Influencing Up to £4.5m savings potential identified through implementing new models of support to and for schools Methods are established to drive sustainable change using resources within the system in place of LA intervention Systems are established which embed an acceptance of local responsibility for all children’s outcomes Opportunities are given to high quality leaders to further develop by taking on wider responsibilities across schools 3. Establish and promote a demanding vision and expectations ** Lead Commissioner: Clare Kershaw Desired impact Develop and implement a communications strategy which outlines the following: a clear vision for Essex of high ambition and expectation where excellence is expected as standard and all children and young people, of all abilities, receive the best education possible; the responsibilities of partners for and the commitment expected from them to: high achievement for all children with no exceptions and ensuring our performance in terms of the gap between the best and worst is in line with the best performing areas nationally; the expected outcomes for children of all abilities, across all phases and settings regardless of background and what we expect excellent education to look like; the impact that parents and carers can have on the quality and impact of their children’s education and how they can best support this Influencing Minimal cost input Support required from: STC Strategy and Communications All stakeholders accept responsibility for school improvement and educational achievement for all Improvement is not solely reliant on the role of the LA There is greater recognition that the most valuable resources in respect of school improvement are within schools themselves

4. Robustly tackle under performance ** Lead Commissioner: Clare Kershaw Desired impact Take robust action to challenge and address poor school performance and illegal practice including issuing of warning notices, imposition of IEBs and use of Executive Heads ECC provided Minimal cost input Accounted for in MTRS Poor performing schools and professionals are removed from the system Robust strategies and systems are established to support the development of good performance Resources within the system are utilised to maximum effect in improving performance Implement a robust activity for schools requiring improvement to support a sustainable move to good and beyond within an appropriate and agreed timescale Commissioning Additional costs to be identified Monitor the impact of the academy programme to establish a clear position on the benefits , where and how academisation is likely to have the biggest impact and to identify required actions when academisation does not improve performance in the manner expected Influencing Develop the available range of partners, external agencies and high performing schools, teaching schools etc. who can assist with school improvement, including through acting as academy sponsors (link to action 1 – transforming services to and for schools) Transforming support to and for schools Encourage academy conversion for the purposes of school improvement in appropriate circumstances particularly at primary level and for inadequate schools Will impact on resources coming into local authority - responsibilities of LA to academies may need to be revisited. Ensure that we obtain maximum learning from schools making improvement journeys and other local authorities who are performing well in this area and that this learning is widely shared Ensure the effective implementation of performance management policies within schools to address performance issues by providing quality assured and evidenced based support and training to schools and governors Ensure activity to target under performing schools is informed by a comprehensive range of factors including levels of absenteeism and performance of vulnerable groups ECC Provided Costs of transforming data systems accounted for in MTRS however not sustainable unless savings achieved from reforming support to and for schools (see action 1) Undertake robust structural intervention strategies to reorganise or close underperforming provision - see also action 6

5. Develop leadership in schools at all levels to improve quality of teaching and learning Lead Commissioner: Clare Kershaw Desired impact Establish the Essex Primary Leadership Academy to make active use of the School Improvement Fund and deliver a range of interventions focused on improving leadership, growing future leaders and attracting talent to Essex Commissioning £1m additional funding in 14/15 budget. Quality of teaching and learning is improved through the development of leadership capacity and capability throughout the whole system Improvements are sustainable as they are locally driven and well embedded Good quality leaders are bought into the system to replace those removed under action 2 Implement a programme to improve school governance including measures to enable experienced governors to support the development and improvement of governors in other schools Establish a peer to peer model of support based around the use of local excellence boards (as per models established by the Tendring Locality Board Educational Improvement Group, Harlow Educational Partnership and Basildon Excellence Panel) to support improving standards in worst performing areas – see also action 2 Influencing Transforming support to and for schools Identify and maximise the potential contribution from existing outstanding leaders who are able to work with others in the role of Executive Head, sponsors etc. Ensure that we understand our local labour market for teachers and leaders , the talent which is available to us and the best strategies, including financial , to attract talent to Essex; undertake action to develop this market where possible Ensure the impact of improved leadership at headteacher level is reflected throughout all levels of leadership and management within a school including middle managers and SENCOs

6. Ensure the availability of appropriate and targeted support for vulnerable groups ** Lead Commissioner: Annemarie Blackshaw Desired impact Fully implement measures outlined for priority 1 of the SEND Strategy to ensure that all children and young people with SEND can access a good or outstanding school, either specialist or mainstream Commissioning Funding pressure created by this to be accounted for Quality education is available for all Performance is improved for vulnerable groups Quality of provision for vulnerable groups does not act as a limiting factor in schools being judged as good or outstanding Ensure that best practice examples of identification, and assessment and of improving provision and experiences for children and young people with SEND are identified and widely shared 7. Commission and decommission school places to meet need and as a driver for improvement in the quality of provision Lead Commissioner: Graham Ranby Desired impact Ensure that school organisation and planning is appropriately informed by an understanding of the needs of different areas both in terms of the numbers of places which are available and specific needs to improvement; ensure the potential of existing good school and school groupings and federations is utilised when commissioning new places – for example promoting the establishment of academy trusts Commissioning Non-DSG funded but in budget. Scope for consideration of potential new delivery models with associated savings. Sufficient places are available for the children who need them The development of new places builds on existing good quality in the system where possible Additional opportunities for quality education can be provided to children who would not otherwise have been able to access this Underperformance is robustly tackled and removed from the system Commission additional places within identified good and outstanding primary schools in areas of comparative disadvantage to provide high quality nursery education with the aim of improving attainment and development in early years for identified groups of children Undertake structural interventions to remove underperforming schools.

2) Percentage of children achieving at school – Strategic analysis and insight (1/1) 33
Achievement at school, from the very earliest stages, is key in fostering a sense of aspiration and ambition in children and young people and consideration has been given in this indicator to the percentages of children achieving at all stages of the curriculum. Curriculum Stage Analysis Early Years Foundation Stage Performance in this area is good – Historically, Essex has performed well below all comparator groups, but 2012 saw the gap reduce through targeted interventions along with all pupils starting their Reception year in the Autumn term for the first time. Whilst 2013 is not directly comparable with previous years (following the national review conducted by Dame Clare Tickell), it is very noticeable that Essex now exceeds the Eastern region and England averages for the first time and has its highest ever national ranking of 51st. Key Stage One Performance in this area is good - Since 2011 Essex has seen 5% improvements in Reading and Writing, with 3% in Maths, for pupils achieving level 2+. The rate of increase exceeds that seen among comparator groups and is reflective in high national rankings in 2013 (Reading 28th, Writing 67th and Maths 19th). Key Stage Two Performance in this area is not as positive as we would like - For all level 4+ attainment measures Essex is in the 3rd quartile (national rankings of 74th to 90th); for all expected progress measures it is in the 4th quartile (national rankings of 116th to 124th) Key Stage Four Performance in this area is not as positive as we would like - The number of Essex pupils achieving 5 of more GCSEs at grade A* to C including English and Maths increased by 1.6% from last year to 60.5%. In spite of this increase, the national ranking fell from 68th in 2012 to 81st in 2013 (3rd quartile) but performance remains higher than that of Statistical Neighbours, Eastern Region and England. Children in Care Performance in this area is not as positive as we would like across all stages of the curriculum - Essex CiC exceed national performance by 4% in KS1 reading, 9% in Writing and 2% in Maths. However, at key stage 2 they are slightly lower – by 5% in Reading and Writing, and by 1% in Maths. Key stage 4 sees more even performance with the exception of 5+ A*-C where Essex is 5.8% below the national average. Special Educational Needs Performance in this area is not as positive as we would like - Pupils with SEN in Essex tend to perform lower than their national counterparts across all key stages. This is most notable from Year 1 Phonics upwards and particularly among School Action Plus pupils, although also among School Action pupils. Pupils with a Statement tend to perform at or slightly above the England averages. Free School Meals Performance in this area is not as positive as we would like - In 2013 there were 1900 pupils in receipt of Free School Meals at KS2, and 1200 at KS4. Key stage 2 is a particular area of concern, just 55% achieving level 4+ in RWM compared to 60% nationally. The gap is 23% (nationally 19%). The Essex FSM/no FSM gap increases further at KS4 to nearly 28% (35.2% v 63.0%) for pupils achieving 5+ A*-C including English and Maths. FSM pupils across England perform 2.9% higher than in Essex with 38.1% achieving the standard. Primary School Sport Reporting by Active Essex to the DfE in October 2013 on Primary Sport Premium showed that in an overview of all schools: 73.4% of schools were unlikely to need support, 21.1% of schools might need support and 5.3% of schools were more likely to need support or were not rated. More detailed analysis and insight can be accessed in the below slide:

2) Percentage of children achieving at school – Issues (1/2) 34
No Issue Strategic action 2a Our children do not always start schools with a good level of development and ready to learn – this impacts on their ability to achieve when they begin formal education. (See Outcome 1 Commissioning Strategy) Ensure that children are ready to start school and that an accurate baseline is available for all (3) 2b Our data function is not sufficient in terms of the data we have available and how we use it - we do not currently have the ability to analyse data in a sophisticated manner to identify clear lessons about what works; we need to ensure we clearly understand which groups, locations etc. need specific attention to inform the development of local improvement strategies. Transform internal systems and operating models (1) 2c We are not able to establish a holistic understanding of the child and their journey through the system using our existing data function – our understanding of the child, their needs, the impact of different interventions on them and how we need to work better together to support them is disjointed. This means we are not always providing them with the best support and can have implications for safeguarding. 2d Those in need of additional support are not always identified at an early stage – this means they do not always get the support they need from their educational setting and other agencies both statutory and non-statutory to help with their learning and overall development Ensure the availability of appropriate and targeted support for vulnerable groups (5) 2e Outcomes for children with special educational needs and disabilities are not as good as they could be – a range of required improvements in this area have already been identified by the Government’s reform agenda and our existing SEND Strategy. . The gap in outcomes for children and young people with SEND is too large and leadership and quality of SEND provision, particularly in the mainstream requires improvement. 2f Additional resources for vulnerable groups are not always effectively targeted meaning there remain gaps in attainment – additional funding such as the pupil premium is not being used by all schools in a targeted manner to lessen inequalities in outcome found across vulnerable groups – these remain too wide

2) Percentage of children achieving at school – Issues (2/2) 35
No Issue Strategic action 2g The overall quality of provision and leadership, especially in primary schools is not high enough across Essex – we do not have a high enough percentage of good and outstanding schools which impacts on the quality of educational opportunities we provide; not all children have access to high quality teaching and learning driven and supported by excellent governance and leadership (see indicator 1) Ensure quality first teaching is available for all reflective of the needs of individual children (4) Establish and promote a demanding vision and expectations (2) 2h Parents and carers do not always provide the support required to their children’s education –parents and carers are not always appropriately equipped to support their children’s education and the raising of their aspirations. Parents knowledge of the curriculum, learning and motivation needs to be developed. Ensure all children are well supported to learn at home (6) 2i Levels of absenteeism in Essex schools are too high – this means too many children and young people are out of school which impacts on the education they receive and their ability to achieve. This applies to persistent absenteeism and those children and young people out of school for lengthy periods, including children missing in education. Not all parents fully appreciate the importance of ensuring their children and young people regularly attend and/or they do not have the tools or ability to facilitate or ensure this. Ensure all children are well supported at home (6)

2) Percentage of children achieving at school - Strategic Actions (1/5) 36
1. Transform internal systems and operating models ** Lead Commissioner: Tim Coulson Desired impact Develop the data system for education to enable more sophisticated analysis of performance based on the right data including the introduction of PISA testing to enhance available performance data and enable comparisons internationally and locally. This includes ensuring an effective relationship is established with internal data providers and other support functions, ensuring that value for money is achieved through these commissioning relationships. Commissioning Approx. £1m of identified costs We have a better understanding of how our children and young people are performing and use this to inform the implementation of more effective interventions The need for these interventions can be identified at an early stage so that issues can be addressed prior to being picked up in external inspections We are ambitious in our performance targets informed not only by good local but also national and international performance We understand data not only on a strategic but also child by child level and can ensure that our interventions are personalised and being coordinated to maximum effect Our use of localised improvement activities is appropriately targeted as we understand specific what are the areas of most concern, whether these are geographical areas or groups of children and young people Ensure that we effectively analyse our data to identify gaps in performance for different groups / locations, to inform the development of localised improvement activities and to drive a proactive response to identified issues. Implement a data system which enables us to access a single child record, demonstrating a holistic understanding of the child and their journey through the system (similar to that already held for CiC). Established the required data sharing protocols with partners to ensure this record is as comprehensive as possible. (linked action to above).

2. Establish and promote a demanding vision and expectations Lead Commissioner: Clare Kershaw Desired impact Implement a communications strategy which establishes a mind-set of high expectation for all (see indicator 1) Influencing Minimal cost input Support required from: STC Strategy and Communications The achievement of children and young people is an ambition shared by all those who have the ability to help and support them Our children and young people are self –motivated to make the most of opportunities that are available to them Our performance against other indicators including NEET, levels of employment and rates of participation in further/higher education and vocational training are improved as a result of good performance against this action Establish a culture of high aspiration and ambition in children and young people, parents and carers through the availability of high quality careers information, the fostering of links between schools and local industries and the involvement of businesses in the development of provision Commissioning 3. Ensure that children are ready to start school and that an accurate baseline is available for all Lead Commissioner: Stav Yiannou Desired impact Improve the quality of provision within the early years sector to ensure children are ready to start school and develop in line with national expectations; including in particular vulnerable groups and children in care (see actions for Outcome 1 – Children in Essex get the best start in life) Commissioning Funded from early years budgets – see best start in life strategy. Early years experiences well prepare children to start school; their ability to achieve is not negatively impacted by this Schools can effectively personalise education to children and provide them with targeted support at an early stage because they have a good understanding of their needs from the start of their education Ensure that accurate entry level assessment data is available for children starting school and that those in need of additional support can be identified at an early stage Influencing

4. Ensure quality first teaching is available for all reflective of the needs of individual children Lead Commissioner: Clare Kershaw Desired impact Identify expected outcomes at all levels and improve provision to enable the achievement of those outcomes ( see actions in indicator 1) Influencing Commissioning The quality of teaching and learning in schools is improved and this impacts on levels of achievement Schools personalise the education they offer to meet the needs of individual children, enabling all to achieve to the best of their abilities Develop and implement activity for the development of high quality teaching and learning across all settings ; including the positive use of performance management in monitoring and developing the quality and impact of teaching and learning and promoting access to quality assured, evidence based training Implementation of different models of support and development Encourage and support schools to consider where possible a flexible approach to the curriculum to meet the needs of different groups , based on a analysis of available research about what works Links to activities to improve peer to peer support between schools – see indicator 1

5. Ensure the availability of appropriate and targeted support for vulnerable groups ** Lead Commissioners: Annemarie Blackshaw and Graham Ranby Desired impact Improve the assessment and identification of children and young people with SEND across all agencies (priority 4 SEND strategy) ECC Provided Influencing Commissioning Potential savings identified in SEN Assessment Services. Performance of children and young people with SEND is improved – the performance of Essex is aligned to top performing LA nationally Performance for Children in Care in improved so that outcomes are more aligned to that of their peers Any additional funds available to narrow the gap are used effectively so this outcome is achieved Any child in need of additional support for whatever reason is quickly identified and support is provided by appropriate partners in a joined up way. This support has the impact of improving outcomes for the children or young person, including educationally Ensure a focus on the performance of SEND in mainstream schools and improve SEN leadership in schools Influencing, Commissioning Commission a range of high quality provision to support children and young people with SEND (priority 2 SEND strategy) Required spend based on number of children identified as needing support each year (DSG funded) Ensure a smooth transition to adult hood for all children and young people with SEND (priority 3 SEND strategy) Influencing, Implement the Strategy for Education and Participation of Children in Care, including the continued development of Virtual Headteacher role. Implement new responsibilities provided to the Virtual School Headteacher in relation to the management of pupil premium funding for Children in Care from 2014 /15 onwards, ensuring these new requirements are properly resourced. Work with schools to ensure that additional funding aimed at vulnerable groups - e.g. pupil premium, is being used to maximum effect in improving the performance; identify how schools can best be supported in this area Develop and implement an invest to save proposal for the provision of improved advice, guidance and support services to help schools manage pupils who are displaying potentially harmful sexual behaviour. Potential invest to save model in development – cost avoidance possible in respect of need to support children in external placements if better support provided in Essex. Encourage schools to work effectively with partners, including in social care and health, to identify and obtain the right help for children in need of additional support, whether this is early help, targeted or specialist support (links to other indicators: best start in life, health and wellbeing, safe communities). This includes effective engagement with the 5-19 healthy child programme. Identify and implement actions required to support ensure the identification of young carers and to ensure they are provided with support to facilitate their full engagement in school.

6. Ensure all children are well supported to learn at home Lead Commissioner: Annemarie Blackshaw Desired impact Ensure that parents and carers are properly equipped and informed to support their child’s education and raise their aspirations (this includes actions to improve adult literacy and numeracy – see indicator 3, see also action 1 indicator 2) Commissioning Influencing Schools and parents work in partnership to in enabling children and young people to succeed Children and young people attend school; absenteeism is not a high influencing factor on poor performance Any signs in respect of a child or young person’s attendance which may identify safeguarding concerns are quickly identified and acted upon Ensure that schools are supported in reducing absenteeism and positively promoting attendance; including ensuring all schools are complying with their legal obligations and that they recognise the potential safeguarding implications of children being absent ECC Provided Potential alternative delivery models could be considered to generate savings. Ensure systems to identify and trace Children Missing in Education are functioning effectively and that work is undertaken with schools to ensure they are aware of their obligations and the importance of this area of work for safeguarding

3) Rates of literacy and numeracy at all ages – Strategic analysis and insight (1/1) 41
There are substantial numbers of adults in Essex who do not have adequate literacy and numeracy skills. Published research demonstrates significant benefits to both individuals and the economy in terms of higher wages and better employment prospects if adult literacy and numeracy skills are improved. Consideration is therefore given to literacy and numeracy rates for our adult population. The Skills for Life Survey commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, estimated that, of a total working age population in Essex (870,700); 383,600 (44%) do not have level 2 skills in English (GCSE C or above); 672,000 (77%) do not have level 2 skills in Maths (GCSE C or above); 188,200 (22%) do not have entry level 3 qualifications in Maths (equivalent to what is expected at age 9-11). The UKCES Employer Skills Survey also suggested that nationally, employers faced increased difficulty finding appropriate oral and written communication, literacy and numeracy skills . These core generic skills were all cited as lacking by greater proportions of employers reporting skill-shortage vacancies than in 2011. The OECD Survey of Adult Skills gave a clear message as to the impact of poor literacy and numeracy skills: the median hourly wage of workers scoring at Level 4 or 5 in literacy is more than 60% higher than for workers scoring at Level 1 or below; adults with low literacy skills are more than twice as likely to be unemployed; poor proficiency limits adults’ access to many basic services and to the possibility of participating in further education and training; individuals with lower proficiency in literacy are more likely to report poor health and to believe that they have little impact on political processes; the children of parents with low levels of education have significantly lower proficiency than those whose parents have higher levels of education; The survey also highlighted how England's 16 to 24-year-olds are falling behind their Asian and European counterparts in terms of literacy and numeracy skills. The study ranked England 22nd for literacy and 21st for numeracy out of 24 countries. Countries with lower skill levels risk losing in competitiveness as the world economy becomes more dependent on skills. Per capita incomes are higher in countries with larger proportions of adults who reach the highest levels of literacy or numeracy proficiency and with smaller proportions of adults at the lowest levels of proficiency. Research commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills estimated that, over the career of an individual, the added value to the economy from that individual gaining a basic skills qualification in English or Maths is £27k (Net Present Value). This figure reflects the higher wages and better employment prospects as a result of a learner gaining a basic skills qualification, less the government funding or fees paid by individuals or employees and any output forgone during learning. As an indication of the impact that improving literacy and numeracy skills could have: a 5% reduction in the number of adults in the working population without level 2 literacy would require courses delivered to around 19,000 learners and result in £518m of economic benefit; a 5% reduction in the number of adults without level 2 numeracy would require courses delivered to 33,000 learners and see an economic return of £907m; More detailed analysis and insight can be accessed in the below slide:

3) Rates of literacy and numeracy at all ages – Issues (1/1) 42
NB: this indicator covers adult literacy and numeracy (age 16+), literacy and numeracy below age 16 is covered by indicators 1 and 2 No Issue Strategic action 3a There are barriers to adults re-engaging with further education and training to address basic skills gaps for example, previous negative/poor experiences of engagement, lack of desire to learn, time, money, accessible and affordable child care, learning disabilities or difficulties. The OECD highlights that poor proficiency is itself a barrier to adults re-engaging in further learning opportunities. Work in partnership with providers to influence the development of provision and improve quality and availability (2) 3b Employers may not always recognise or act upon poor literacy and numeracy skills in the workplace. The sheer number of adults without Level 2 in literacy or numeracy in Essex would suggest that a significant proportion of these must be active in the labour market. 3c Basic skills provision offered by the Post-16 sector, including ECC’s Adult Community Learning (ACL) will be determined by the level of Skills Funding Agency (SFA) funding and the number of tutors. The Skills Funding Statement outlined the government commitment to fully fund English & Maths for those with an identified need up to and including GCSE. This however is in the context of a tightening Adult Skills Budget, which is forecast to fall at a national level by 19% between 2013/14 and 2015/16. Transform internal systems and operating models (1) 3d There is a need to raise standards in the teaching and learning of English and maths. The Skills Funding Statement confirms the Government’s expectation to see improvements in the quality of learning, ensuring that learners are properly assessed and set challenging targets to gain the skills that employers want. 3e There is no reliable method for monitoring performance against desired outcomes - The BIS Skills for Life Survey 2011, which established a baseline of the number of adults with poor literacy and numeracy skills in Essex, is repeated infrequently so could not be a regular source information. Furthermore, the survey is based on a sample of adults so is not a direct measure of ECC activity. Consideration needs to be given as to how performance against this indicator will be judged.

3) Rates of literacy and numeracy at all ages – Strategic Actions (1/2) 43
Transform internal systems and operating models ** Lead Commissioner: Peter Cook Desired impact Transform the commissioning and delivery of Adult Community Learning function in order to improve outcomes and in light of reduced grant from SFA (see indicator 5) Commissioning Further work is also ongoing to reduce costs following announcement of SFA funding reductions We better understand the available data and use this understanding to inform our actions and select those likely to have the best impact ECC is confident that its own staff have been facilitated to access support to improve deficits in skills levels – identified deficits decrease as a result We have a fit for purpose delivery arm for ACL which generates significant outcomes and measurable impacts against a range of indicators including delivery of basic skills provision Quickly establish the provision baseline in order to set improvement targets. Improve data collection and analysis processes to enable the identification of priority improvement areas and the tracking of outcomes. Influencing Identify and better understand the needs of target groups to remove barriers to participation and tailor support and provision. Ensure that Essex County Council acts as a role model for other employers by undertaking a skills audit of its workforce to identify the skills levels held by staff. Where there are found to be deficits the Council should works with employees to assist them to access the required support. Action needs to be considered in wider ECC learning and development plans for staff (to be funded centrally)

3) Rates of literacy and numeracy at all ages – Strategic Actions (2/2) 44
2. Work in partnership with providers to influence the development of provision and improve quality and availability Lead Commissioner: Peter Cook Desired impact Ensure that English and Maths remain central to the Adult Community Learning (ACL) offer in Essex and consider the development of a five year plan for these subjects, ensuring that at least current levels of provision are maintained Commissioning Provision is maintained and increased to be more aligned to demand Provision targets deficits in basic skills levels and has an impact on raising these Provision meets the needs of diverse groups and the performance of people with SEND and other vulnerabilities is improved Levels of participation are increased particularly in identified target groups Identify and utilise opportunities to obtain additional funding, such as those articulated in the Local Enterprise Partnership(LEP) EU Funding Plan, to support an increase in current levels of English and Maths provision via ACL and other providers Influencing Promote the availability of courses and benefit of participation, working with the Employment and Skills Board (ESB) and employers, the voluntary sector and other partners Ensure that information, support and provision are available for those needing to learn English as a additional language, adults with SEND and other additional needs by working collaboratively with internal and external partners to better determine the needs and current barriers faced by people in such target groups Working through the Essex provider network, develop more diverse ways in which provision can be accessed including the availability of on line courses (Ability of providers to fund face to face courses is likely to reduce in response to reduced SFA funding.)

4) Percentage of young people aged not in education, employment & training – Strategic analysis and insight (1/1) 45 Supporting young people in the continuation of education and into employment and training is crucial in developing and sustaining aspiration and ambition. There is a need to understand our youth unemployment in order that we can put interventions in place and to that end, the number of young people whose activity is unknown is targeted for reduction. This is considered in conjunction with the percentage of young people who are not in education, employment and training (NEET). There have been significant reductions in NEET amongst year olds in Essex: 6.4% in 2011/12 (Nov-Jan), 5.7% in 2012/13 (Nov-Jan), 4.9% in 2013/14 (Nov-Jan), 4.7% in January 2014, with a target of 4% for 2013/14 (Nov-Jan). The focus of activity within this strategy is to maintain this positive trajectory. Considerable progress has also been made to reduce the proportion of young people whose activity is unknown. Unknowns were 6.1% in January 2014 compared to 9.4% at the same time in 2013. However, NEET in some districts (Tendring (6.6%), Basildon(5.6%) & Harlow (5.6%) remain above average. NEET rates amongst vulnerable groups of young people (LDD, care leavers etc.) also remain a concern. Key actions currently underway to reduce NEETs include: Focused tracking of the unknown cohort has reduced the number of unknown destinations from 17.6% Dec 2012 to 7.8% Dec 2013,allowing increased awareness of specific groupings within the NEET cohort and enabling tailored supportive interventions. Early intervention planning to ensure young people identified as in danger of disengagement post 16 are supported, in both pre and post 16 settings. Data sharing agreements in place with all post 16 learning providers, allowing the sharing of individually identified NEET cohorts to appropriate providers, supporting direct marketing of courses relevant to young peoples needs and aspirations. Regular negotiations with providers that might support the large numbers of NEET young people with special educational needs. A target of 1500 NEET young people supported to gain education, training or employment via 1-1 intervention. Holding to account those providers that are in receipt of current SFA/EFA commissioned ESF contracts to address NEET numbers in Essex, ensuring the highest possible impact. Specific targeted sport related projects initiated by Active Essex. More detailed analysis and insight can be accessed in the below slide:

4) Percentage of young people aged 16-19 not in education, employment & training - Issues (1/1) 46
Strategic action 4a There is insufficient early action taken to prevent young people becoming NEET – research by ECC has identified a number of indicators (attendance records, KS3 & 4 achievement etc..) which are linked to the likelihood of a young person becoming NEET after Year 11. There is scope to work more effectively with secondary schools to identify and support these young people at an early stage. Take preventative action prior to age 16 (1) 4b There is insufficiently available quality Careers Education Information Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) for young people. Schools have a statutory duty to secure independent careers guidance for all Year 8-13 pupils, with equivalent requirements for colleges. However, a report by Ofsted showed that while some schools have responded well to the new duty, the majority of schools need to do more to set high expectations for all pupils and provide high quality advice and guidance that motivates them to succeed. Furthermore, careers guidance needs to better reflect the employment opportunities in the local labour market. Work in partnership with to influence the development of provision and improve quality and availability (2) 4c Employability skills are inadequately integrated and embedded within the school curriculum. The UKCES Employers Skills Survey showed that many employers were disappointed with the preparedness of young people entering the job market after leaving education, particularly for those employers taking school leavers at 16. 4d The local skills offer does not sufficiently reflect the needs of local employers or address skills shortages. Feedback from local businesses highlights the skills shortages and recruitment challenges they are experiencing at a time when youth unemployment is high. We need to make sure that our young people are properly equipped for future careers. Whilst many colleges and providers are responding to industry need, there is a clear mismatch between what employers need and the training on offer. 4e Multiple publicly funded initiatives are available that are aimed at reducing NEET. These do not always work cohesively and our ability to influence these initiatives is often limited, meaning that young people in Essex are unable to fully benefit from these opportunities. Transform internal systems and operating models (3) 4f Not all young people, parents and employers understand the statutory requirements for effective participation in education or training of young people until age 18. Though the proportion of young people who are NEET has fallen substantially, there remains a cohort of young people who continue to find it difficult to take up or remain in training or employment. In particular, we need to see further improvements in 16 & 17 year old participation, given the introduction of Raising the Participation Age, which raises the age at which young people leave education. We will also need to build on improvements we have already achieved in terms of tracking the current activity, characteristics and aspirations of year olds living in the area.

4) Percentage of young people aged not in education, employment & training - Strategic Actions (1/3) 1. Take preventative action prior to age Lead Commissioner: Peter Cook Desired impact Work with schools and colleges to ensure early identification of young people at risk of disengagement and becoming NEET: by the promotion and continued development of the LA’s potential disengagement indicator, ‘Achieve’, schools will be able to put into place preventative interventions, and where appropriate ensure the availability of high quality complementary and alternative education programmes, as well as personalised support to re-engage identified young people ensuring they have robust transition arrangements in place. Influencing Commissioning The number of entrants to the NEET category is reduced 2. Work in partnership with to influence the development of provision and improve quality and availability Lead Commissioner: Peter Cook Desired impact Support schools, colleges and training providers to provide high quality CEIAG, which reflects the full range of opportunities available to young people and improves young people's awareness of the opportunities in the local labour market, including: RoQA Labour Market Intelligence (Skills Demand Evidence Base) Priorities stated through the Essex Employment and Skills Board (ESB) Influencing Commissioning Good quality careers advice is available Young people are facilitated to develop high ambitions for themselves Positive relationships are established between stakeholders underpinned by a shared sense of responsibility which supports positive performance in this area Young people are work ready when they leave school and employers have a positive experience of working with young people Skills provision and careers information reflect the needs of employers and the local labour market Provision is targeted to areas of greatest need There are a range of opportunities for young people post 16 and young people are facilitated to effectively engage with these Ensure that schools and colleges are appropriately preparing young people for the world of work by providing, via their CEIAG service, information about the behaviour, attitude and aptitudes desired by employers, for example by the continued promotion of the Employability for Life Charter, both in pre and post 16 settings. Build on progress to date to involve employers in shaping future skills provision and informing CEIAG in Essex, through the Essex Employment and Skills Board; such as the Sector Action Groups and project work ESB - one off £1m funding – activity required to ensure impact is sustainable Ensure all 16 and 17 year-olds are offered a suitable place in education or training, including in schools, colleges or work-based training , as required by the ‘September Guarantee’ Continue to work with Education Funding Agency/Skills Funding Agency (EFA/SFA) and other funding departments to ensure sufficient funding is targeted to areas of identified highest need including influence and direction of European Social Fund (ESF) funding through the South East Local Enterprise Partnership(LEP). Inform and increase the post 16 provider base to ensure a wide variety of post 16 engagement opportunities, aligned to employment and skills needs in the economy, utilising the ESB skills evidence base

4) Percentage of young people aged not in education, employment & training - Strategic Actions (2/3) 2. Work in partnership with to influence the development of provision and improve quality and availability …continued Desired impact Market the benefits of the Employability for Life Charter to employers and post 16 educators to ensure a wider recognition of the award and its benefits to workforce recruitment. Influencing Employability is better embedded into the school curriculum, supported by employers Young people are provided with information about and are encouraged to consider working in identified growth industries and areas of skills deficits Provision meets the needs of diverse groups and assists with the achievement of improved outcomes for these groups The quality and effectiveness of provision is improved Develop and further expand the ‘Education and Industry (STEM in Schools) Programme’ ensuring that good practice examples are widely disseminated and more young people can benefit from the programme Commissioning Ensure that provision meets the needs of those with SEND and other identified target groups SFA Funding Ensure that all providers operating within the market are of good quality and delivering identified outcomes, by maintaining close links with, and influencing funding agencies to consider the local authority’s ambitions to achieve sustainable progression, in their methodology and frameworks used to determine quality of provision.

4) Percentage of young people aged not in education, employment & training - Strategic Actions (3/3) 3. Transform internal systems and operating models Lead Commissioner: Peter Cook Desired impact Continue to improve data collection systems to ensure a comprehensive understanding of all young people’s destinations 16-19, thus ensuring better identification of different cohorts of young people (geographically, by age, by demographic) and improved review of outcomes and of the impact of any interventions. Use this analysis to enhance future service planning, intervention and resource targeting. Commissioning Influencing We have a more detailed and comprehensive understanding of particular issues for specific cohorts and can tailor provision and activity in response There is effective oversight and monitoring of provision so that further development of the market is informed by an understanding of what works Better coordination and use of data is developed at a individual in addition to strategic level – a comprehensive understanding is developed of each young person and provision is better targeted to their specific needs as a result By reducing levels of unknowns we continue to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the destinations of our young people and ensure that those who are potentially most vulnerable are identified and provided with appropriate support Establish improved data sharing protocols between ECC and external partners and services internal to ECC to ensure that a comprehensive picture can be established of a young person and those services involved with them to ensure that provision can be coordinated and goals aligned (see indicators 1 and 2) Reduce the number and % of young people whose current activity is unknown to us (termed as ‘unknowns’)

5) Percentage of adults participating in lifelong learning - Strategic analysis and insight (1/1) 50
Participating in adult learning is found to have significant positive effects on individual health, employability, social relationships, and the likelihood of participating in voluntary work. In turn these four domains have positive impacts on individual well-being (Report by the London School of Economics and Political Science) Using the latest methods as recommended in recent HM Treasury Green Book guidance (Fujiwara and Campbell, 2011), it is possible to place a value on these positive impacts. This study finds that, for adults, participating in a part-time course leads to: • improvements in health, which has a value of £148 to the individual; • a greater likelihood of finding a job and/or staying in a job, which has a value of £231 to the individual; • better social relationships, which has a value of £658 to the individual; and • a greater likelihood that people volunteer on a regular basis, which has a value of £130 to the individual The impact of adult learning on child poverty is well documented, although net returns are harder to come by. The Public Value paper by NIACE concluded the impact of learning on employment possibilities is a key area for poverty, as is adult education with provision of financial literacy and support to access public funds which can fill the gap in financial services for low-income, disadvantaged families. In addition, benefits of participation could be felt in relation to feelings of social isolation (particularly amongst the elderly), vulnerable groups, including unemployed and those with disabilities. It could also see impact in parent/child relationships and the knock on effect on children’s learning if their parent participates. Significant impact of participation on health would be expected and requires further exploration. Lifelong learning is defined as voluntary learning which may be accredited or unaccredited undertaken for either personal or professional reasons but outside of formal FE or HE qualifications, which is addressed in indicator 7. It should be noted that volunteering (as covered in indicator 8) could also be classed as lifelong learning . Within the context of this indicator, it is the level of engagement in voluntary learning and the perceptions of Essex residents of the social and economic value it has, that are considered. The ‘hard’ numerical data in relation to formal higher education, further education and vocational qualifications will be considered in the context of the ‘Percentage of people participating in further education/higher education/vocational learning’ indicator. It is important that we are aware of what benefits people identify from their engagement and any barriers that they may identify to engaging more. We recognise that participation in lifelong learning is and should be principally a voluntary decision and even residents who have high ambitions and aspirations may not wish to participate or may not identify the activities they do engage in as lifelong learning. We do not therefore view it as a high priority indicator. At present there is limited perception data available and in view of the priority attached to the indicator and the difficulty in obtaining a comprehensive or accurate picture we do not advocate spending significant funds on seeking to address this. We do intend however to include questions in relation to this in the quarterly Essex Residents survey going forward. More detailed analysis and insight can be accessed in the below slide:

5) Percentage of adults participating in lifelong learning - Issues (1/1) 51
No. Issue Strategic action 5a We do not have the data available to properly understand the issues – we cannot currently efficiently capture information about levels of participation across the full range of potential opportunities or track the impact of this participation on outcomes; we do not have a clearly defined or commonly held definition of ‘lifelong learning’ or a clear understanding of the cross over between this indicator and other indicators Transform internal systems and operating models (1) 5b We do not clearly understand what barriers exist to participation and how we can overcome these – we have not yet fully engaged with our residents to identify what, if any, barriers they feel exist to prevent their engagement. Where we are aware of potential barriers – for example lack of information or perceived benefit, lack of childcare , unaffordability etc., we are yet to establish comprehensive measures for overcoming these Identify barriers and work with providers to promote access (2) 5c We have not fully articulated the benefits of participating in lifelong learning across a range of domains – there has not been an effective communications strategy to promote the wide benefits of engaging in life long learning – not just economically but also in terms of health and wellbeing. This would provide a good basis for encouraging residents to engage. We also have not effectively shared information about this with other partners such as health providers who could encourage participation amongst those they work with. 5d Significant reductions in Skills Funding Agency (SFA) funding are due in 14/15 – this means that a significant number of previously funded courses will no longer be eligible for public funding. This will reduce the offer of provision available to learners and learners will have to find funding themselves, through loans or through their employers to undertake certain qualifications . This has implications for the service which can be delivered by Essex Adult Community Learning. 5e Perception is that the opportunities for access are underdeveloped – it is anticipated that the ways in which people can access lifelong learning need expansion and we have not yet fully exploited the potential of the voluntary and community sector to deliver provision and provide community capacity building and volunteering programmes. We do not have a good understanding of the quality of existing providers nor the full offer and therefore what improvement is required or the types of provision which are most effective. Work with the market to develop the quality and diversity of provision (3) 5f Difficult choices need to be made in developing provision to ensure that while it reflects the needs of employers and the imperative to raise residents’ skills levels, we also recognise the value of recreational learning – ensuring provision across the wide spectrum of different types of learning becomes more difficult as our resources are reduced. We need to prioritise what we do and exploit other options for delivering what we cannot.

5) Percentage of adults participating in lifelong learning – Strategic Actions (1/2) 52
1. Transform internal systems and operating models ** Lead Commissioner: Peter Cook Desired impact Review and transform the commissioning and delivery of ECC Adult Community Learning delivery arm to ensure it is able to operate effectively and continue to deliver outcomes in light of reducing funding (including SFA). Ensure that the revised offer provides against four key priorities: basic skills (English and Maths), employer led provision , community learning and social inclusion. Utilise the revised model to ensure that adult community learning is delivering against a range of social goods and driving improved performance against others indicators with this and other commissioning strategies. Commissioning Further work is also ongoing to reduce costs following announcement of SFA funding reductions We have a fit for purpose delivery arm for ACL which generates significant outcomes and measurable impacts against a range of indicators Our activities in this area are informed by a better understanding of the data and are as a result more effectively targeted and likely to lead to increased impact There is a shared and clear definition of what lifelong learning is Develop the collection of data in respect of participation in lifelong learning to establish a more accurate picture of engagement and its impact, including: the types of opportunities which people are engaged with, the outcomes achieved from this engagement and any barriers which may exist; define as part of this what we mean by ‘lifelong learning’ . Use the outcomes of this data collection and analysis to inform future service planning and the targeting of resources.

5) Percentage of adults participating in lifelong learning – Strategic Actions (2/2) 53
2. Identify barriers and work with providers to promote access Lead Commissioner: Peter Cook Desired impacts Ensure that residents are able to access high quality careers information, advice and guidance about the availability of opportunities to participate in lifelong learning and including promoting the variety of benefits this can have across a number of domains, particularly within areas of high deprivation, unemployment and other socio-economic issues Influencing The level of actual and perceived barriers to participation are reduced There is an increased and more widely held understanding of the benefits or participation Partners are better engaged in promoting access Residents are easily able to access comprehensive information which encourages and facilitates their engagement Activity is targeted to areas of lowest engagement Encourage the development of and promote information about high quality childcare, and provision for those with other caring responsibilities, to enable parents and carers to participate. Promote access to learning support funds / bursaries to assist with costs where appropriate Commissioning Work with partners and residents to identify additional sources of funding for courses, particularly those which cannot (or will no longer be) covered by Skills Funding Agency (SFA) funding, such as European Social Fund (ESF) funding Work with internal and external partners to share information on the benefits of participation in lifelong learning and the availability of provision to ensure wide understanding and communications 3. Work with the market to develop the quality and diversity of provision Lead Commissioner: Peter Cook Desired impact Ensure the availability of a wide variety of opportunities (both formal and informal) to participate in lifelong learning across the full spectrum (from the development of skills and employability to recreational learning). Encourage partners, including those in the voluntary and community sector to fill gaps in provision. Ensure those we work with to do this are fully supported and appropriately partnered with the education and training sector Influencing Commissioning The opportunities to participate in lifelong learning are increased The quality of opportunities is improved The widening of diversity of opportunities means provision is able to meet a more diverse range of needs Social and economic impacts are realised and to some degree measured Ensure that the provision is available to and meets the needs of all residents including those with SEND and other vulnerable groups Work with Providers engaged in the delivery of lifelong learning opportunities to ensure they are of high quality and are contributing to the development of required outcomes; build capacity within the market to deliver new and increased opportunities, if required

6) Percentage of working age people in employment – Strategic analysis and insight (1/1) 54
High levels of employment are both an indication of good outcomes in terms of people achieving their aspirations and ambitions and an enabler in supporting individuals to continue a path of life long learning. The employment rate for December 2012 (73.9%) showed a continued trend of improvement since It was slightly down on the East of England region (74.6%), but compared relatively well to Kent who are seeing employment rates continuing to fall . The Essex figure was also greater than the national rate (70.9%). It is likely that the number of jobs will not reach the pre-2009 peak employment of 678,000 until at least and probably later. The unemployment rate also increased in Essex in 2012 (7.2) compared to 2011 (6.7) reversing the improving picture identified between 2010 (7.3) and 2011 and bringing the unemployment rate back to just below 2010 levels. By contrast, East of England authorities showed general improvement in 2012, compared to a period of decline in Overall, whilst there may have been some year on year variation in results the East of England picture suggests that unemployment rates in general are back in line with Nationally 2012 rates (8.0) were higher than 2010 (7.8) although down slightly on 2011 (8.1). Between July 2012 and June 2013 Harlow (9.8%), Tendring (9%) and Basildon (8.9%) had the highest unemployment rates of all the Essex districts. Unemployment hotspots in parts of the county are also worst affected by youth unemployment. The highest unemployment rate in Essex for Jul 2012 to Jun 2013 was for the age group 16 to 19 years (29.2%). This was not significantly different from the East of England and England rates. Nearly 8, year olds in Essex are claiming Job Seekers Allowance as of May an increase of 12% since the same time last year. A further 6,720 are claiming other out of work benefits. The figure quoted (based on ONS statistics) show almost a third of year olds (29.2%) in Essex are unemployed. However, this is much greater than current levels of NEET (young people not in education, employment or training, currently at 4.7%) or Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) claimants (4.7% for year olds). The number of unemployed young people as a percentage of the total number of year olds is notably lower at 16%. This is still higher than the NEET or JSA figures. However, the way that the statistics are calculated means that young people who are in education could also be counted as unemployed if they are looking for work (part time/evenings/weekends) to supplement their income. These young people would not be classed at NEET as they are already engaged in learning, but would be counted as unemployed in the ONS figures. The actual number of unemployed in Essex increased significantly from 2011 (46,900) to 2012 (51,300),recording the highest level for many years. Linked to the modest rate of economic growth in recent years there has been relatively slow growth in the number of jobs in Essex. Key locations for growth are Basildon, Braintree, Chelmsford, Colchester and Harlow. Key sectors are advanced manufacturing; low carbon and renewables; logistics; life sciences and healthcare; digital, culture and creative. More detailed analysis and insight can be accessed in the below slide:

6) Percentage of working age people in employment – Issues (1/1) 55
No. Issue Strategic action 6a The levels of youth unemployment remain too high – too many young people are still unemployed in Essex which impacts on overall employment rates Decrease levels of youth unemployment (2) 6b Opportunities for employment in Essex need to be increased – too few new businesses are locating in Essex and the expansion of existing businesses needs to be better encouraged and supported. Employers do not always support local employment by seeing the benefits of employing local workforces. Further work is required to put the right conditions in place to enable businesses in Essex to be strong and productive, to innovate and grow. Our understanding of the areas in Essex which are in most need for investment and expansion of employment opportunities needs to be used to inform the work we do. Work with the market to develop the quality and range of provision to assist people with entering employment (1) Develop the conditions in Essex for the growth of businesses (3) 6c Workers and those seeking work do not always have the skills desired by employers - our workforce does not excel in the skills which are sought by businesses in Essex which mean employers can look elsewhere when recruiting. Employers are not confident that the education and training institutions in Essex are producing employees with the skills they need. 6d Levels of unemployment are too high in hard to reach groups, particularly those with particular needs such as SEN – opportunities are lacking for those with particular needs to be supported into and in employment, employers are not always confident and willing to provide these opportunities or the types of training and support that are needed. 6e Multiple publicly funded initiatives are available that are aimed at reducing unemployment – these do not always work cohesively and our ability to influence these initiatives is often limited, meaning that people in Essex are unable to fully benefit form these opportunities

6) Percentage of working age people in employment – Strategic Actions (1/2) 56
1. Work with the market to develop the quality and range of provision to assist people with entering employment Lead Commissioners: Peter Cook and Place Commissioners Desired impact Continue to support the Employment and Skills Board (bringing together employers, education and skills providers and LAs) to ensure that available provision is geared towards addressing skills gaps and reducing NEET and unemployment figures. Influencing One off £1m funding - activity required to ensure impact is sustainable There are a variety of training and similar opportunities available to support people entering employment These opportunities are targeted to meet the needs of employers, particularly in key growth areas There is a good and widely held understanding of what these growth areas are Opportunities meet the needs of cohorts with particular needs High quality and skilled young people are attracted to work in Essex and contribute to the development of our economy Produce and analyse on an on-going basis the Evidence Base for Skills to identify the skills needs of local employers and the future growth areas of employment; ensure that this intelligence leads into the development of the Skills Investment Fund and influences all commissioning decisions including those for the use of European Social Fund (ESF) and Local Enterprise Partnership(LEP) local growth fund Commissioning Identify best practice employer led delivery models and support Essex employers and Providers to ensure employers are systematically involved in the skills system and delivery of provision, resulting in residents being equipped with skills needed in the economy Create new or expanded vocational training facilities in Essex that service the needs of our key industry sectors, e.g. University Technical College for medical technologies in Harlow and through Skills Funding Agency (SFA) capital funding under the auspices of the South East LEP. Develop the role of the VCS in improving learning and employment outcomes for its clients including commissioning mentoring & face to face support for those facing multiple barriers to employment in areas of high worklessness. Develop improved links between employers and higher education providers in Essex to develop higher levels skills in graduates and increase levels of graduate employment, including encouraging graduates studying in Essex to stay in the county following graduation See Economic Growth Strategy for details Build strong partnerships of employers, providers, VCS and other stakeholder to align and better target the number of national and local initiatives that are targeted at unemployment. Do so through the work of the Employment and Skills Board, underpinned with a clear understanding of the needs of the target group Ensure young people have access to skilled youth workers to support them in making appropriate careers choices.

6) Percentage of working age people in employment – Strategic Actions (2/2) 57
2. Decrease levels of youth unemployment Lead Commissioner: Peter Cook Desired impact Implementation of actions aimed at reducing levels of young people who are unemployed ( see indicators 4, 5 and 7) See indicator 4, 5 and 7 Levels of youth employment decrease 3. Develop the conditions in Essex for the growth of businesses Lead Commissioner: Place Commissioners Desired impact See actions within Economic Growth Strategy See Economic Growth Strategy The Essex economy is strong Businesses are supported to develop and provide increased employment opportunities

7) Percentage of people participating in further education/higher education/vocational learning – Strategic analysis and insight (1/1) There are benefits to people being engaged in some form of higher learning both for our economy and the individuals themselves. For this reason it is important to encourage more people to enter further / higher or vocational learning. It is important to understand what types of learning people are engaged in, at what level and what the outcomes are in terms of qualifications achieved and what might be the barriers to people participating more. There are a number of cross overs between this indicator and those on literacy and numeracy, participation in lifelong learning and NEET. Issues connected with addressing higher level skills gaps in our workforce are also covered under the indicator related to working age people in employment. Further, higher education and vocational training are currently delivered by multiple providers funded by different government departments (Department for Education, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and Department for Work and Pensions). Funding is largely delivered directly to training providers, who are charged with delivering qualifications to learners and responding to business needs. This environment can be confusing to navigate for both employers and learners and there are difficulties in obtaining a comprehensive picture of outcomes. A key concern alongside increasing the numbers who engage in further / higher education and vocational training is ensuring that the post-16 education provision and the targeting of that provision is aligned to the needs of businesses and employers. Currently there are concerns that this is not the case and that the education accessed does not always prepare young people for work generally or prepare and encourage them to work in areas where there are skills gaps. The Whole Essex Community Budgets Skills for Life proposals promote a programme of activity which seeks to address this and to ensure that employers and businesses are fully involved in the development of provision. The influence of the local authority in this area and in influencing the decisions of residents to engage (particularly in respect of higher education) can be limited and as such this is not identified as a high priority indicator. The age at which young people are required to continue in education and training has been raised nationally to 18. This applied from September 2013 to those aged 16 and will apply from September 2015 to those aged 17. Young people will be required to stay in either full-time education, an apprenticeship, or full-time employment or volunteering, combined with part-time education or training. Accompanying these changes new study programmes have been introduced from September 2013 to increase the options for these young people to gain the skills and qualifications that lead to sustainable jobs and ensure that fewer are not in education, employment or training (NEET). This programme of work includes: reforming A-level qualifications; improving the quality of apprenticeships and introducing new traineeships to help young people prepare of these; reforming vocational qualifications; holding providers to better account of outcomes; introducing a new funding system. More detailed analysis and insight can be accessed in the below slide:

7) Percentage of people participating in further education/higher education/vocational learning – Issues (1/1) No Issue Strategic action 7a The available data does not currently provide us with a clear picture of engagement, issues or outcomes – This is a particular issue in respect of provision which is not accessed using public funding. We therefore do not have a clear picture of participation / skills at different levels and how this impacts on employment. Transform internal systems and operating models (1) 7b Vocational learning is often perceived as an inferior route to academic learning –This is a national system wide issue, particularly in relation to learning undertaken post 16. More work needs to be done with residents and employers to increase their awareness and understanding of the value that vocational learning can have. Diversity of provision is too limited and not well aligned to sectors with high growth potential (such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) industries) or skills shortage areas. Identify and work with the market to remove barriers to participation (3) Work with the market to develop the quality and diversity of provision (4) 7c The levels of continued participation of young people in education and training needs to be increased to deliver against national policy of Raising the Participation Age as does their engagement with youth services – via actions aimed at addressing the NEET (see indicator 4). See indicator 4 7d The level of appropriate higher level skills held by residents is insufficient to meet the needs of businesses – this impacts on the employability and progression of our residents and our ability to attract and develop certain industries. This applies not only to increasing those participating in university education but also to increasing higher level vocational / technical pathways and training in the workplace. 7e The range of provision and appropriateness of it for the needs of the economy are underdeveloped in the market – provision is not always appropriately targeted to areas of need in terms of particular cohorts or geographical areas or sufficiently developed in partnership with local industries and employers 7f There are a range of barriers which prevent residents accessing education, in particular funding – there is a reducing amount of public money available to residents to fund their engagement in further / higher education and training post 19. This will reduce the offer of provision available to learners and learners will have to fund themselves, access loans or look to their employer to undertake qualifications. Other barriers exist such as the availability of cost effective and flexible childcare and employer perception of the benefits of formal workforce development.

7) Percentage of people participating in further education/higher education/vocational learning – Strategic Actions (1/2) 1. Transform internal systems and operating models Lead Commissioner: Peter Cook Desired impact Transform delivery of Adult Community Learning function (see indicator 5) Commissioning Further work is also ongoing to reduce costs following announcement of SFA funding reductions We have a revised ACL delivery arm which delivers a high quality further education offer within a reduced resource envelopment while contributing to delivery of a range of outcomes across the commissioning strategies. We better understand the particular concerns and issues in respect of this indicator and where change most required The development of provision is informed by an understanding of what works The development provision is targeted to areas of most need Improve our data collection function in respect of this indicator to establish a more accurate and comprehensive picture of the percentage of people participating and the tracking of outcomes in respect of this participation. Ensure that this includes being able to analyse information to identify particular cohorts of residents, for example those with SEND or in particular geographical areas, which have lower levels of participation in order to inform the targeting of provision and support Influencing Costs and requirements to be scoped. Build on and develop our systems for tracking into employment those who are participating in our provision and that of other providers. 2. Implement actions to encourage the participation of young people Lead Commissioner: Peter Cook Desired impact Implementation of actions aimed at reducing levels of NEET ( see indicator 5) see indicator 5 Levels of young people engaged in further education are increased

7) Percentage of people participating in further education/higher education/vocational learning – Strategic Actions (1/2) 3. Identify and work with the market to remove barriers to participation Lead Commissioner: Peter Cook Desired impact Work with employers and residents to promote the benefits of higher level skills development from both a social and economic perspective, and encourage them to enable access to further / higher education and vocation training Influencing There is increased engagement of residents There is increased satisfaction by employers of local recruitment and skills The actual or perceived barriers to participating are reduced Residents feel well informed about the available opportunities and support to participate Employers have easy access to information about the local training offer and funding support and mechanisms through which they can drive new provision Local, national and LEP funding is utilised to address identified barriers Ensure that there are easily accessible sources of information for residents including high quality careers advice, information and guidance about where and how they can access provision and including in respect of funding, working with and in addition to the National Careers Service Commissioning Ensure there are easily accessible sources of information for employers including high quality information and guidance about where and how they can source training and including access to funding – through the Employment and Skills Board and Local Enterprise Partnership Employer Portal (in development) Understand the barriers which residents may be experiencing in respect of participation, for example funding, time and caring responsibilities and work with partners to determine if and how they can be overcome (see action under indicator 5) Work with partners and residents to identify additional sources of funding for training, particularly those which cannot (or will no longer) be covered by Skills Funding Agency funding; this includes encouraging employers to fund vocational training and the option of the Government’s 24+ advance loan offer where appropriate 4. Work with the market to develop the quality and diversity of provision Lead Commissioner: Peter Cook Desired impact Further develop the relationship between employers and education providers to ensure that provision, particularly vocational provision, reflects the skills needed by employers and is geared towards the development of employability Influencing The quality and perceptions of provision are increased resulting in increased engagement of residents Employers are fully engaged in the development of provision Create new or expanded vocational training facilities in Essex that service the needs of our key industry sectors (and/or fulfil a more generic business need). Encourage the involvement of industries in the development of these facilities, the provision of funding and where appropriate, delivery. Commissioning Ensure, working in partnership with appropriate governance and monitoring bodies, that all providers operating in the sector are providing high quality provision which is leading to identified outcomes including a broader and increased offer at advanced and higher levels, particularly for key sectors (see indicator 4) Ensure that young people have access to good quality youth work

8) Rates of volunteering – Strategic analysis and insight (1/2) 62
Volunteering is defined as any activity that involves spending time, unpaid, doing something that aims to benefit the environment or someone (individuals or groups) other than close relatives and from which you have yourself have also benefitted. Volunteering is identified as important activity in which the authority should take an interest due to the multiple benefits it can have for people in terms of their development of skills, the impact of this on their employability, their health and wellbeing. Volunteers also bring a variety of benefits to the people and communities they work with and through this can support the achievement of outcomes such as supporting people to be independent. The indicator has been situated within the Education and Lifelong Learning outcome because of the impact of volunteering on skills development and employability and also because it is a form of lifelong learning, this should not however narrowly define the interest the council has in volunteering. While it is important that we understand the number of people who volunteer, what benefits they get from this, the numbers of opportunities available to volunteer and the barriers which prevent people from volunteering so that we can influence the development of volunteering activity, the Council also recognises that our role in this area is primarily to influence and facilitate organisations using volunteers rather than to directly engage in the market. Volunteering thrives in strong, active civil societies and these primarily need to be allowed to develop without extensive involvement for the Council and others. The Council does however recognise that it can now use its role as a commissioner to strengthen its influencing activity. There is potential for the Council to achieve savings should appropriate decisions be made as part of the commissioning cycle about using volunteers to deliver services; decisions should not just be made driven by cost savings but on a full analysis, as directed by the Social Value Act, about the best way of achieving desired ends . While attempts are made to capture data in respect of rates of volunteering we recognise that we are unlikely to ever gain an accurate understanding of this particularly as many volunteers would never actually define themselves as such. We therefore believe that actions should primarily be focused on ensuring we are supporting and facilitating activity especially in high priority areas rather than trying to capture data in respect of this. The following sides do not capture the extent of strategic actions related to volunteering as these can be found throughout the commissioning strategies.

8) Rates of volunteering – Strategic analysis and insight (2/2) 63
At present, information is primarily captured through the Essex Resident’s Survey. In 2013, 21% of people stated that they regularly volunteer, as compared to 27% in 2011/12 and 23% in 2009/2010. Residents are most likely to say they are a regular volunteer in Uttlesford (30%), but the figure is only half as high in Harlow and Castle Point (14% in both cases). The figure is also greater among older people (23% of those aged 55+ compared with 14% of year olds). Across other demographic sub-groups, the level of regular voluntary work is greater among wealthier groups such as owner-occupiers (22% vs. 13% of social tenants) and those who get by comfortably (26% vs. 16% of those who cannot meet basic expenses). It is also greater among residents who provide unpaid care for others (28% vs. 18% of non-carers). Regular voluntary work also corresponds with positive attitudes to the local area and a higher level of civic engagement. It is greater among those who are satisfied with the local area (22% vs. 14% of residents who are dissatisfied with it) and who feel they belong to it (24% vs. 15% of those who do not). Similarly, it is greater among people who agree they can influence decisions (27% vs. 20% of those who disagree) or who are interested in how they can support their community (27% vs. 15% of those not interested). In 2013, 42% of people responding to the Essex Residents survey stated that they would be interested in getting more involved in helping to improve their local economy. This is a slight decrease on 45% in 2011/12. There are few differences across the county, except that interest in getting involved in improving their local community is greatest in Brentwood (50%) and lowest in Harlow (35%). Interest also declines sharply with age; it is over twice as high among young people aged as it is among those aged 65+ (56% vs. 26%). Across other sub-groups, private sector tenants show more interest in getting involved, especially compared with social tenants (55% vs. 38%), as do BME residents compared with White residents (72% vs. 41%). Family structure is also a factor; residents with children in their household are more interested in what they can do to help (52% vs. 38% of those without resident children). Interest in greater involvement with the community corresponds with more positive attitudes to the local area and higher levels of civic activism. Residents are more interested if they agree that people of different backgrounds get on well locally (46% vs. 42% overall) and if they agree they can influence decisions (48% vs. 42% of those who disagree). Interest is also greater among those who have done regular voluntary work in the last year (56% vs. 38% of those have done none). Essex residents are evenly split in their level of interest in supporting their local community. Two in five (42%) are at least fairly interested in this, but slightly more are not (45%). Interest in getting more involved has fallen somewhat since 2011/12 (down from 45%). There is a large cohort of volunteers engaged by Active Essex through the 2012 Essex Ambassadors and the subsequent Sportmaker programmes (over 600 adults). This cohort has been augmented by the present Join Initiative and those currently registered as Tour de France volunteers. These programmes are being drawn together by Active Essex to facilitate a viable volunteering network. Currently 19.2% of volunteers do so in sport. The estimated wider economic value attributed to sports volunteering is approximately £97m, to health £432m and wider spending (including sport-related tourism) approximately £108m. The total number of sport-related jobs is estimated to be 11,035 More detailed analysis and insight can be accessed in the below slide:

8) Rates of volunteering – Issues (1/1) 64
No Issue Strategic action 1a There are difficulties in gaining a strategic oversight of volunteering both within Essex County Council and Essex generally – this makes it difficult to develop a clear picture of the volunteering opportunities which are available and the value being obtained from these. Our efforts are not always coordinated and there can be duplication Adopt a corporate champion role in respect of volunteering (1) 1b The definition used for volunteering is very wide and there are no systems which would enable us to capture a full picture of the rates of activity – we do not currently have reliable systems in place for capturing an accurate picture of those who volunteer and in what capacity. A lot of volunteering activity is currently invisible; people either do not recognise themselves as volunteers or organisations work in isolation without recording or reporting their information. We recognise that addressing this issue is not as important as ensuring that provision is available and residents are aware of it and how it can be accessed. 1c There are a variety of actual or perceived barriers to volunteering – for example, time, money, safeguarding, caring responsibilities, unemployment status etc.. We do not however have first hand knowledge from our residents about what are their key concerns or how they feel they could be overcome. People do not recognise the skills, experiences, qualities etc. that that they can offer as volunteers and this in itself presents a barrier as they do not put themselves forward for opportunities. Facilitate residents’ engagement in volunteering (2) 1d Information about where people can volunteer and how to do this is disparate and not always easily accessible - information is available however it is spread across a number of sources and mainly online, people cannot therefore always easily become aware of the full range of opportunities that are on offer and how they can get involved 1e Employers do not always well facilitate their employees becoming volunteers – this presents a barrier. Employers do not appreciate the positive benefits their employees volunteering can have on their skills levels and general wellbeing. 1f More volunteering opportunities could be accredited – this may attract more people to participate especially if opportunities were targeted towards the unemployed and those with skills deficits as a pathway into employment. Expand on the potential of volunteering to aid skills development and increase employability (3) 1g There is insufficient support available for those who volunteer – people who volunteer will not continue to do so if they feel unsupported or ill-equipped. Peer to peer support mechanisms, volunteer networks, buddy systems, mentors etc. are underdeveloped and volunteers are not always provided with or supported to access the necessary training. 1h The possibilities of using volunteers to deliver services or enabling local areas to determine for themselves how to meet an identified need are not always fully and properly considered through the commissioning cycle – this needs to be embedded as a key consideration in corporate commissioning.

8) Rates of volunteering – Strategic Actions (1/2) 65
Corporate / cross cutting activity: Adopt a corporate champion role in respect of volunteering Lead Commissioner: (TBC) Desired impact Establish, in conjunction with partners, an event to recognise and reward the contribution of volunteers across Essex to reoccur on a regular basis (This work will be taken forward under Who Will Care) Commissioning There is a range of easily accessible positive examples and information about volunteering which promotes its benefits Quality participation in volunteering both as a provider and volunteer is publically rewarded which increased commitment to further participation and encourages new volunteers ECC uses its influence as a procurer of services to promote volunteering where ever possible Action taken in respect of working with the Voluntary and Community Sector is coordinated and occurs within an agreed framework Essex County Council acts as role model employer in respect of its commitment to and promotion of volunteering; the volunteering capacity amongst Essex staff is better directed towards areas of need Identify and promote a number of positive examples of volunteering both in terms of volunteers and employers who support the volunteering of their employees, this should include identifying the benefits of volunteering to the individual and the organisations Influencing Communications Consider the potential for developing a volunteering quality mark to both recognise employers who effectively support the participation of their employees as volunteers and organisations who offer quality support to people who volunteer for them Consider in conjunction with ECC Commercial Services how volunteering can be promoted through the ECC procurement process linked to the Corporate Social Responsibilities of the those firms with which ECC trades, including whether those companies contracted by ECC to provide HR, recruitment and disclosure services could provide free of charge services in respect of the recruitment of volunteers to deliver ECC provision Actively consider the potential of delivering services through volunteers as part of the decision making process in respect of the commissioning of new services, decommissioning or changing of existing services Anticipated savings yet to be identified Ensure that Essex County Council has fully embedded a commitment to volunteering as part of its way of working. Review as part of this the use currently made of the allocated two volunteering days currently afforded to employees to identify how and in what areas these are being used and whether the use of these days could be aligned to identified priorities. Undertake engagement activity with employees to identify potential barriers and role model volunteers who can widely promoted. Influence through this activity the work of partner organisations who have made similar commitments Complete and promote the Voluntary Sector Framework document incorporating the Voluntary Sector Compact to guide future commissioning decisions within the VCS and ensure a more coordinated approach

8) Rates of volunteering – Strategic Actions (2/2) 66
Corporate / cross cutting activity: 2. Facilitate residents’ engagement in volunteering Lead Commissioner: (TBC) Desired impact Work with partners, volunteer centres and organisations using volunteers to promote the development of peer to peer support networks and to ensure that volunteers have access to appropriate training; consider the development of shared and centrally coordinated training Influencing Commissioning Better and more easily accessible information about volunteering is available Real or perceived barriers to volunteering are identified and reduced Volunteers are well supported as volunteers and increase their skill levels as a result Influence organisations offering volunteer opportunities to consider how these could be made more flexible, for example through being offered at different times and frequencies Education and Lifelong Learning activity: 3. Expand on the potential of volunteering to aid skills development and increase employability Lead Commissioner: Peter Cook, Mike O’Brien Desired impact Work with partners and the community to increase the numbers of recorded volunteering opportunities available to young people, including, for example, the National Citizen Scheme and Princes Trust Accredited Programme Influencing Commissioning The overall number of opportunities to volunteer is increased The development of opportunities is targeted towards cohorts with specific needs (which positively impacts on performance against other indicators) Increased levels of young people are engaged in volunteering and benefit from this – the level of available volunteers is increased benefitting organisations which use them Expand on the opportunities to volunteer as a route to employment, particularly focused on the active inclusion of disadvantaged and vulnerable people (ensure clear information is available about volunteering while in receipt of benefits). This includes expanding on the availability of accredited opportunities (link to indicators 3, 7,5 ). See activity under NEET indicator. Influence schools, colleges and universities to ensure the active promotion of the benefits of volunteering to learners and encourage the expansion of the range of volunteering activities in which learners are encouraged to become involved. Identify the levels of participation in volunteering amongst different equality groups, including those who are economically and socially deprived. Identify as part of this whether there are any specific barriers which need to be addressed for different groups and where the development of provision may need to be targeted.

Risks and Mitigations (1/2) 67
Risk No. Details of Risk Event Cause / Triggers Impact / Consequences Review period Current Assessment of Risk Risk Owner Mitigation Approach Mitigating Actions / Controls Control Owner Controlled Assessment of Risk Current controls in place Treat Tolerate Transfer Terminate With ALL controls in place Impact Likelihood Risk Rating 1 Lack of available resource s to deliver strategy either as a result of strategy not being adequately costed or due to reductions in funding streams Reduction in grants provided to ECC, in particular ESG and SFA Less services being provided to schools which could impact on the ability to achieve desired curve to turn 3 3 9 Tim Coulson Treat Ensure actions to transform services to and for schools and other internal transformation activity achieves planned savings and further reviews are undertaken as a result of future reductions 2 4 The costing of individual actions not being undertaken, this will be carried out during the planning phase of the strategy but may impact on delivery to time lag and budget setting Reduced adult learning courses available which impacts on improved rates of literacy and numeracy 2 Changes to legislative / regulatory / policy framework impact on ability to achieve previously identified actions or targets / mean identified baselines become incomparable / bring in new requirements requiring prioritisation Changes to the Ofsted framework and the impact on inspection outcomes are likely to continue. If these changes result in less schools receiving good and outstanding judgements or those with them currently receiving less favourable judgements this will impact on the identified curve to turn. Target of 100% of schools to reach good or outstanding becomes unachievable Changes to GCSE and A levels could impact in attainment levels and mean data becomes incomparable which could impact on the desired curve 3 Tim Coulson Treat Ensure clear strategic approach is in place which incorporates any legislative changes Review impact of actions and curve to turn in light of any changes and identify actions to mitigate 1 2 Changes to GCSE and A levels

Risks and Mitigations (2/2) 68
Risk No. Details of Risk Event Cause / Triggers Impact / Consequences Review period Current Assessment of Risk Risk Owner Mitigation Approach Mitigating Actions / Controls Control Owner Controlled Assessment of Risk Current controls in place Treat Tolerate Transfer Terminate With ALL controls in place Impact Likelihood Risk Rating 3 Lack of direct influence over actions / Inability to influence the market / other stakeholders in manner required to implement required changes A reducing role for the LA in support to and for schools may impact on ability to influence and drive positive change. This is particularly the case for those schools converting to academies. A reduced ability to influence and provide intervention may result in the target increase in the number of schools reaching/maintaining good or outstanding not being met 2 2 4 Tim Coulson Treat Continue to undertake influencing activity and work closely with partners Regularly review impact of activity Where activity is not having the desired impact ensure mitigating actions are in place 1 Failure to deliver against any part of the strategy results in reputation risk Reduced resources and reducing role of LA in school improvement could lead to reputational damage if the number of good quality schools does not increase. A reduction in any services such as adult and community learning could result in reputational damage Reputational damage to ECC Tim Coulson Ensure evidenced based commissioning activity creates sustainable change in the system which will reduce the impact of reduced resources Ensure clear communication channels with customers so that the changing role of the LA is understood and consultation is undertaken where necessary. 1 5 Changes in leadership at local and national level operationally / strategically / politically cause change in strategic direction and identified actions Internal leadership changes and a potential change of political leadership nationally due to elections A change in leadership internally could cause delays to work that has already started to transform services National change could impact on the levels of funding provided through grants and further reduce activity provided by or commissioned by the LA 9 Tim Couslon Ensure plans are in place to ensure continuity in relation to local changes Ensure that the strategy and associated actions are reviewed in light of any changes and mitigating actions are put in place including reducing activity as a result , this may also include further innovative commissioning activity and work with partners

This report has been prepared by
Essex County Council’s Place/People Commissioning and STC functions Essex County Council, PO Box 11, County Hall, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 1QH

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

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

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Presentation on theme: "People have aspirations and achieve their ambitions through education, training and lifelong learning Essex County Council Commissioning Strategy 2014-2018."— Presentation transcript:

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