County Council invests for change with education review
A consultation proposal to raise educational attainment and transform secondary provision in the Nuneaton and Bedworth area will be considered by Warwickshire County Council’s Cabinet next week.
Warwickshire County Council will unveil their education investment strategy at a cabinet meeting on Thursday 22 May. The local authority is responding to an opportunity through the DCSF’s Building Schools for the Future and Academies programmes to bid for more than £150 million of investment in education in Nuneaton and Bedworth.
The review of secondary provision in the area, ‘Raising the Bar – Narrowing the Gap’, has been driven by the council’s commitment to raise levels of educational attainment. The review wants to address other significant challenges facing schools in the area, including the condition of school buildings, the fall in pupil numbers and the consequent increase in surplus places.
Although school standards in Nuneaton and Bedworth have significantly improved in recent years, attainment levels are still below that of other parts of Warwickshire and the country as a whole. In 2007, 48% of pupils in Nuneaton and Bedworth achieved 5 A*-C GCSE grades compared to 62% nationally.
The council believes that although the gap is narrowing, the current pattern of education does not have the capacity to make the necessary progress. Some schools are situated in areas of the highest need and the council wants to support schools facing the most challenging circumstances.
The local authority is also concerned by the condition of school buildings in the area and wants to ensure that all secondary students, their families and the wider community have access to high quality learning facilities and services. The Government’s Building Schools for the Future and Academies programmes are currently giving local authorities the opportunity to secure significant capital investment.
Mark Gore, Head of Education, Partnerships and School Development for Warwickshire County Council, said: “There is no reason why children and young people in Nuneaton and Bedworth shouldn’t achieve the same academic success as their peers in other parts of the county.
“With a clear strategic plan and the opportunity for capital investment, we can improve the life chances of all children and remove the barriers that are standing in the way of opportunity. This plan is not about individual schools it’s about what’s best for everyone.”
Although at this stage ‘Raising the Bar – Narrowing the Gap’ is a discussion document, it sets out a number of possibilities which the council would welcome comment and discussion on. The proposed options include redevelopment of six of the nine secondary schools in Nuneaton, Bedworth and Hartshill and a proposal to move three schools in central Nuneaton to two sites.
The consultation will be held over the rest of the summer term and responses will be reported back to cabinet in July.