|
Please note that this page was created for the Literacy and Social Inclusion Project (2002-2005) and as such has not been regularly updated since then. You may wish to use the Policy tab at the top for the latest information.
Breaking the link between social class and achievement
is at the heart of Government policy. The following cross-cutting
initiatives involve more than one Government department,
policy area or age group to address underachievement
and social inclusion. You can find out more about them by
following the links at the bottom of the page.
In a speech in November 2005, David Miliband, Minister for
Communities, pledged to take five "key challenges"
to each Whitehall department, to keep combating social exclusion
at the heart of Government policy. These challenges are:
- Establishing 'floor targets' so departments raise minimum
outcomes
- Progressive funding that starts with those most in need
- 'Joined up' and personalised services that put people
first
- Rights being conditional on responsibilities
- Shared institutions and activities that bring people together
Sure Start is a Government programme which aims to achieve
better outcomes for children, parents and communities by:
1. Increasing the availability of childcare for all children
2. Improving health, education and emotional development for
young children
3. Supporting parents as parents and in their aspirations
towards employment
Sure Start works by helping services develop in disadvantaged
areas alongside financial help for parents to afford childcare,
and by rolling out the principles driving the Sure Start approach
to all services for children and parents. With the aim of
providing a more holistic approach to service delivery, including
a focus on early language and reading, Sure Start supports
families from pregnancy right through until children are 14,
including those with special educational needs and those with
disabilities up to age 16. More
on Sure Start
Children's Centres are one-stop shops for parents and children,
offering early education and childcare, family support, health
services, employment advice and specialist support on a single
site, providing easy access for parents and easy referrals
between services. Many Children's Centres are existing Sure
Start centres, Neighbourhood Nurseries or Early Excellence
Centres - supported by an investment of £435m over three
years between 2003-06. More
on Children's Centres
Over the next few years, local authorities will be working
with its partners to set up children's trusts. These will
bring together all those who provides services for children
and families in each local area, underpinned by the Children
Act 2004 duty to cooperate, to focus on improved outcomes
for all children and young people. Children's trusts are a
key organisational vehicle to achieve the five key outcomes
for children identified in Every Child Matters: being healthy,
staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution
and economic well-being. Children's trusts will be supported
by integrated processes. Some will be centrally driven, such
as the Common Assessment Framework; others will be locally
driven, including a joint needs assessment, shared decisions
on priorities, and some pooling of resources and joint plans
to deploy them. There are 35 children's trust pathfinders,
which were created to test the ideas behind children's trusts,
and to help design the policy.
For an update (December 2005) on progress towards setting
up children's trusts in local authorities, visit www.everychildmatters.gov.uk
The Children's Fund, set up in 2000, targets five to 13-year-olds
and is part of the Government's strategy to tackle disadvantage
due to poverty and social exclusion. It is expected to make
a significant contribution to the Every
Child Matters agenda. The aim of this preventative programme
is to provide support to children and young people showing
signs of difficulty, and their families. The fund is locally
determined through local partnerships, and there are regional
children's fund teams across the country. The Government is
committed to continue the Children's Fund to 2008 to allow
a smooth transition to the new children's trusts. Children's
Fund partnerships are required to produce a three year strategic
plan for 2005-08, setting out the strategy for transition
to children's trusts.
is
a preventative programme within the Children's Fund for children
aged four to 12 at risk of involvement in criminal and/or
anti-social behaviour later in their lives, based on what
is already known about 'at risk' factors that can be identified
at an early age. More on On
Track
As a result of the National Literacy Strategy (NLS) launched
in 1997, primary schools in England deliver daily literacy
and numeracy hours. There are additional support programmes
for children whose literacy skills are falling behind: Early
Literacy Support (for six year-olds), Additional Literacy
Support (for seven year-olds), Further Literacy Support (for
ten year-olds) and Year 6 Booster Units (for 11 year-olds).
The primary strategy Excellence and Enjoyment which was launched
in 2003, aims to build on NLS success; literacy standards
is still very much as its heart. It also identifies the importance
of partnership with parents and closer community links through
extended schools.
Secondary school pupils receive support through Year 7 literacy
progress units, one of the three strands of the key stage
three strategy to improve teaching and learning for 11-14
year olds.
According to a 2004 report by the National Foundation for
Educational Research, the key stage 3 strategy is making a
'significant contribution to teaching and learning', providing
better-paced lessons and improved support for teachers, has
found. However, these changes have yet to lead to improvements
in test results, according to this survey of half of England's
local authorities. The annual report of Her Majesty's Chief
Inspector of Schools, published in February 2004, revealed
that overall effectiveness of secondary schools has remained
unchanged, although in schools in challenging circumstances
it rose more than twice that of other schools.
More on the National
Literacy Strategy at Key Stage 3
Reading Challenge is part of a 'toolkit' provided to secondary
schools by the Key Stage 3 Strategy to help them provide catch-up
interventions for pupils performing about two years below
the expected level for their age. Organised by a teacher trained
in the process, the Reading Challenge scheme is intended to
be flexible, fitting into existing or planned school approaches
such as paired reading or mentoring, using volunteer coaches.
These may be teaching assistants, adult volunteers or senior
pupils who will be given a half-day training by the school.
Where pupils have been identified as needing support, they,
and their parents, will need to agree to participate.
The Excellence in Cities (EiC) programme was introduced in
2000 to provide additional funds to schools for specific approaches
to improve exam results and tackle pupil disaffection. By
July 2004, the programme covered 1,000 secondary and primary
schools in urban areas. It was extended in December 2003 to
cover all primaries with more than 35% of pupils on free school
meals.
The National Foundation for Educational Research in England
& Wales (NFER) interim report of the national evaluation (July
2002) presents baseline findings and evidence of the contribution
of each of the separate strands: the Gifted and Talented programme,
learning mentors, learning support units, city learning centres,
EiC action zones, specialist schools and Beacon schools. While
there is no evidence at this stage of a clear impact on pupil
attainment, EiC schools noted an impact on active parental
support and 'packages' of support for students which may have
a significant impact on pupil progress and attainment in the
future.
The Ofsted report in May 2003, which looked at management
and impact, concluded that EiC and EAZ programmes were making
an important difference to schools in disadvantaged areas.
They are providing pupils with a broader range of opportunities
and helping to raise their aspirations, confidence and self-esteem.
Their effect on achievement is more variable; overall it is
strongest in primary schools. The EiC programme is having
a greater effect than EAZs in secondary schools, especially
at key stage 3. Excellence in Cities now includes Education
Action Zones, renamed as Excellence Clusters. More
on Excellence in Cities
Extended schools are those that act as a focal point for a
range of family and community services such as childcare,
health and social services, adult education and family learning,
and study support. The DfES is currently promoting the concept
of extended schools with the aim that by 2006 there will be
at least one full extended school in each local authority
area, focused mainly in areas of disadvantage. By 2008, at
least 1,000 primary schools will have 8am to 6pm wrap-around
childcare, and the expectation is that the majority of schools
will be part of a network or partnership that, together, provide
community services. The intention is not to expect schools
and teachers to provide this alone; children's trusts, for
example, will play a supporting role. Recent research projects
have given some indication of the type of provision in a number
of schools which offer extended services, particularly in
Scotland, through New Community Schools. However, there is
still some ambiguity about exactly how schools should develop
these services, including how to incorporate family and community
literacy approaches into the life of the school. More
on extended schools
The New Relationship with Schools redefines the relationship
between schools and central and local government in order
to help school standards rise further, and maximise the potential
in every school pupil. Key elements are three-year budgets
with three-year plans; a new School Profile (to replace the
governors' annual report); better data on individual pupil
progress; the appointment of a School Improvment Partner;
greater weight given to a school's self-evaluation; and shorter
and more frequent school inspections. Also see Every
Child Matters
The Neighbourhood Renewal Unit (NRU) was set up in 2001 following
the publication of the Social Exclusion Unit report A New
Commitment to Neighbourhood Renewal: National Strategy
Action Plan. The unit is situated within the Office of
the Deputy Prime Minister along with now the Social Exclusion
Unit and the Homelessness Directorate. Common characteristics
of the most deprived neighbourhoods were identified: poor
housing, poor health, poor education, few job opportunities
and high crime rates - what has been called postcode poverty.
To tackle these issues, as the national strategy recognises,
means all parts of government working together. At national
level, across government departments, this has resulted in
the introduction of extremely challenging 'floor targets',
sometimes called public service agreements. There are floor
targets around education, health, social inclusion, employment
and crime. The NRU funds and coordinates a number of initiatives
with the prime objective of narrowing the gap between the
most disadvantaged areas and the rest of the country. Initiatives
include New Deal for Communities and the Neighbourhood Renewal
Fund.
As a response to criticisms that previous Government regeneration
schemes have been largely ineffective, the NRU has launched
a Skills and Knowledge programme to better support those delivering
neighbourhood renewal and to help them learn from 'what works'.
Its website www.renewal.net
provides information, support and access to published reports.
While these reports are not, so far, specifically about literacy,
they do address the issue of how to engage communities and
how you can change the culture.
is one of the main programmes in the Government's neighbourhood
renewal strategy. The key themes to be tackled are poor job
prospects; high levels of crime; educational underachievement;
poor health; and problems with housing and the physical environment.
17 pathfinders were announced in 1998 and a further 22 partnerships
in 1999. About £2 billion has been committed to the 39 partnerships.
Characteristics of NDC are a long-term commitment to deliver
change, with communities at the heart of this, in partnership
with key agencies. The intention is to base action on evidence
of 'what works'.
provides additional funds to the 88 most disadvantaged wards
via local strategic partnerships. The fund boosts government
departnments' main spending programmes and gets neighbourhood
renewal strategies underway. The fund is worth £45 million
over three years.
As a result of the 2001 disturbances in Bradford, Oldham and
Burnley, a government review took place to see how future
disorders might be avoided and help build stronger, more cohesive
communities. The resulting report highlighted the importance
of sport and arts in engaging those at risk of disaffection
and building community cohesion. More
on working with communities
PAYP is one result of the review mentioned above. Building
on the success of the Department for Media, Culture and Sport/Youth
Justice Board programme Splash and Splash Extra, and the Connexions
Summer Plus schemes, PAYP is a new national scheme launched
in summer 2003 with a single funding pot of £25 million
for 2003-04. The PAYP scheme covers all school holidays, not
just the summer, and has as its aims to reduce youth offending
and encourage and support young people to return to education
and training. The emphasis is on quality developmental sports,
arts and creative activities to focus on individual needs,
help young people develop new skills, improve self-esteem
and break down ethnic and cultural barriers. The programme
is coordinated by Government Offices in the Regions.
Connexions is the government's support service for all young
people aged 13 - 19 in England. The service aims to provide
integrated advice, guidance and access to personal development
opportunities for this group and to help them make a smooth
transition to adulthood and working life. Connexions looks
to involve young people and take account of their views in
the design and delivery of the Connexions service. 47 areas
now deliver the Connexions service. Connexions joins up the
work of six government departments and their agencies and
organisations on the ground, together with private and voluntary
sector groups and youth and careers services. Trained personal
advisers provide guidance to all young people within the framework
of the new 14-19 curriculum which aims to provide more choice
for young people and make it easier for them to move from
pre- to post-16 learning. One of the options at post-16 is
the Entry to Employment programme.
Skills for Life is the national strategy for improving adult
literacy and numeracy in England. The strategy includes: a
new core curriculum; professional development around new standards
for adult literacy and numeracy teachers; reaching out to
new learners, including the Get On 'Gremlins' media campaign;
and achievement targets for those gaining a national qualification,
including the new national test. More
on Skills for Life
On 31 July 2005 NHSU was dissolved. A new organisation, the
NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, will take forward
strategic advice and direction concerning learning; while
the delivery of NHSU's programmes and services will be taken
forward by host organisations across the NHS. The paragraph
below reflects the older situation.
NHSU (the National Health Service University) aims to open
up new learning opportunities for all staff in the National
Health Service and also make learning available to patients,
their carers and the general public. Anyone who has been working
in the NHS for up to five years will have the chance to follow
an NHSU learning pathway towards the attainment of a Foundation
Degree if they do not already possess a higher qualification.
A scheme of NHSU Junior scholarships is being introduced to
open up work and learning opportunities for young people in
school years 9, 10 and 11 so that working in the NHS is attractive
to young people from diverse backgrounds.
More on...
Other websites
| 80px.gif)
