Ed Balls

Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families

 

The Children’s Plan: Building brighter futures – Summary

 

 

Our aim is to make this the best place in the world for our children and young people to grow up. This is why we created the new Department for Children, Schools and Families six months ago, and why we announced that we would draw up this first ever Children’s Plan, to put the needs of families, children and young people at the centre of everything we do. Since then, we have been listening to parents,  teachers, professionals, and children and young people themselves.

 

We heard that while there are more opportunities for young people today than  ever before, parents want more support in managing the new pressures they face such as balancing work and family life, dealing with the internet and the modern commercial world, and letting their children play and learn whilst staying safe. We heard that while children are doing better than ever in school, we need to do more to ensure that every child gets a world class education. We heard that while fewer

children now live in poverty, too many children’s education is still being held back by poverty and disadvantage.

 

And so building on a decade of reform and results, and responding directly to these concerns, our Children’s Plan will strengthen support for all families during the formative early years of their children’s lives, take the next steps in achieving world class schools and an excellent education for every child, involve parents fully in their children’s learning, help to make sure that young people have interesting and

 

exciting things to do outside of school, and provide more places for children to play safely.

 

The Plan and the new Department mean that more than ever before families will be at the centre of excellent, integrated services that put their needs first, regardless of traditional institutional and professional structures. This means a new leadership role for Children’s Trusts in every area, a new role for schools as the centre of their communities, and more effective links between schools, the NHS and other children’s services so that together they can engage parents and tackle all the

barriers to the learning, health and happiness of every child.

 

I am also determined to make sure that this Children’s Plan is the beginning of a new way of working, not a one-off event. As well as making sure that everyone understands what part they need to play, we need to carry on listening if we are going to get this right and help all our children and young people aim high and achieve their ambitions. There will also be an opportunity to feed in to the different

reviews that we have announced.

 

We are setting ourselves ambitious new goals for 2020, and we will report back on the progress we are making on the Plan in a year’s time. With schools, children’s services, the voluntary sector and government all playing their part, we can ensure that every child has the best start in life, we can back all parents as they bring up their children, we can unlock the talents of all our young people and we

can ensure that no child or young person is left to fall behind.

 

That is what our Children’s Plan sets out to do.

 

Ed Balls

Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families

The Children’s Plan: Building brighter futures – Summary

 

 

Download the full summary below

 

NGA comment on the Children's Plan.

Phil Revell, chief executive of the National Governors' Association, said:

Many governors will welcome the government's Children's Plan. In particular governors will welcome the new thinking on assessment at 11 and 14.  

Smaller governing bodies?

The NGA does not see the proposal to reduce the size of governing bodies as a threat; many governing bodies could be smaller without becoming less effective. But changes to school governance should also take into account the need for clarification of the governing body's role, and we support a programme of training for all new governors, not just for the Chair.

Role of parents?

Parental support is vital if children are to succeed, and the NGA supports the government's wish to involve parents more fully in their children's education. Governors can play a key role in this process, building bridges between a school and its community. But o n many governing bodies it is the parent governor places which are the most difficult to fill, and there is a danger that the government may be setting targets for parental involvement that many schools will struggle to meet.

Personal tutors?

We know of very few secondary schools where children do not already have a teacher or tutor who is responsible for reporting to parents on a child's progress.

More funding and a review for Speical Needs? 

We welcome the new focus on children with special needs and the associated additional funding, but £18million will not meet the funding gaps currently faced by schools and families and it is disappointing that more money is not available for the most vulnerable children in our schools.

Every teacher a Master?

We welcome the new emphasis on teachers' CPD. Governors have always believed that high standards in the classroom are directly linked to high quality teaching. The NGA supports the move to a Masters qualified teaching profession. Contacts for this release:

Judith Bennett – Chair of the NGA

 

Go to National Governors' Website to read more