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Blackburn with Darwen

Building Schools for the Future |Strategy for Change Part 2

Transforming Learning, Communities and Lives

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Introduction:

On 6th

March 2007 Blackburn with Darwen Council received its Remit for Change letter that outlined a number ofpriorities for the Authority in terms of developing its BSF Strategy for Change. The remit highlighted the need toaddress key areas that had caused difficulties or had been weaknesses in earlier BSF programmes including:

1. Pupil Place Planning. The authority has subsequently gained agreement on the

Authoritys pupil place planning forecasts and methodology with the PfS Project Director assigned to theprogramme.

2. Increasing Diversity, Choice and Access. The Authority has supported Blakewater College to undertake aninitial option appraisal on becoming a Trust School and the school is now moving forward with formalinvestigation of becoming an Early Adopter School.

3. Commitment to BSF Model and ICT Managed Service. The Authority has stated its continued commitment toa LEP and ICT managed service in its Readiness to Deliver and Strategy for Change Part 1 and more detail canbe found in this document.

4. Capacity and Resources. The Council together with its partner schools has worked with the PfS ProjectDirector and 4Ps Adviser to set a feasible budget for the programme and has made a commitment to reviewing

these arrangements, if necessary, to ensure that the programme is adequately resourced. The Authority hasalso secured external expert advice to supplement knowledge and capacity gaps in finance, legal, ICT, technicaland commercial areas including PFI.

5. Change Management Strategy. The authority has and continues to work with stakeholders to put together astrategic plan for change management; further details are contained in section 1.9 of this document.

In this Part 2 document we have included material that was included in Part 1 only where it ensures coherence andprovides a relevant context.

SECTION 1:

1.1 Where is the local authority now in terms of educational outcomes, diversity of provision, fair access

and choice?

1.1.1 Context: Blackburn with Darwen is a compact, predominantly urban Authority made up of two townseach with a strong local identity. The Boroughs communities are diverse in terms of ethnicity, faith, inclusion,aspiration and economic well-being. Around a quarter of our population is of Indian and Pakistani heritage and theproportion of the school population from these communities is over a third and increasing. Large areas of theBorough are highly deprived. Using the 2004 Index of Multiple Deprivation over two thirds of the children and youngpeople in Blackburn with Darwen come from areas classified in the bottom quartile nationally, with nearly 40%coming from areas in the bottom 10%. Just over a third of the long term unemployed are under 25 years of age.Figures for the number of young people not engaged in education, employment or training (NEET) are roughlydouble the national average (England). In February 2007 Blackburn with Darwen was identified as a NEET hot-spot. People in Blackburn with Darwen die on average eight years earlier than nationally.

1.1.2 Standards: Notwithstanding the challenges of deprivation, excellent progress has been made in recentyears with pupils achieving 5 A*-C GCSEs at KS4 increasing by over 15% since the authority became unitaryin1998. The Authority performs very well in comparison to its statistical neighbours. Blackburn with Darwen ranks84th out of 149 authorities on the 5 A*-C including English and Maths measure. Amongst our statistical neighbours.Blackburn with Darwen ranks 84th out of 149 authorities on the 5 A*-C including English and Maths measure.Amongst our statistical neighbours, we rank 1

stout of 10.

1.1.2.1 Low levels of student achievement at Queens Park Community High School in 2004 resulted in theschool becoming subject to a Fresh Start, a move supported by the Authority. The school, renamed BlakewaterCollege, has seen significant levels of improvements in many areas over the last two years including levels ofachievement at KS4 with the percentage of pupils achieving 5 A* -C rising from 11% to 68% in 2007. However ifthis measure includes English and Maths the percentage for 2007 falls to 23%.

1.1.2.2 In terms of achievement of children with special educational needs (SEN), 2.3% of children havestatements of special educational need compared with 2.8% nationally. In addition BwD has an alternative fast trackfunding stream, IPRA, for pupils with significant SEN who, in other authorities would attract statements. Of these

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53% are supported within mainstream schools compared to 57% nationally. In sections 1.3 and 1.8 we outline ourplans for increasing the range of options for pupils with SEN which underpin our on-going strategy of inclusion forpupils and personalisation of support to secure the very best outcomes for this group.

1.1.2.3 In line with the national picture certain groups of children continue to underachieve at KS 3 and 4. Whiteand Pakistani working class boys and Children in Our Care (CIOC) have been identified as specific underachievinggroups. Whilst Indian pupils remain our highest achieving group they underachieve in relative terms, which reflects ageneral level of underachievement across the board for our more gifted and talented children. Achievement at level6+ at KS3 is lower than expected. The Council takes its responsibility as Corporate Parents very seriously, recentlyappointing a Virtual Headteacher for Children in Our Care (CIOC). Achievement levels of CIOC within the Boroughcompares well against the national picture with Blackburn with Darwen CIOC performing better in all measures thanthis group nationally.

1.1.2.4 In 2006 13.5% of 19 year olds were NEET, compared with 8.2% nationally. The figure falls in the 16 to18 year old group: 7.4% locally compared with 7.7% nationally. Staying on rates at post 16 are particularly low inDarwen and the Shadsworth areas (served predominantly) by Darwen Vale, Darwen Moorland and BlakewaterCollege. In Spring Term 06/07 absence rates of 7.88% compared to 8.38% nationally. Fixed term exclusions in ourschools for 2006/2007 were slightly beneath national average although permanent exclusion rates were very slightlyhigher than those nationally. St Thomas Centre performs better than PRUs nationally with 4% gaining 5 A*-C,compared with 2% nationally; more especially just under 30% achieve 5 A*-G including English and Maths,

compared with 15% nationally.

1.1.2.5 An analysis of recent inspection reports, SEFs and internal monitoring show that overall the quality ofteaching and learning is good across the 14 schools containing secondary age pupils (OFSTED 4 satisfactory, 9good, 1 outstanding). Schools are currently well supported by the LA to develop an appropriate range of teachingand learning strategies including:

The development of a comprehensive range of network learning communities facilitated by LA officers Regular meetings of Secondary Strategy Managers to co-ordinate whole school developments The deployment of Secondary Strategy Consultants across all schools School reviews of teaching and learning facilitated by members of the school improvement team Regular meetings of the 14-19 operational groups to review curriculum and CPD needs The deployment of members of the e-learning team to support school developments

The curriculum support and extending schools service, including extended services to support learnersand their families in and beyond the classroom.

1.1.2.6 In terms of parental choice 83.6% of families received their first preference school in 2007. Patterns ofparental preference, often a result of poor perceptions of a local school, result in a significant number of pupilstravelling over 2 miles to school each day. Despite the continued improvement of all secondary schools over recentyears there is still a significant leakage of pupils (many of them more able children) to the independent sector andto maintained schools outside the Borough at age 11. Often this is as a result of negative parental and communityperceptions about certain schools.

1.1.2.7 The Borough offers a diverse range of schools made up of four Voluntary Aided schools, six Communityschools, three Special schools and a Pupil Referral Unit/EOTAS provision. Faith provision in the borough isconsidered strong and includes two Roman Catholic Aided schools, one 11-18 Church of England Aided school and

an Islam girls school. All are popular and high performing. The demand for places in our Islam girls school is highbut the current site cannot accommodate any extension or expansion. Our plans under BSF are to relocateTauheedul Islam Girls High School to a site where it can expand to its planned number of 600 to better meet theparental expectations.

1.1.2.8 One of the two Community High schools in the Darwen area is scheduled to re-structure as an 11-18Academy in September 2008. The Academy development falls outside of the BSF programme.

1.1.2.9 The population of the west of Blackburn is well served with Community schools however its populationis aging and pupil numbers are predicted to fall significantly over the next 10 years. In order to ensure that thepattern of community provision is sustainable in terms of future pupil place demand we need to reduce the numberof places in the west of the borough. It is proposed that Beardwood Community High School will close in 2012.

1.1.2.10 The population is growing in the east of the Borough. Currently the area is served by the popular OurLady and St John RC High School and Blakewater College. It is predicted that an additional 300 pupil places will berequired in this area by 2015/16. Improving access to high quality learning provision to the growing communities ofEast Blackburn is a priority and through BSF it is proposed to increase the size of Blakewater College to 900 and to

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relocate the school, helping to address the historical stigma which is attached to the existing site and locating it morecentrally to a wide range of existing and new communities within East and South East Blackburn.

1.1.2.11 Young people with additional learning needs are currently catered for in mainstream settingssupplemented by three special schools, Crosshill Special School for young people with moderate learningdifficulties, Newfield Special School for pupils with complex needs and Fernhurst Special Schools for pupils withsocial, emotional and behavioural difficulties. Current SEN provision is good. Our development of IPRAs hasreduced the bureaucratic burden associated with statements and has enabled us to more speedily deliver supportand resources to young people. The most recent inspections for Newfield and Crosshill were graded outstandingand good respectively whilst Fernhurst was removed from its notice to improve category following an inspection inSpring Term 2007. Locally the number of pupils entering special schools, from within the borough, shows a decliningtrend as parental preferences increase for inclusive education. Data shows that young people with additionallearning needs made good progress overall in mainstream schools and resourced settings in the secondary phase.

1.1.2.12 The Authority has grasped the opportunities offered by the development of its role as commissioner ofeducation and childrens services and has been working for over two years to support the development of anEducation Improvement Partnership (EIP), a collaborative trust style partnership of all secondary schools in theBorough. The EIP learn together and work together, jointly commissioning school improvement activity from externalproviders as well as learning networks within the Borough.

1.1.2.13 As well as promoting area wide trust arrangements through the EIP the Authority is also supportive offurther increasing the diversity of governance arrangements where appropriate. In support of the BSF programmethe authority has commissioned the development of a robust framework for the appraisal of options aroundalternative governance arrangement for schools. The appraisal framework has been used to assess the benefits thatmight arise around improvements to ECM outcomes through alternative governance or collaborative workingarrangements. Use of the framework has informed the decision to go forward with the formal exploration of TrustSchool Status for Blakewater College.We are supportive of Blakewater Colleges formal expression of interest inTrust school status, and recognise the opportunities and benefits that a new partnership with the voluntary, public orprivate sectors might bring to pupils at this significantly improved school.

1.1.2.14 Eight of our ten High schools and one of our Special schools have specialist school status with OurLady and St. John Arts College being a Leading Edge school with a second specialism in Vocational Education. Asa high performing specialist college it will be developing a vocationally based Post 16 Centre under a 6

thForm

Presumption in 2009. The Authority is working closely with the EIP to strategically plan the future pattern of 1

st

and2nd

specialisms to ensure a coherent offer is delivered collaboratively across the Borough.

1.1.2.15 The range of specialist provision within our schools is supplemented by a close collaborativerelationship with post 16 providers to deliver vocational programmes at entry, level 1 and level 2. In addition,through a combination of school and LA funding we have established the Highercroft Vocational Centre to deliverconstruction and health and social courses at levels 1 and 2 for pupils from across the Borough. Similarly theIn2gr8e to Educate Centre is funded collaboratively to support pupils disengaged from current provision. Our post 16providers comprise of St. Marys RC 6

thForm College, Blackburn College, Training 2000 and St. Wilfrids CE 6

th

Form. The most recent inspection gradings for all our providers have been good overall and we have a total of sixCOVES within the partnership, a very high concentration for a borough of our size. The most recent progress checkfor our 14-19 partnership provision gave a green/amber judgement for qualitative areas for development and isindicative of our strong collaborative partnerships. In terms of quantitative indicators our grading was overall

amber/red reflecting our need to continue to raise standards at levels 2 and 3, reduce NEET, increase participationat 17 and broaden provision across key stages 4 and 5.

1.1.2.16 Within our schools use is made of ICT to enhance teaching and learning. A good ratio of interactivewhiteboards and computers has been supported by targeted CPD to develop expertise and understanding in manyschools. However this is not uniform across the authority leaving an ongoing need for training as and whenequipment is purchased. The use of digital technologies to truly transform pedagogy is in its early stages in mostschools. The borough is also well served by a substantial e-Learning service within which lie two purpose built CityLearning Centres on the Witton Park and Pleckgate sites. Broadband connectivity at bandwidths of 100 Mg hasrecently been provided for all our High schools, but local area networks within schools have been allowed to developorganically so this is not being exploited to its full potential as some networks are not capable of doing so. There islimited ICT connectivity between schools and partner organisations and the lack of a central data store prevents theelectronic sharing of pupil data across establishments and organisations, vital to securing improved outcomes for

the most vulnerable of children.

1.1.2.17 Whilst schools have made great strides in developing personalised learning pathways, inflexible buildinglayout, traditional learning box environments, retro fit ICT and a lack of easily accessible specialist vocational

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settings has proved inimical. Blackburn with Darwen is committed to the personalisation of all services to meetindividual need and this translates into a focus on developing all schools as fully extended. This approach has beenoperational at Darwen Vale Community High School for over two years and has shown demonstrable benefits.Through BSF we intend to roll out this approach to all High schools. Excellent progress is being made in developingextended services in and through schools with 31% of schools now delivering the full core offer of extendedservices. This is well on track to meet the national targets for 2008 and 2010. In addition, the TDA highlightsBlackburn with Darwen as a green light Authority in terms of its extended schools developments, highlightingstrengths in terms of good strategic co-ordination and a strong partnership approach to operational delivery.

1.1.2.18 We have a clear vision to create a childrens workforce that improves outcomes for children, contributesto social inclusion and community cohesion and is confident, well qualified and equipped to enable our community todevelop and thrive. We are well advanced in developing a Childrens Workforce plan focused on remodelling theworkforce to better enable delivery of the ECM outcomes, with a particular focus on effective inter-agency working.Remodelling the school workforce is an integral element of the plan. We have an excellent record in staff CPD andsupporting and enabling workforce reform. We became a Beacon authority for Transforming the School Workforcein 2004/5 and we are a partner authority in the first national CoVE for support staff training.

1.1.2.19 We have a strong track record in relation to the effective implementation of the National Agreement atschool level, effective implementation of the other key change initiatives at school level e.g. TLRs, performancemanagement and developed an effective model to deliver the requirements of national WAMG and embrace thefuture wider workforce agenda and its impact on schools

1.1 2.20 This progress has continued to be recognised by the Training and Development Agency (Schools) in theirtermly assessment of progress in supporting schools to meet the key workforce development priorities. The LA hasbeen described as a green LA, defined as more than meeting the requirements of TDA priorities and as a result theLA has been used as an adviser on a TDA project to develop career frameworks for school support staff.

1.1.1.22 A specific example of our workforce reform work is the development of remodelling benchmark thatestablishes current position and progress made in relation to transformation of the school and LA workforce. Inaddition schools within the authority now access on-line workforce planning tools hosted by the authority. We arecurrently piloting a project that aims to address issues of recruitment and retention through an automated supplystaff solution. We have developed and launched the NWCfC CPD Toolkit and have developed and piloted an on lineCPD Audit tool, to analyse current practice, and support improvement planning.

1.2 What added value will BSF investment provide to improve outcomes for children, families and

the wider community?

1.2.1 BSF is an accelerant for change within Blackburn with Darwen. It is a once in a life time opportunity toreappraise progress made in the delivery of Every Child Matters by the secondary school sector and to invest infacilities that can ensure delivery of improved outcomes for all in the future. It is also embraced corporately as asuperb opportunity to develop schools and school sites as centres of community services delivered atneighbourhood level contributing to the regeneration of the Borough, securing social and economic well-being forthe wider community. Our vision for education in Blackburn with Darwen is to:

Have high ambition; looking for all schools to exceed national targets by 2016 Close the gap on levels of aspiration, achievement and success; engaging those traditionally

disengaged Accelerate the rate of improvement in secondary school standards and improving attendance and

enjoyment of school for all Create a seamless continuum of personalised provision of high quality learning, development and

support for children aged 0 -19 ensuring better outcomes for all Develop an effective strategy for addressing segregation of communities through the development of

the highest quality offer by all schools together with a shared ethos of integration and inclusion thatpromote social equity

Ensure secondary schools play a full part in the delivery of excellent integrated and extended servicesto communities

Provide for the needs and preferences of the Boroughs diverse population through access to a group ofcommunity and faith schools, including an Academy and Trust school

Ensure that all schools are inclusive and that the pattern of provision across the Borough enables all

children and young people to meet their potential Enable all young people to access their full 14-19 entitlement and progress successfully to employment,

training, further and higher education as appropriate

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Embrace the opportunities that ICT brings to support, enhance and transform teaching and learning andextend opportunities to the wider community.

1.2.2 Our BSF Strategy for Change will add value to our existing strategies to deliver this vision by:

Establishing clear linkages with the Councils wider regeneration programme activities, contributing tothe development of Blackburn with Darwen as a prosperous and economically successful place to liveby raising levels of aspiration, achievement, skills and employability across the community

Encouraging the engagement of the whole learning sector, including FE and post 16 providers, in adialogue about how learning can be transformed in the future to better meet the needs of each andevery young person

Facilitating the development of an agreed transformational pathway to a personalised curriculum,building on QVA guidance, that offers young people learning opportunities that prepare them for life asan active citizen and for employment

Enabling the development of all of our Secondary schools as fully extended schools and as centres ofwider health, social and economic well-being, open 50 weeks of the year and at times of the day andevening to meet community needs

Enable all secondary schools to actively contribute to the significant health and well-being issues facedby our communities

Improve choice and access for pupils and their parents by ensuring that performance of all of our

schools is improved, extending the range of specialisms offered and guaranteeing access to a breadthof academic and vocational courses, including all 14 diploma lines, offered through collaborativeworking

Promote community cohesion across groups regardless of faith, ethnicity or socio-economic groupingthrough requiring schools to work collaboratively to deliver the breadth of learning opportunities for allpupils

Build on the authoritys success at developing fully inclusive learning opportunities for pupils with specialand additional learning needs by facilitating the necessary social organisation changes, and capitalinvestments, that will provide additional resourced provision and co-location options

Further address issues of behaviour and attendance by extending access to the highly effectivepersonalised support delivered by the St Thomas Centre, currently our Pupil Referral Unit andEducation Other Than At School provision, to a wider range of pupils with additional learning needs thatmight benefit from accessing a flexible, part-time/full-time curriculum offer, whilst remaining on the roll of

their school Maximise the benefits of ICT for learning, transformation of the curriculum, assessment for learning,

effective school management and for ensuring the effective collection and sharing of informationmeeting the expectations of Every Child Matters

Extend the role of ICT in wider regeneration activities by enabling joined up planning, funding andservice delivery between the school and wider community sectors

Facilitate school organisation changes that will create a sustainable pattern of provision in the future,ensuring the right number of pupil places are available, in the right locations at the right time, to servelocal and borough wide community need and meet parental preferences

Enable the further development of citizenship programmes within and across schools that facilitateengagement with the wider community and between pupils of varied faiths, cultures and economicgroups, promoting a sense of belonging to Blackburn with Darwen through sports, arts and culturalactivities

Accelerate the development of collaborative working across our schools and other providers tomaximise benefits of joined up planning, funding and service delivery including provision of specialistlearning programmes, integrated childrens services, health, sport, culture and leisure opportunities

1.2.3 To secure this added value our priorities for BSF investment are to:

Create adaptive and adaptable school accommodation that can support different organisational modelsof learning provision into the future, enabling schools to adopt alternative models of organisation at theymove along the transformation pathway for example moving from a traditional subject basedaccommodation arrangement to faculty, school within a school or project based curriculumarrangements

Secure access to a range of differentiated learning spaces that will support a range of teaching andlearning styles including project team, research, seminars as well as traditional class-based

arrangements Develop consistently high quality ICT rich learning environments across all secondary schools, providing

pupils, staff and parents any where anytime access to a Borough wide learning platform through a range

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of mobile technologies, as well as support assessment for learning and attendance strategies throughthe use of smart technologies

Design schools and community facilities that are of the very highest quality, providing inspirational, safeand secure learning and social environments that will facilitate learning and personal development andpromote high standards of behaviour, contributing to the Make a Positive Contribution and Stay Safeoutcomes

Provide accessible, zoned and appropriately designed spaces within all schools for the delivery ofintegrated childrens and community services including health services and information, advice andguidance, ensuring that partner agencies and user groups are fully engaged in the design of facilitiescontributing to the Be Healthy and Achieve Economic Well-Being outcomes

Provide enhanced facilities in each schools specialist curriculum area and planned future secondspecialisms

Develop accommodation, facilities and ICT in schools that complement those within the post 16 sectorand enable the effective collaborative delivery of a highly accessible vocational offer including diplomas

Enhance sports and arts facilities in school sites to ensure all exceed the governments expectations for5 hours of physical activity per week and through strategic planning with the Authoritys Culture, Sportand Leisure, Sport England, NW Arts and national governing bodies, secure and prioritise additionalinvestments to develop a number of sites as centres of excellence for individual sports and/or centres ofcommunity provision such as libraries

To identify priorities for investments, working in partnership with the PCT, for community health

provision on strategically important sites, complementing the school based health provision for pupils,helping to tackle the significant health equalities across the Borough Create high performing schools of the right size in the right locations to meet the needs of local and

borough wide communities Create a larger, relocated, new build school for East Blackburn on a high profile site that will better meet

the needs of the growing communities of East and South Blackburn Relocate Tauheedul Islam Girls High School onto the remodelled site of Beardwood Community High

School (proposed to close 2012) to enable it to increase in numbers to 600 but, more importantly, toenable the school to offer the widest possible curriculum to its pupils, including access to suitable sportand recreational spaces

Ensure all schools are DDA compliant and have the environments and accommodation required toensure the full inclusion of pupils with special educational needs. Specific investments at Witton Parkand Our Lady and St John High School will enable them to offer resourced provision for pupils with

complex needs (WPH) and autistic spectrum disorder (OLSJ) Relocate and remodel St Thomass Centre ( PRU/EOTAS) onto the site of the current Crosshill Special

School to enhance the centres nationally acclaimed provision for excluded pupils, school refusers, sickchildren and school girl mums and to extend the work of the centre to include the provision of a flexiblecurriculum offer to a wider range of pupils with additional learning needs including those with social andemotional behavioural problems

Co-locate Crosshill Special School onto the site of the new East Blackburn school/Blakewater College,promoting increased inclusion of pupils supported by the school and enabling staff at Crosshill tosupport schools throughout the Borough to better meet the needs of pupils with moderate learningdifficulties

Ensure all schools provide high quality canteen facilities that will promote healthy lifestyles, againhelping to address issues of significant health inequalities across our schools

Develop all schools as sustainable schools, reducing the environmental impact of our secondary sector

by ensuring that all new and remodelled buildings exceed BREEAM very good standards, as well ascreating an environment that promotes and enables sustainable working and lifestyle practices such ascycling and walking to school, recycling, reduced water usage and use of local food produce.

1.3 How does the authority propose to ensure choice diversity and access of school provision for allparents and pupils in local schools?

1.3.1 A key principle of our strategy for change is that all children, young people and their families will haveaccess to a diverse range of schools each with a distinctive character based on ethos, faith and specialism thatmeets their needs and aspirations. All schools will also share responsibility for the learning of the Borough widecommunity through partnership arrangements, in particular the EIP and 14-19 partnership. The Learning and SkillsCouncil, Further Education and Work Based Learning providers are active members of our 14-19 strategic and

operational groups and have been fully involved in reviewing pupil place planning, current provision and identifyingdevelopment opportunities presented through BSF that will enhance provision across the borough, facilitatingcontinuity and progression to post 16 learning.

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1.3.2 All children and young people will have access to an excellent core curriculum, specific specialistprovision and extended services/learning opportunities at their own school. The broad learning partnership ofschools and other providers will enable children and young people to access wider learning experiences andspecialist curriculum options and support provision either at other venues or using ICT.

1.3.3 We are committed to ensuring that all our secondary schools have specialist status as part of our widercommitment to transformation through partnership working. The Academys intention to develop a specialism inEntrepreneurship and Sport will complement and extend existing provision. In addition, plans are already underwayto submit proposals for specialisms in Tauheedul and Blakewater, our only two remaining High schools that do notcurrently have specialist status. From September 2007 the new Headteacher for Newfield School will be activelyseeking specialist SEN status. The role of specialist schools is pivotal to our vision for 14-19 education across theBorough. It is our intention that all schools will have more than one specialism and BSF will enable us to acceleratethis transformation. The EIP has worked strategically on the identification of priorities for future second specialismsubmissions to avoid duplication and replication and have collaborated on agreeing lead roles for the schools interms of the delivery of specialist diplomas.

1.3.4 We have agreed with the LSC that post-16 provision across the Borough will remain largely unchanged.However we recognise that opportunities will emerge through specialist college re-designation that will enable us tofurther enhance and reconfigure our post-16 provision. In the Shadsworth area NEET remains higher than theBorough average. The 14 19 Strategic Partnership has embraced the recent opportunity of a sixth form

presumption to develop a vocational provision to serve the Borough as part of Our Lady & St John Performing ArtsCollege second specialism in Vocational Education. This new provision will provide an environment attractive tolearners from a variety of faith backgrounds.

1.3.5 Our commitment to offering diversity, choice and access extends to provision for children and youngpeople with special educational needs (SEN). All secondary schools have made a commitment to work towards fullinclusion of all pupils with SEN in mainstream provision. Over a number of years parents have increasinglyexpressed a preference for pupils with SEN to be supported in mainstream schools. The significant majority of pupilswith SEN are now accommodated within mainstream or resourced schools. This trend has resulted in pupils on rollat Crosshill and Fernhurst Special Schools to have fallen to unsustainable numbers. Wide spread consultation sinceJanuary 2007 has shown support for our vision for inclusion and for the specific proposals outlined below. BSF willenable us to enhance current provision through the establishment of an innovative tiered model. This will offerparents the following enhanced options:

Fully integrated mainstream provision Additionally resourced mainstream schools for pupils with complex needs (Witton Park) and for those

with ASD (Our Lady and St John), and for those with hearing impairment (St Wilfrids) A co-located special school for pupils with moderate learning difficulties with additional needs (Crosshill

Special School with new East Blackburn/Blakewater College) Special school provision for children and young people with the most complex needs (Newfield Special

School)

1.3.6 In order to deliver this vision we propose to close Fernhurst EBD Special School which nowaccommodates only a small number of young people. These pupils will in future be supported in mainstreamschools and will be able to access the support of the flexible curriculum provision offered by the re-located andexpanded St Thomas Centre. We propose to co-locate Crosshill MLD Special School (with a reduced roll of 60) onto

the East Blackburn/ Blakewater Site. Initial proposals to close Crosshill received significant opposition reflecting thecommunitys support for the work of this good school and need for reassurance that alternative provision wouldcontinue to meet the needs of pupils. The alternative co-location proposal has received a greater degree of supportas it is seen as a concrete step along the inclusion pathway and will build on the strengths of this nationallyregarded school. Witton Park and Our Lady and St John have been identified as sites for additionally resourcedmainstream schools. St Wilfrids will continue to operate as a resourced school for hearing impaired children.Newfield School will remain as a special school for pupils with complex learning needs. Under our BSF proposalsNewfield and Witton Park will work in partnership to meet the needs of some KS 3 and 4 pupils with complex needsand ensure wherever possible pupils will have access to personalised provision in mainstream settings in line withour aspirations for all learners.

1.3.7 A strong community needs a strong school and key to our Borough wide strategy of communityregeneration is the establishment of a new school facility which will better meet the needs of East Blackburn. This

area is already subject to a significant level of regeneration investment (NRF, Housing Market Renewal) and is aNeighbourhood Management Pathfinder. It is also an area which has, and will continue to have, a relatively higherbirth rate. The communities of East Blackburn currently have limited access to what is perceived by parents and thewider community as high quality secondary provision. Numbers of first preferences for Blakewater College are very

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low. To address this we are proposing the development of a re-located, high profile, Trust school facility that willbuild on the improvements made by Blakewater College and the considerable investments made by the LocalAuthority and DCSF.A linked proposal to address the issue of future pupil place demand in the west of the boroughis the closure of Beardwood School which, although continuing to improve in terms of performance and securinggood levels of value added, is on a site that is not fit for purpose or suitable for the large scale redevelopmentnecessary.

1.3.8 Our remaining community schools, Pleckgate, Darwen Vale and Witton Park, will play a key role inensuring that the proposals for Blakewater and Beardwood do not impact negatively on choice, diversity and accessin the west of Blackburn. Under BSF we propose to slightly increase pupil numbers at Pleckgate and Witton Park,both popular schools, to accommodate those pupils that might otherwise have chosen Beardwood and that wish tocontinue to attend schools in the west of Borough. Both schools have high levels of parental demand and strong, orsignificantly improved, levels of performance. Proposals to expand Blakewater to a 900 place Trust school will caterfor those children who currently travel to Beardwood from the east of the Borough. Whilst the mix of faith provisionremains strong we are proposing to move Tauheedal Islam Girls High School to a new site appropriate to enable itto expand to meet demand up to the original target number of 600 and reflect community aspirations. We anticipatethat the increase in roll at Tauheedal will attract many pupils who are currently receiving their education in privateschools.

1.3.9 Consultation undertaken on the above proposals have shown considerable support for the proposal and

general acceptance of the need to close Beardwood Community School as the least suitable site for expansion andinvestment through BSF.

1.3.10 Whilst disappointed that the authority was unsuccessful in securing a place in Waves 1-3 BSF, theCouncil and partner schools remained resolute in finding the right solution to the underperformance at DarwenMoorland High School. The authority was proactive in seeking a sponsor to establish an Academy in Darwen toprovide a pivotal part of the town centre regeneration programme for the town. Its establishment has now beenagreed with the DCSF and sits outside the BSF capital programme.

1.3.11 Significant consultation on all proposals has taken place over the last 9 months. The statutoryconsultation process required to implement the school organisational proposals will begin in early November 2007with publication of statutory notices. The Councils Executive Board will consider the outcomes of the statutoryconsultation phase at its meeting in February 2008, which is within the timescale required for the development of the

Outline Business Case.

1.4 How will the authority ensure robust challenge to schools including strategies for early

intervention in the case of under performing or failing schools?

1.4.1 The authority has a strong track record in addressing school underperformance, evidenced by areduction in the number of schools in special measures and serious weaknesses from twenty in 1998 to twocurrently. Through BSF we aim to accelerate, at a transformational pace, improvements in standards across theBorough. In partnership with our schools we have developed a Support and Challenge policy that outlinesprocedures and criteria for identifying and supporting schools in challenging circumstances and those causingconcern. Schools are identified and categorised on the basis of quantitative and qualitative indicators that enablesthe school improvement team to differentiate its challenge, support and interventions according to need.

1.4.2 Detailed analysis of data and performance information is a key element to identification ofunderperforming schools and groups. Through the BSF ICT Managed Service we will enhance the capabilities fordata collection, analysis and exchange.

1.4.3 As a pilot LA for School Improvement Partners we have fully embraced the programme to giveenhanced support and robust challenge to all our schools. Whilst all our School Improvement Officers areaccredited School Improvement Partners (SIPs) we have added to our team an experienced group of external SIPswith recent Headship experience to further develop our capacity. Regular meetings between SIPs and LA officersensure a good overview of areas and priorities for improvement that can be aligned to the deployment of appropriatesupport to meet these challenges. SIPs have been kept abreast of BSF proposals and have been asked to workalongside Heads to ensure that school BSF change strategies are correctly matched to need and priorities forimprovement.

1.4.4 Although Witton Park Community High School performs well in comparison to other community schoolsin the Borough at KS4 (59% 5A*-C) less than 30% of pupils attain 5A*-C when including the English and Maths.Past leadership issues at the school have been addressed vigorously by the LA with the support of the GoverningBody. A new Headteacher was appointed early in 2007 and the recent Ofsted inspection endorsed her effective

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leadership. The school is already moving away from an over reliance on achieving vocational qualifications andinstead developing appropriate personalised pathways moving towards a gold standard for English and Maths.The new Head has a strong background in SEN and has prioritised the school moving towards developing childrensproficiency in cognitive academic language with the support of the authoritys English as an Additional LanguageTeam. In addition the schools senior management team has been restructured and several key teaching staff havebeen appointed to focus specifically on increasing attainment in core subjects. New staff are supported by targetedLA consultancy. Targets set for 2007/8 are above the current floor target of 30%. LA intervention teams provideadditional support to the school to ensure alignment of individual pupil level targets with plans that will deliverattainment in core skills. As an active member of the informal federation of secondary schools within the Borough,the Education Improvement Partnership, Witton Park will also benefit from the specialist advice available fromPleckgate Maths and Computing College.

1.4.6 The authority is prepared to make difficult decisions and challenge effectively as seen with BlakewaterCollege, opened as a Fresh Start School in 2005, replacing Queens Park High School, which had a history ofunderperformance. Improvement in pupils achievement has been transformational with the proportion obtaining fiveor more GCSE A*-C grades rising from 11% in 2004 to 68% in 2007. Following a series of very successful HMImonitoring visits the school had a full section 5 inspection in April 2007 reporting that in its two years of existencethe school had made outstanding progress. We recognise that Trust status for Blakewater would provide a clearmessage to parents and the wider community that this is a school that will be markedly different from itspredecessor and that this will help sustain the rising trend in standards and levels of achievement.

1.4.6 As a concrete step towards establishing the LA as a commissioner of education we are supporting theEducation Improvement Partnership to develop their role as a robust school improvement partnership. The EIPworks collaboratively to address underachievement through sharing resources, facilities and expertise as wellproviding challenge when appropriate. A practical example of this approach has been the involvement of twoHeadteachers in recent SIP compatibility conversations on behalf on all member schools. As the Partnershipmatures we anticipate that it will increasingly reflect Trust arrangements with specific functions being delegated fromthe local authority including a range of school improvement functions.

1.5 How will the authority deliver personalised learning to ensure that every pupil is fully stretchedand can access a broad curriculum that best suits their needs and talents?

1.5.1 Personalisation of services for all citizens in Blackburn with Darwen is one of our key council priorities.

Personalisation is about providing all citizens with the best access to the right opportunities and services at a timeand place that meets their needs. This extends to those services for children, young people and their families tosecure the five outcomes for all. ICT will play a central role in delivering our vision of a borough wide collaborativeapproach to personalised learning and access to personalised services to the wider community.

1.5.2 Central to this philosophy is our drive to develop a transformational pathway to a curriculum that willmeet the needs of the individual and align with the National Secondary Strategy. We welcome the QCAs advocacyof the recognition for the development of a curriculum that builds knowledge and understanding, skills and abilitiesand attitudes and attributes. Our vision is that these three elements should not be seen as distinct or exclusive butrather should combine to provide exciting learning opportunities for all, promoting the use of critical thinking skills,problem solving and collaborative project based learning. Such ways of working are vital in developing a skilledworkforce of the future that will increase the prosperity of the Borough as a whole. However we acknowledge thatmany schools are still offering a relatively traditional knowledge based curriculum and that we are at the start of a

journey of transformation. Through BSF we aim to accelerate the journey along a transformation pathway reflectedin individual school strategy for change plans. These will inform the design specifications for accommodation andlearning environments that can be used to deliver different curriculum designs in the future as schools travel alongthis pathway.

1.5.3 Personalised learning underpins the successful delivery of our BSF Strategy for Change. The EIP hasidentified personalised learning as its key collaborative priority. The Boroughs strong Assessment for Learningplatform established through our NCSL networks and the secondary strategy leadership team will continue todevelop. A strong Action For Learning network comprising of senior staff under the direction of the EIP will drivedevelopments across our schools at a strategic level including co-ordinating the work of subject networks to developand share good practice within their curriculum areas. Our BSF managed ICT service will enhance the work to dateand will enable the transfer and storage of information within and between our schools to assist with the process ofindividual target setting. There will be continuous access to performance assessment information via ICT systems

and feedback to children and their parents that will enable a review progress and inform future learning goals.Pastoral structures will be re-aligned to in-corporate the principal of learning guides and all school designs willincorporate suites of smaller rooms to facilitate counselling and swift interventions to address areas of concern and

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need as soon as they arise. This will include the deployment of multi agency teams to support learners and theirfamilies beyond the classroom.

1.5.4 BSF ICT investments will facilitate a pedagogical transformation which will transfer the ownership oflearning to the pupil. Individual pupils will have control over:

When they learn: Learning will not be limited to the opening times of a normal school day Where they learn: Pupils will be able to access learning in a variety of physical locations and specialist

environments What they learn: The freedoms and flexibilities available through KS3 reform and 14-19 strategy,

including the new diplomas, will allow us to broaden the curriculum offer for pupils and to place greateremphasis upon competence and skills-led learning. ICT will facilitate this by providing access to arange of learning activities such as modelling and simulation as well as to a breadth of resources

Who they learn with: ICT will allow pupils to work collaboratively, not only with their peers but acrosstheir school, other learning establishments, the borough and the wider community

How they learn: ICT-rich learning environments will enable students to access learning opportunitiesthrough a wide variety of media and situations thus allowing a match to preferred learning styles, as wellas access to appropriate media to access and capture learning.

1.5.5 To support these developments BSF will deliver a coherent and consistently high quality ICT

infrastructure across all schools which will support a variety of access devices, and a high quality Learning Platformwhich will enable schools to provide greater and more flexible access beyond their normal physical learning spaceand school hours. The Learning Platform will also host collaborative learning tools which will enable learning acrossschool boundaries. Tools such as video- conferencing will enable teaching and learning to be shared within theauthority and beyond.

1.5.6 Effective communication plays a vital role in enabling parental involvement and support for childrenslearning. The web based learning platform will, together with other means of digital communication such as mobilephones, enhance communications between parents, with parents being able to select their preferred method oflinking with the school. Parents will be able to access information on attendance, behaviour and achievementsthrough a range of mobile devices. Complementing the use of ICT, through the development of extended schoolsarrangements each school will develop parental engagement programmes supporting their own learning as well astheir childs.

1.5.7 Appropriate professional development activities to support the use of ICT in the development ofinnovative teaching and learning will be delivered using the expertise of the E Learning Service who will continue towork alongside school staff in their own learning environment thus enabling specific needs of schools to be fulfilled.This will be crucial when investigating and using innovative technologies across the full range of school specialisms.The CLCs will be the test ground for trials of innovative approaches to learning using ICT, making use of emergingtechnologies. This work will build upon the trials and projects already underway e.g. the mobile learning projectwhich is giving individual pupil access to technology anytime and anywhere, thus enabling personalisation learning.

1.6 How will the authority ensure the effective delivery of the 14-19 entitlement in partnership withlocal LSCs and local FE providers?

1.6.1 Our Area Wide Inspection in 2005 resulted in an agreed 14-19 Action Plan signed up to by all partners

including the LSC, schools, FE and WBL providers, Connexions and the LA. In December 2005 the Governments14-19 Implementation plan was published. This plan entailed a review of the Boroughs action plan, particularly interms of timescales. The Boroughs 14-19 Partnership is now working to the Implementation Plan timescales(Annex 1H). The partnership has a Strategy Group and three sub-groups addressing curriculum, achievement andIAG. Each of the sub-groups is chaired by a member of the 14-19 Strategy Group. All partnership groups meetmonthly. The 14-19 Partnership is committed to developing the full 14-19 entitlement for all of its students. Thepartnership has a proven track record of developing new provision through pre and post-16 providers workingtogether. The partnership has delivered successful programmes including vocational, applied and re-engagementprogrammes.

1.6.2 The LA & LSC have enjoyed a lengthy period of productive collaboration. The LSC are high levelpartners within the successful Local Strategic Partnership. They are key players within the Local Public ServiceBoard and have supported priority areas of focus within the LAA (NEET & worklessness) as well as supporting the

LA in setting up an apprenticeship programme for vulnerable NEET young people including care leavers. ThePartnership has commissioned a cross sector audit of accommodation and capacity to deliver subject specialisms,vocational and applied learning opportunities, coordinated by the LSC. The outcomes of this audit will inform theprioritisation of investment through BSF, LSC and other funding streams going forward to ensure effective access by

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young people to appropriate learning environments and resources. We are currently exploring with the LSCopportunities to utilise LSC capital alongside proposed change of use for our two city learning centres. We will beusing CLCs increasingly to provide flexible learning spaces to deliver Diplomas, functional skills and critical thinkingskills.

1.6.3 The Boroughs 14-19 Strategy Group is chaired by the local FE college principal, the 14-19 Head ofService role is funded by the LSC and LA and the LSC and LA meet regularly to review strategy and progress. TheLSC are supportive of and engaged with BSF developments in the Borough and have pledged support via alignmentof capital funding. In addition, the Strategy Group has discussed and actively engaged with our new post-16provision, the Darwen Academy, and Our Lady and St Johns sixth form presumption. The group aims to ensurethat wherever new provision is developed that it compliments and enhances existing provision.

1.6.4 The partnership has a successful platform on which to build the 14-19 entitlement. The 14-19partnership has collaborated to date to provide a curriculum offer for September 2007, all schools and post-16providers have contributed to provide a broad range of vocational and applied learning opportunities, YoungApprenticeships in engineering and construction, re-engagement programmes (Year 11 Project), a vocational centreproviding construction and health & social care programmes and quality assurance policies under-pinning allpartnership programmes.

1.6.5 Plans are in place to develop our 14-19 entitlement by 2013. All stakeholders within the 14-19

Partnership have assigned lead roles. The partnerships sub-groups are chaired by pre and post-16 leaders whoshare an ambition to broaden and enhance existing provision in order for young people to enjoy and achieve moresuccessfully than at present. The curriculum offer will be implemented collaboratively in September 2007 provides abroad range of vocational, applied and re-engagement programmes that are provided as an offer to all of oursecondary schools. The offer is provided by schools themselves, Blackburn College, Training 2000, our vocationalcentre and St Marys college. This framework will be built upon year on year, increasing the breadth and range ofprogrammes. It provides a collaborative curriculum that will enable all young people to build a personalisedcurriculum that is responsive to their needs and enables them to reach their potential. The framework will be under-pinned by common systems processes and procedures, developed through the 14-19 partnership. Head teachersare committed to developing an approach to timetable synergy to enable effective diploma delivery and to achieve abroader range of provision available to all young people.

1.6.6 As far as possible, access to provision will be based locally to the student to enable them to physically

access facilities and resources. Where this is not possible (due to limited student uptake or to lack of suitable localprovision) transport solutions and remote access solutions will be created. Over 400 students per year already travelto learn as part of the existing 14-19 partnership between schools and post-16 providers. Where travel issues areunable to be resolved we will look to implement ICT solutions to facilitate remote access. A key feature will be theuse of ICT as a facilitator to create virtual learning communities. A learning platform, video conferencing, videotransmission of lessons, pod casting and learning fora will enable students to remotely access learning as well asaccessing teacher and peer support. The enhanced communications which will be demanded in the newspecification, combined with the commitment to increased home access, will enable students to access and submitwork on an anytime/anywhere basis, facilitated by a system of single sign on. A key factor will be the studentsability to fully access their ICT toolkit of files, contacts and applications remotely. Intervention funding will be used toenable students to access support by providing on-line help to students outside the normal school day.

1.6.7 All schools have developed a vision for the future including agreeing, as a collaborative, which

specialisms they will focus on in future years. Their specialist ambitions will be reflected in each schools curriculumoffer, specifically in terms of diploma leads. We have a number of development groups in place to develop thediplomas and the broader sector areas. Several of the groups have already been successful in applying throughthe diploma gateway. Our intention is that BSF will provide specialist vocational and applied facilities that will addand compliment those already in place within our 14-19 partnership. Our schools specialist ambitions includetraining schools that will align with workforce development priorities. The Darwen Academy development aims tocompliment and add to existing specialist provision.

1.6.8 Our approach to the development of our first phase of diplomas exemplifies how we will ensure thesuccess of the new qualifications by linking them to specialist expertise within our partnership. Our category onediploma in engineering, due to begin delivery in 2008 is co-led by a deputy head teacher from Darwen ValeEngineering Specialist school and a curriculum leader from Blackburn College. They are supported by managersfrom Training 2000. Training 2000, an Engineering CoVE. This partnership approach to development will continue

as we move forward with other diploma lines.

1.6.9 During 2006/7 the LA adopted a commissioning approach to the provision of advice and guidance. TheConnexions Service is now delivered by CXL Ltd under a commissioning arrangement. The Connexions Service

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commission is closely aligned with similar arrangements for providing the youth offer through the Youth Service andRecreation and Play services. This approach allows us to ensure that the provision of advice and guidance isappropriate to our plans for 14-19 year olds. The delivery of advice and guidance to support the 14-19 curriculum isbeing developed through the 14-19 IAG sub-group. This group is chaired by the Strategic Operations Manager ofthe Connexions Service in Blackburn with Darwen. The group is working on a number of priorities including:

Development of an individual learning plan for all students. A number of ILP models have been trialledand evaluated

An area wide prospectus, the first version of which is available on-line at www.steps4me.co.uk Ensuring that all students have an individual discussion with a lead professional at KS3 to determine

their KS4/5 pathway Training to support lead professionals The development of IAG resources to support Year 10/11 decision making The development of additional resources at Year 10 & 11 to provide additional one to one support.

1.6.10 The proposed BSF ICT infrastructure will supplement the direct advice and guidance available throughpersonal tutors, schools and Connexions by further enhancing and developing IAG materials. All students will havethe facility to access an information and guidance package (e.g. Fast Tomato), an on-line individual learning planand an area wide prospectus linked to our Childrens Services Directory. Pupils will be able to access theirindividual learning plan and their e-portfolio of work from any site they attend.

1.6.11 Our partnership has an impressive track record of involving the post-16 sector in delivering programmesto 14-16 year olds. Existing practice in the delivery of Young Apprenticeships, the vocational centre and othervocational programmes stand us in good stead to deliver the 14-19 entitlement. Out first Diploma applications weresuccessful and featured schools, Blackburn College, Training 2000 and St Marys College working closely togetherutilising specialist knowledge, experience and facilities. The FE sector have been proactive and enthusiasticpartners in the reduction of NEET, the increase in the % of young people continuing in learning post-16 and havecollaborated with a range of partners to improve retention in post-16 learning. The development of our first Diplomaapplications demonstrates how our pre and post-16 partners can work in partnership to produce new programmes tosupport increased achievement and participation.

1.6.12 The requirements of the 14-19 strategy will be reflected in the output specification for ICT. Multi-site,multi-agency delivery requires pupil attendance, attainment and assessment information to be accessible and

amendable at the point of curriculum delivery. It also requires that registration of attendance and accessibility tobenefit entitlements (e.g. Free School Meals) are transferable between sites. The MIS also needs to be accessibleremotely to enable assessment and performance data and target-setting information from each site to be collatedcentrally and made available from a single source to pupils, parents and teachers in accordance with theHarnessing Technology requirements. Working with our ICT Managed Service Provider and the FE sector we willinvestigate delivery options for a fully integrated ICT system across all 14-19 providers.

1.6.13 The 14-19 Partnership is committed to ensuring that there is a clear post-16 progression pathway foreach student. Our most recent 14-19 Progress Check has identified achievement of level 2 & 3 qualifications by 19as the key area for improvement. Blackburn with Darwen has recently been identified as a NEET hot-spot area.Consequently we are developing a range of pre-e2e programmes to help support young people back into learning.The proposed Foundation Learning Tier development will be helpful as it spans 14-19 enabling us to join up KS4re-engagement with e2e and pre-e2e activities. Our vision ensures that all learning pre-16 has clear progression

routes into post-16 learning. Through a fully personalised approach we will understand young peoples learningneeds and via the electronic individual learning plan map their progression through to 19. This, together withaccurate labour market information, will allow us to effectively predict demand for post-16 learning and review andrevise existing provision accordingly. The proposed funding reforms will allow the LA to take a more strategic viewof learning to 19 and fund programmes accordingly.

1.6.14 The above strategies are designed to improve staying on rates and stop the outward migration of pupilsto post 16 provision outside of the Borough. They will also impact directly upon standards by providing a moreappropriate and engaging curriculum for all, but particularly for those currently underachieving or struggling toengage.

1.7 Ensuring Effective Integration of Education and Other Services Through Every Child Matters:

1.7.1 Schools across Blackburn with Darwen are central to the authoritys integration agenda now and into thefuture. Darwen Vale High School has been a pathfinder full service extended school since late 2004. The launch ofthe PATH centre (Pupil Advice That Helps) on site in January 2005 was a major achievement as a multi-agencyproject promoting health and well being for teenagers. Through BSF we will ensure that all secondary schools will be

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able to offer Extended Services Plus by 2016. The range and nature of those extended services and the addedvalue that BSF will bring to delivering the Every Child Matters integrated childrens services agenda is informed bythe authoritys strategic priorities for children and young peoples and the wider community.

1.7.2 Cooperation between local partners to deliver the outcomes defined in the Children Act is securedthrough the Blackburn with Darwen Children and Young Peoples Strategic Partnership (C&YPSP). Membership ofthe C&YPSP includes the Councils integrated Childrens Services, other statutory agencies including PCT, HealthAuthority and Police, together with the voluntary sector, Youth MP, private sector, and representatives of theInterfaith Council. The Partnerships strategic plans are outlined in the Children and Young Peoples Plan (CYPP).The C&YPSPs vision is to create a place to live where every child and young person can be happy, successful,healthy and safe, and contribute to the communities in which they live, learn and plan. BSF has been identifiedwithin the revised plan as a key vehicle for the delivery of improved outcomes in the future.

1.7.3 The BSF Strategy for Change is directed by the 25 priorities outlined in the CYPP which are informed bysignificant engagement and consultation with children and young people together with a range of national prioritiesand linked performance indicators including those identified in the Local Area Agreement. Members of thePartnership have been fully engaged in the development of the Strategy for Change through its various developmentgroups. The PCT are represented on the BSF Project Board by their Chief Executive.

1.7.4 A BSF Strategic Planning Group has been established to address the specific issue of strategic sport

and culture provision in the Borough. The group is chaired by the Chief Executive of the County Sports Partnership,Lancashire Sport, and includes the Headteacher of the Specialist Sport College, the authoritys Director of Culture,Sport and Leisure, a representative from Sport England, the Head of cultural and library services and senior officerresponsible for PE curriculum development within Childrens Services. The County Sports Partnership facilitates andco-ordinate dialogue with Sports Governing Bodies. Discussions with the Football Association are already underwayto align funding streams. A strategic review of the Boroughs culture and leisure provision highlighted the gaps in thesupply of such facilities in meeting the demands of citizens. We are aware however that the recommendations ofthis report are aspirational, subject to further consultation and many reliant on securing additional funding. Fourschool sites have been identified as managed leisure facilities, which will not only deliver school aspirations but alsodeliver a variety of sport and physical activities for the community. Through BSF investment, all our schools will beable to deliver community access to facilities for a variety of purposes including sport, arts, IT and adult learning. Wealso have clear aspirations for the development of a sports village on one of our BSF investment sites,complementing existing sports and leisure strategic developments within the Borough.

1.7.5 Our aspirations for extended services, funded through other complementary funding streams alsoinclude the development of library facilities at two sites, theatre space at our performing arts college, a swimmingpool at the East Blackburn school site and an events space with 10 court sports hall at one site. All sites will provideexhibition space for art and museum displays providing the opportunity to take culture to the community. We willalso look to promote public art at our BSF investment sites.

1.7.6 A number of visioning/consultation exercises have been undertaken with schools, identifying individualand collaborative requirements for the delivery of a much broader and innovative PE and school sport curriculum.Schools are agreed that with the support of the School Sports Partnership, Culture Sports and Leisure development,Extended Schools Service and the Sports and Physical Activity Alliance (SPAA), they will work towards the deliveryof five hours participation by pupils in sport and physical activity.

1.7.7 Through a visioning and consultation process schools have highlighted aspirations to workcollaboratively to develop centres of excellence for school sport in designated sports such as; athletics, basketball,badminton, cricket, football, handball, hockey, netball, trampolining, table tennis, tennis and dance. Through BSFinvestment, facilities at designated schools will be developed in partnership with governing bodies of sport and localpartners to support this development. There is also the aspiration that one school will be developed as a centre ofexcellence for disability sport. As part of its Strategy for Change, Tauheedul Islam Girls School plans to developsport, physical activity and health related fitness provision accessible to women and will target activities at thefemale Asian community who traditionally have very low participation rates in sport and physical activity.

1.7.8 BSF will ensure that all secondary schools achieve and sustain the national Healthy School Status andthe more demanding local Healthy Schools standard through the provision of appropriate facilities, environment andservices. This will include the development of kitchen and dining facilities that will promote healthy eating and meetthe food standards in place.

1.7.9 All BSF sites will be developed to provide access to high quality youth drop in facilities, open in theevenings and weekends, providing more opportunities for young people to be engaged in active citizenship andincreased levels of engagement with identified individuals, leading to further reductions in levels of crime and anti-

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strategy is detailed in the Authoritys Inclusion Strategy which is championed by the Assistant Director for Accessand Inclusion. Our commitment to offering diversity, choice, access and personalised provision extends to some ofour most vulnerable children and young people, those with SEN. ICT will enhance and help to enable this provision.This will be through individual access devices, the content and functionality of the Learning Platform and throughspecific assistive technologies.

1.8.2 Our partner schools are totally committed to sharing responsibility for all children within the Boroughincluding those with special needs and would ideally like to work towards all children with SEN supported inmainstream schools. Over the past 8 years we have moved from a position with too many Special Schools within theBorough, and too many children in these schools, to one where greater numbers of children are supported withinmainstream schools. Rationalising provision has only been the start and the Authority continues to innovate.

1.8.3 The majority of children and young people with Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD) will be fullysupported in mainstream and additionally resourced settings. However the consultation process has revealed thatthere is still a strong demand for specialist school provision for some young people with more complex ModerateLearning Difficulties. Current trends of parental preference indicate that an MLD special school should aim to caterfor a roll of fifty to sixty pupils. In line with our long term goal of a fully inclusive service we will establish a co-locatedCrosshill MLD school onto the new East Blackburn school site. Through our BSF proposals we will establish tworesourced settings. Witton Park will be a resourced school for children with Complex Needs and OLSJ for those withAutistic Spectrum Disorder.

1.8.4 Our model assumes that all young people with additional needs should be given the opportunity toattend the school of their choice receiving support from resourced settings as appropriate. There is not anassumption that young people with a specific need will be channelled into an appropriate resourced setting. Specialschools and resourced settings will champion the needs of all pupils with SEN and will be centres of excellence,supporting networked schools which will also cater for young people with a spectrum of additional learning needs.All our High schools will use BSF funding to ensure DDA compliance.

1.8.5 Our long term goal is that all children and young people with Social, Emotional & Behavioural Difficulties(SEBD) will also be fully supported in mainstream settings whilst being able to access a specialist curriculumresource, managed together with our highly effective Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) on the site released by the relocationof Crosshill. Under BSF proposals, the PRU will have greater capacity and extend its strengths in behaviourmanagement, personalised learning, positive ethos, good use of ICT, calm working atmosphere and good

networking. It will operate under a hub and spoke model where some pupils will be based at the new centre butothers will be supported in off site locations. A strong feature will be 14 19 opportunities with vocational optionsand supporting pupils following diploma lines, promoting improved attendance and behaviour. The movement of thePRU into the heart of our learning community from its current, relatively isolated setting, will facilitate access to abroader range of educational opportunities, personalised according to individual need within our family of schoolsand other relevant settings including work based learning and Further Education. The current Crosshill site alsolends itself to the development of specialist vocational facilities that can be accessed by pupils across the Borough,re-enforcing our philosophy of integration and inclusion.

1.8.6 Our SEN Regional Adviser has been apprised of the Boroughs Inclusive Strategy on his visits and hehas been supportive of our approach. He has verified our trend data and in his report noted the progress made insuccessfully reducing special school places without any parental opposition evidenced in the low number of referralsto the SEN tribunal.

1.8.7 Blackburn with Darwen will champion the individual e-learning and communication needs of all childrenby adapting and adjusting technologies as appropriate. Through the use of a full range of inclusive technology weaim to promote the presence, participation and achievement of all pupils by identifying and removing barriers forlearners especially those who may be at risk of exclusion, marginalisation or underachievement. Delivering inclusionwill be a major factor in the determining investment in ICT, commissioning managed ICT services that meet theneeds ofallchildren, young people and their families.

1.8.8 Consultation with secondary schools with regard to BSF and inclusion has been through specificmeetings with key schools and through the Education Improvement Partnership. The EIP have identified, as apriority, the need to use BSF as an opportunity to work in partnership with the LA to re-evaluate their collectiveprovision for young people with additional learning needs and in particular addressing behaviour and attendanceissues. Bespoke curriculum arrangements to meet the needs of disengaged young people, including those with

poor behaviour and attendance records are already being piloted in the partnership, and BSF provides theopportunity to formally integrate such aspects of our work into our long term strategic planning. Whilstacknowledging that a personalised curriculum regularly reviewed to reflect changing need is a powerful influence inimproving behaviour and attendance, through BSF we will explore design features that have the potential to impact

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positively in this area namely:

The removal of hidden areas that impede effective adult supervision including washrooms and toiletfacilities

The development of wider corridors that prevent jostling and bustling between lessons The strategic location of staff offices and work areas around the school Dedicated spaces for pupil support services Adequate recreational and social areas both inside and outside the building that encourage young

people to site during breaks and lunch times Good canteen facilities providing healthy meals Rooms with good acoustics, particularly appropriate for a borough with a high percentage of EAL

learners

1.8.9 The Authority is exploring a proposal to appoint a leader with responsibility for overseeing the education,achievement and personal development of children in our care within the structure of a virtual school. Running intandem with this would be the development a mentoring scheme in partnership with the Princes Trust to providefurther support for this group of vulnerable learners. The ICT Managed Services will play a key part in the success ofa virtual school supporting speedy and effective communications between child, school, virtual school and carers.

1.8.10 Our strategy for identifying under achieving groups is set within the context of school and Borough wide

self evaluation. Self-evaluation, underpinned by an analysis of local and national data sets indicates significantunder performance in our High Schools by Pakistani male heritage learners, males from deprived white UKbackgrounds and Children in our Care. Our children and young peoples plans and 14-19 strategies include a rangeof interventions to address the needs of these specific groups. At Darwen Vale High school an additional mentoring,literacy and PSE programme has been established and part funded by the LA to support a cohort of white boys withplans to role out good practice and lessons learnt across all schools. At Beardwood High School the LA hasfinanced a Mirapuri speaking mentor to support a group of Pakistani learners and their parents, and to developfurther links with supplementary schools including the development of a homework Centre. Four of our HighSchools are also engaged in the National Strategies EAL project. BSF plans will impact positively on these groupsby:

Developing a broader range of curriculum choice in a state of the art learning environment that will engageand motivate learners to achieve the best of which they are capable

Developing a range of extended services on school sites that will support learners and their families beyondthe classroom

Extending ICT facilities to provide a more flexible any where, any time learning route bespoke to individual

need

The development of more responsive information and guidance systems underpinned by the concept of alearning guide responsible for monitoring and guiding learners

The development of generic teaching areas for year 7 pupils to ease the KS 2/3 transition for some of ourmost vulnerable learners

The development of flexible learning areas within schools, including smaller teaching areas to facilitate thedelivery of targeted interventions. To identify in all High schools an intervention manager to co-ordinatework in this area and to develop further the concept of intervention lead teachers in both English and Maths

Promoting curriculum models through our network learning communities and consultant deployment thatemphasise the functional applications of Maths and Literacy, so increasing motivation to learn in real lifecontexts.

1.8.11 Developing a shared understanding of the concepts and principles of personalised learning andstrategies to put these principles into practice underpin our work to cater for the needs of Gifted and Talented youngpeople. The recently established Gifted and Talented network learning community has produced guidance forschools outlining policy, principles and procedures for identifying and meeting the needs of Gifted and Talentedyoung people. As part of the annual cycle of self evaluation all high schools will adopt the National QualityStandards for Gifted and Talented Education with an ambition for all schools to be exemplary. We believe that BSFproposals will impact positively on Gifted and Talented children by:

Promoting the principle of entry for external examinations at a stage of readiness rather than by age. Thedevelopment of this principle will allow our High Schools to offer increased breadth and depth of study at KS4. Our BSF proposals plan to include an offer in all High schools to deliver, in partnership with post 16providers, level 3 programmes for able pupils

Developing the current good practice in a number of our High Schools to provide summer schools, linked tospecialism, for Gifted and Talented pupils spanning key stages 2 and 3

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Developing the use of ICT to promote independent learning and enquiry that will extend opportunities andraise the aspirations of Gifted and Talented young people. Personalised learning will be facilitated using theLearning Platform to deliver appropriate activities and resources to pupils in order to meet their individuallearning needs, including access to an individual device 24/7. These functionalities combined with mediatechnologies, such as video conferencing, will also provide G&T pupils with a broader learning experienceby providing a wider range of learning opportunities.

1.9 Change Management Strategies to Achieve the Authoritys BSF Vision (Including CPD andWorkforce Remodelling)

1.9.1 The authority has a strong record of leading and delivering significant transformational programmes. Atthe heart of the success has been the adoption of a comprehensive approach to change management. In responseto the ECM integration agenda the authority has built on the success of a strategic approach to school workforcetransformation and put in place a strategic childrens workforce development team. The BSF Team will work with theSchool Improvement Service and the School Workforce Development Team, supported where necessary byexternal advisors. The vehicle to facilitate the effective implementation of the change management strategy willoperate at two levels:

1.9.1.1 Individual school level:Change management will be supported through BSF School TransformationTeams, under the leadership of the BSF Leader of Learning Transformation, building on the successful change

team model adopted by many schools to facilitate and enable the remodelling process. Teams have beenestablished in all schools and are cross cutting, involving a broad range of school stakeholders including the fullrange of staff currently employed in school. They will work to finalise and implement the individual School Strategyfor Change plans. The LA will support these teams to ensure the change management process is embedded andaligns with the borough-wide vision. In addition external advisers will support individual schools as and whenappropriate. Moving forward individual schools will establish Design Teams, again engaging a range ofstakeholders, to translate the strategy for change into design and ICT output specifications.

1.9.1.2 Collaborative of Schools:The LA has worked with the Education Improvement Partnership to developa structure for decision making and development. This structure supports collaborative working across schoolpractitioners and other agencies to contribute to the development of specific areas of the LAs BSF Strategy forChange. Each group is being supported by the BSF Leader of Learning Transformation to develop its own changemanagement plan. Activities to support change management as the programme develops include an on-going

programme of seminars and conferences exploring different elements of the transformational agenda andspecifically delivering effective change management to secure transformation.

1.9.1.3 Local authority level: The local social partnership (Workforce Development Group) has been extendedto include a wider range of stakeholders and its remit redefined and agreed on order to reflect the BSF changeagenda. Sub groups have been formed to look at some of the key change management issues affecting staff atschool level.Key dimensions underpinning the delivery at authority level are organisational development, workforceplanning, workforce remodelling, continuous professional development, recruitment and retentionandperformancemanagementThe Change Management Plan will build on existing effective practice and develop it in order to deliverour vision for BSF.

1.9.2 In order to deliver the requirements of BSF, we will need to gather comprehensive and accuratebaseline data in order to profile the makeup of the current workforce. This will de done through the implementation

of a bespoke on line package, purchased for all schools to use, which will provide individual, school, and LA levelworkforce analysis data. We will gather strategic workforce data on the knowledge and skills available in the localand regional market to support meeting the delivery of BSF, and consider providing opportunities for those with keyskills to be equipped to move into the childrens workforce.We will employ a range of strategies to ensure that wehave the right people, with the right skills, at the right time to meet future needs of the BSF programme. We willmonitor and evaluate the impact of workforce plans to ensure that it delivers the desired outcomes for children,young people, families and communities.

1.9.3 We will consolidate and develop existing successful strategies around the Transformation of the SchoolWorkforce, by establishing a strong vision of the direction of travel and clear processes for communication andengagement and building ownership of change through establishing a shared vision and transparent changeprocess, with clear boundaries and focus. This will be done through the embedding of transformation teams atschools and LA level which reflect the make up of the current and future school community

1.9.4 In order to deliver BSF we need to ensure that high quality staff are recruited through robust andtransparentrecruitment process. We plan to establish a high quality supply agency, where staff are paid to nationalpay scale and provided with access to professional development opportunities.We will promote Blackburn with

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Darwen schools as employers of choice within the local community and provide information on routes toemployment including raising the profile locally through childrens workforce open days providing information on jobopportunities in all sectors and training routes. We will work with partner agencies to develop a range of strategiesand measures to attract and retain staff, for example in key hard to recruit areas or under represented groups

1.9.5 In order to deliver BSF we will need to establish a baseline of knowledge, skills and attitudes in order todetermine the gap between the current position and what is required for the future. This will de done through theimplementation of a bespoke on line TNA package purchased for all schools to use, which will provide individual,school, and LA data.We will use a wide range of high quality learning and development opportunities, appropriatelymatched to identified needs and preferred learning styles. This will be identified through the use of an on line CPDAudit Tool which has been developed and piloted with one secondary school in t