ATTAINMENT AND THE ECM AGENDA

Some children and young people tell us that they want to be happy and do well in school and to have more things to do after school and at weekends. Some of them say that they feel pressured by peers, parents
and schools.

Investing in learning is a top priority for us not only because of the personal satisfaction that learning can bring but also because of the link that exists between learning and life chances. This link is clearer than it has ever been, with a widening gap between those who have benefited from learning and those who have not.

Educational achievement is often the passport to personal and economic well-being and this is why it is such a high priority for us in Sunderland. It is why we are committed to working together to ensure that every child and young person can achieve their potential and this includes encouraging our children and young people to make the most of their talents and aptitudes in vocational, technical, caring and craft skills. We will provide them with the support they need to make the most of their abilities and to aim to be the very best at what they do.

We provide high quality learning environments for our children and young people and we have made rapid
progress in recent years in raising standards. In national tests at 7 and 11 we have achieved the best ever results in our schools. More and more young people are achieving 5 A* - C and above at GCSE and the vast majority of our young people are continuing in full time education or training beyond 16 –almost 90%. The performance of our young people following A Level programmes has been amongst the best in the country in recent years and many of our young people now progress to higher education. When inspected, our schools, work-based learning providers and college do well - a high number of them are judged to be good or outstanding.

We are working in close partnership with our schools and other providers of learning to integrate the Every Child Matters agenda with the imperative to raise standards, evidenced in our plans and strategies. The School improvement Service and other key local authority officers are working with schools and other providers, as key stakeholders, to ensure that children and young people benefit from strategic and collaborative plans that deliver the 5 outcomes.

By 2009 we will:

Increase the number of schools with Healthy School status

• Continue to champion healthy eating and commit to meeting government standards in all compulsory settings
• Deliver the anti-bullying strategy in schools and other settings
• Champion the anti-bullying charter mark
• Continue to raise standards for all across the educational system
• Increase the number of young people staying on in education or training beyond 16
• Target our especially vulnerable young people and put in place the support they need to achieve
• Rebuild those secondary schools in phase 1 of BSF
• Have 3 Sunderland model academies
• Review provision for children and young people with special and additional educational needs and ensure that it meets current and anticipated future demand
• Carry out a review of school places Establish an educational improvement partnership with schools and other key partners to drive the ECM agenda
• Have 18 Children’s Centres in place to deliver integrated and localitybased services to children and families