Stockport Labour’s Education lead, Cllr Dean Fitzpatrick has praised the work of Stockport’s Continuing Education Service for ‘strident improvements’ made inside just three years.
The Continuing Education Service aims include helping learners from Stockport and Greater Manchester’s priority groups to increase their confidence, skills and qualifications to help them to gain employment; to contribute to reducing youth unemployment by targeting provision to 18 – 24 year olds; and, to help learners from the Service’s priority groups to take part in volunteering and to make a positive contribution to their community.
To improve levels of performance inherited from the previous administration, Labour quickly moved the adult education service into the education portfolio soon after May 2016, and Cllr fitzpatrick led an improvement board to examine ways to turn the service around.
This challenged the service to focus on its work on supporting people experiencing the greatest challenges, barriers to skills and to meet the needs and aspirations of learners. Other aims included helping learners economic and personal wellbeing, and to deliver value for money for the people of Stockport.
Within just two years under Labour control, and following an Ofsted inspection in March 2018, Ofsted said the service was now “Good” in all areas.
In addition, the Continuing Education Service has also won a Green Gown Award in the ‘Benefitting Society’ category of the for its collaboration between Adult Learning and a Third Sector organisation with specialist experience in supporting individuals recovering from addiction dependency.
Commenting, Cllr Dean Fitzpatrick said:
“I cannot emphasise the difference these strident improvements will make and are already making to peoples’ lives. In the last three years, hundreds of Stockport residents have been supported into positive destinations.
“The staff have done a great job of rising to the challenges identified in 2016. They truly deserve the recognition and thanks they have received for doing so.
“There’s always more to do; however, we have seen a great start here despite the challenging financial background Local Government has faced in recent times.
“Our ambition has always been for the Continuing Education Service to be officially graded Outstanding by Ofsted, and I am confident we can achieve this.
“I look forward to continuing to work with everyone in the Service to make this fantastic offer for Stockport residents even better.”
Ofsted do not make political statements, however the difference a Labour-led Administration is making to the service is clear from the language used in Ofsted’s reports.
In 2016, at the close of Liberal Democrat control, Ofsted said the service “Requires improvement” in all areas. The 2016 Ofsted report concluded, “Council leaders and senior managers do not challenge the service’s senior managers sufficiently to bring about secure improvements”…and…”Managers have not developed effective plans to recruit learners from…priority groups across all the provision, and consequently too few unemployed learners or learners on low pay benefit from the courses.” (Ofsted, May 2016). The report also found a miss-match between the formal qualifications offered and learners aspirations, which left ‘Learners… not prepared sufficiently well for employment’.”(Ibid)
However, after less than two years of Labour control, the March 2018 Ofsted report found the had made a comprehensive turnaround, achieving “Good” status across all areas. The report notes:
“Governors, senior leaders and managers have successfully rectified all the weaknesses identified at the previous inspection and have maintained the aspects that were good”….“learners make good progress on their courses, developing relevant knowledge and skills, and achieving qualifications that help them to fulfil… goals and aspirations.” (Ofsted, March 2018)
Referring to Stockport Council’s Continuing (Adult) Education service, Ofsted said, “This is a good provider”. (Ofsted, March 2018)
In the three years since May 2016, the Continuing Education Service has more than doubled the proportion of learners from priority areas from 18% in 2016 to 44% in 2018. In 2018, the overall pass rate across the whole service had grown to 97%, far exceeding national benchmarks.
ENDS
NOTES
For more information on the Strategic Framework and results of the Improvement Board of the Continuing Education Service see:
- http://democracy.stockport.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=106593
- http://democracy.stockport.gov.uk/documents/s135221/Appendix%201%20Data%20Review.pdf
For Ofsted’s 2016 and 2018 reports see:
- https://files.api.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/2571752
- https://files.api.beta.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/2767263
For further information on the Green Gown Award see