Partnering and Influence

							           What do we want our schools to look like in 2020?

                               Tim Byles
               Chief Executive, Partnerships for Schools

                                    5 July 2007



Introduction


   1.    Good afternoon and thank you to the LGA for inviting me to speak
         at this important session on education, focusing on what we want
         our schools to be like in 2020.


   2.    This time last year, I attended the conference in my capacity as
         Chief Executive of Norfolk County Council. But as we all know, a
         year is a very long time in public life but, paradoxically, change is
         the one constant of which we can all be sure.


   3.    On a personal level, although local government blood still courses
         through my veins, I am now Chief Executive at Partnerships for
         Schools, the government agency tasked with delivering the
         government‟s Building Schools for the Future and Academies
         programmes.


   4.    Local Government itself has experienced a year of change too, in
         particular in relation to the development of Comprehensive Area
         Assessments, elections in a number of authorities and, most
         recently, changes in the leadership of the LGA.


   5.    And of course, in the central government arena, we now have a
         new Prime Minister and a new cabinet.


   6.    And yet amidst all of this change, it is reassuring that education
         remains a high priority.
7.    The new Prime Minister has spoken explicitly of his passion for
      education and its primacy in terms of ensuring that Britain‟s young
      people become the beneficiaries of globalisation, not the victims of
      protectionist pressures.


8.    He has spoken of his vision for a Britain in which there is no cap on
      ambition, no ceiling on talent and where the culture of second best
      is unacceptable.


9.    Together with the wider programme of education reforms, the
      investment being delivered through BSF to our entire secondary
      schools estate is an energising enabler of such a vision.


10.   The opportunity that we have been given then is about creating
      environments in which young people feel engaged, develop a sense
      of worth and believe in themselves.


11.   And, as a consequence of that, they become motivated to unlock
      the talent that every single one of them has, to reach for excellence
      and reach their full potential.


12.   It is a programme that provides teachers with world class learning
      environments in which they too feel valued and inspired and so
      stretch themselves.


13.   And thirdly, it is a programme that roots schools in the centre of
      their communities so that they become hubs that help revitalise
      whole areas and provide a physical means of joining up local
      services.


14.   In this sense – and in a very tangible way - Building Schools for the
      Future is at its heart about building better futures for all of our young
      people, for the teaching profession and for the wider communities
      that they serve.
Progress to Date


15.   As far as progress is concerned, the picture is a rapidly improving
      one. When I first arrived at PfS last November, it was clear that BSF
      was running behind the original indicative targets. This is for good
      reasons, including over-optimism plus preparedness in and
      resourcing in LAs. Happily though, the pace of delivery is now
      accelerating. Back in November, just one scheme had reached
      financial close. That figure has now increased to eight, with a
      further 16 projects in the pipeline, at or around the Preferred Bidder
      milestone, and of which we expect seven to reach financial close
      over the course of the next six months. Further, around 14 projects
      were in difficulty when I arrived at PfS six months ago. This has
      now reduced to just two.


16.   48 local authorities are now engaged in BSF, with the latest 10
      (along with 5 repeat authorities) joining BSF at the start of this year;
      projects in waves 1 – 6 will see almost 1,000 school built and more
      than half of England‟s local authorities engaged in the programme,
      not including those building one school pathfinders and of course,
      Academies.


17.   The first new BSF school will open its gates to new pupils in
      September this year and thereafter we anticipate around a dozen
      new schools opening by spring next year, around 60 by the
      following financial year, and then a significant ratcheting up to
      around 200 new schools every year after that for the remainder of
      the programme.


18.   Having talked about what we are trying to achieve, I‟d now like to
      share some thoughts on how we deliver that vision – educational
      transformation; what it means, what its component parts are and to
      explore how we get from where we are now to where we want to be
        in 2020 – which is not as distant as it once seemed, now just 13
        years away.


Educational Transformation – what does it mean?


  19.   You are going to hear in a short while from a very impressive
        individual who had a clearly defined vision for her own award
        winning school in Hadley. A vision which refused to be bound by the
        existing accepted concept of what a school should look like and
        what should go on in it.


  20.   Dr Eatough will no doubt give you more detail on the experience at
        Hadley Learning Community later in this session so I shan‟t attempt
        to steal her thunder.


  21.   But it is clear to me that there are excellent examples appearing
        around the country, where new and inspirational learning
        environments are making a very real and tangible difference to the
        students, to the teachers and to the wider community.


  27.   In some respects, it is only when the “wow factor” subsides will we
        really know that we have delivered – when it evolves into an
        enduring magnetism that attracts and draws generations of young
        people in helping them become more motivated, recognise the
        talents that they have and to reach for excellence.


  28.   Through BSF, our aim is to bottle that magnetism. It is our task to
        ensure that children across the country have the same impressive
        facilities that you find in places like Hadley Learning Community
        and Djanogly in Nottingham.


  29.   As such it is a task of real substance – substance that transcends
        the physical buildings themselves, as it is this very magnetism that
        encapsulates educational transformation.
Educational transformation – component parts


30.   But we need to drill a little deeper than that to help foster a common
      understanding of what is meant by “educational transformation”.


31.   In relation to BSF it is helpful, I think, for local authorities to consider
      this in terms of three specific components:


         a. First: what actually goes on within our schools and what
             types of practice are desirable (the „what‟);
         b. Second: the estate as a whole (the „when‟ and the „where‟);
             and finally
         c. Third: the buildings themselves (the „how‟).


32.   Taking these in order, „what‟ – i.e. practice within schools – takes
      you to not only the requirements of the curriculum but also enables
      a focus on respect, citizenship, unlocking and nurturing talent and
      so on. What sort of skills and behaviours do we want our young
      people to emerge with as they enter adulthood?


33.   Answering the „what‟ also brings to the fore issues such as testing
      when ready, individual learning plans and every learner having a
      mentor figure.


34.   Then, moving to the „when‟ and the „where‟ – the estate. This brings
      you to some very real questions about where we want teaching and
      learning to take place. What is the right balance for a learner
      between physically being in school and being able to access their
      work from home, the library or the local community centre?


35.   I was extremely interested to hear of a piece of research carried out
      in Kent recently which showed that the peak time for accessing
      online learning resources by secondary school students was 2am in
      the morning. Now either there are whole swathes of teenagers
      suffering from chronic insomnia down in Kent, or more seriously
      findings like this suggest there is strong case to be made for
      applying the „art of possibility‟ to BSF.


36.   The estate side also brings forward the issue of other services
      available onsite at school, not only extended services in education,
      but re-positioning the school as a wider service provider: a one-
      stop-shop for the local community so that local people can access a
      whole host of services – including healthcare and community
      policing, for example.


 37. It is only once you have given considered thought to the „what‟, the
      „when‟ and the „where‟ that you should move on to the „how‟ – the
      buildings. This may sound a touch counter-intuitive coming from me
      as Chief Executive for Partnerships for Schools, but to my mind, it
      serves to underscore what I said earlier about BSF not being a
      buildings programme. A school is only a school, afterall, by dint of
      what goes on inside it.


 38. The physical environment does of course play an important role.
      Having considered what we want to be happening in our schools,
      the buildings must then serve these requirements. Not only that, but
      the physical and virtual environment must be designed in such a
      way as to maximise flexibility for future development – and this in
      itself provides a very real challenge.


 39. Together, these three components – practice within our schools;
      estate wide strategy; and the buildings themselves – sketch the
      outline of educational transformation. But, to build up a more
      detailed local picture of what transformation means on the ground, it
      is necessary to drill further still.
 40. One way of doing this is to use map out what each of the wider
      educational reforms and initiatives mean for each of the three
      components.


 41. So, for example, in terms of practice within schools – the „what‟ –
      how does personalised learning manifest itself? As mentioned
      earlier, this might mean testing when students are ready.


 42. In terms of estate wide thinking – the „when‟ and the „where‟ – what
      might this mean for extended services? It might mean, as in Hadley
      Learning Community, community use of sports facilities. Or it might
      mean wireless access to students in their homes – Wi-Fi that the
      community can also use – such as in Djanogly Academy in
      Nottingham.


 43. And in terms of the buildings themselves – the „how‟ – what might
      this mean for the 14 – 19 agenda. It might, for example, mean
      establishing and integrating vocational units within the school, such
      as the painting and decorating units that Jo Richardson Community
      School in Barking have opted for.


 44. You‟ll be pleased to hear I don‟t plan to work through each of these,
      but in using this model, a matrix begins to emerge, and it is this
      matrix which encapsulates educational transformation.


Conclusion


 45. Before closing, the last important question to ask is what does
      transformation look like and how will we know when we have got
      there?


 46. I‟ve talked about ways in which to „deconstruct‟ transformation, but
      ultimately the test of the sum of these components can only be
     found in the engagement of the students and teachers and the
     wider benefits reaped by local people.


47. In short, transformation is about ensuring there is no cap on ability,
     that talent is not allowed to slumber and that the culture of second
     best is smashed and replaced by young people and teachers who
     demand the best of both themselves and others.


48. 2020 was for a very long time, one of those dates so far ahead that
     it assumed an out-of-reach, futuristic quality. The simple fact is that
     2020 is a mere 13 years away now – the blink of an eye that it takes
     for today‟s 5-year olds entering Reception year to travel through
     school until A‟ levels or the equivalent. It is simply not that far away.
     We have around us real examples of innovative and inspirational
     schools starting to emerge and I would urge those entering BSF to
     learn from these beacons of innovation.


49. And finally, for those of you who are at the moment about to embark
     upon BSF, my challenge to you is this: be bold, look beyond the
     buildings. Or at least, don‟t start with the buildings. Seize this
     opportunity; think more broadly and more innovatively; and apply
     the „art of the possibility‟. BSF truly is a once in a lifetime
     opportunity to make a real difference to millions of people – to
     students; to teachers and to our wider local communities.


50. Let‟s together ensure that we wring out that opportunity and
     transform education for generations to come.


51. Thank you.