News
Thursday, 05 January 2012
Oxfordshire County Council: Every child and young person thriving in a great school or setting
Ambitious and exciting plans to tackle educational under achievement in Oxfordshire schools have been unveiled in Oxfordshire County Council’s draft Strategic Plan for Education.
In recent months, Council Officers have worked in close partnership with Head Teachers and others, in order to shape a radical approach to address concerns.
The Council’s vision is for every single child to be successful and to reach their potential, thriving in an outstanding learning environment throughout their education, no matter where in the county they live.
The draft plan, which was opened up to wider consultation in November, draws clear links to Oxford’s current bid to become UNESCO World Book Capital in 2014.
If successful, Oxford would host a year-long programme of events for visitors, as well as city and county residents to take part in.
By bringing together readers, writers, publishers, illustrators, booksellers and libraries in a celebration of books and reading, the programme will assert the importance of the written word in strands including information, entertainment and education.
The World Book Capital year will see a number of organisations work together to coordinate a schools programme for children’s literacy in Oxford – a programme which will tie in closely with Oxfordshire County Council’s own education strategy.
David Paice, Education Effectiveness Manager at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “Oxfordshire County Council's new Strategy Plan for Education includes a "campaign" element focused on ensuring that every child in the county becomes a good reader.
“The campaign is being driven by Councillor Melinda Tilley who is galvanising everyone across the county to get behind it and support it simultaneously as a means of driving up standards and educational achievements for all our children and young people.
“The campaign is particularly important as it focuses upon what we know about the importance of reading to success in all aspects of education, the advent of the phonics test at age 6 in 2012 and the aspiration for the City to be the World Book Capital in 2014.
“We have had huge success with piloting Every Child a Reader programmes in schools and it is important to build on interventions that we know can make a difference. The County Council strongly supports Oxford Inspires bid for World Book Capital City status and sees it as a compelling direction of travel for our wider community to unite behind.”
To read a PDF copy of the Council’s Strategic Plan for Education, follow this link.
For more information about Oxford’s bid to become World Book Capital in 2014 – and to sign up in support – visit http://www.oxfordworldbookcapital.org.
