Warwickshire Education Strategy 2024 - 2029

We are delighted to share with you the Warwickshire Education Strategy 2024-2029 (PDF, 2.8 MB). This strategy sets the foundation for education in Warwickshire over the next five years and aims to ensure that all of our children and young people have the opportunity to thrive.

Why we need a strategy

Warwickshire's education landscape is diverse, with maintained schools, academies, and trusts. The Council has a crucial role in several areas, including SEND, admissions, attendance, school effectiveness and Early Years, regardless of school type.

The Council’s role

Education is one of the key seven Areas of Focus of the Council Plan 2021 - 2025 (PDF, 6.1 MB).

Through education, improve life opportunities for children, young people and those with special educational needs and disabilities

Our role in education has evolved. We act as a delivery partner, facilitator, and system leader, working with our fantastic family of schools, and within financial constraints to achieve positive outcomes for all children and young people in Warwickshire.

Overview

The strategy will be underpinned by an ethos of collaborative working, engaging closely with our family of schools and education providers, and the range of services that sit around them in order to best meet learners needs, identify and address inequalities in order to improve education outcomes for all. Throughout its lifespan, the Strategy will be supported by a robust monitoring and evaluation framework.

Our priorities

This strategy prioritises four key areas to deliver the Council Plan's focus on improving life opportunities for children and young people, particularly those with SEND and disadvantages.

Priority 1: Best Start

All children deserve the best start in life, with a focus on Early Years provision.
We are committed to providing high-quality Early Years places, free entitlements, childcare for working parents, and support for parents and providers.
We will develop an Early Years Integrated Delivery Plan to ensure the best start for all children.

Priority 2: SEND and Inclusion

We aim to create opportunity and support all learners, including those with SEND.
This includes ensuring SEND provision is commissioned based on needs, increasing Resourced Provision availability, and streamlining EHC Plan assessments.

Priority 3: Sufficiency and Admissions

We will ensure sufficient school places are available in the right locations at the right time.
This involves capital programmes for new schools and expansions, alongside streamlined school admissions processes and support for parents choosing schools.

Priority 4: Strong System

We play a pivotal role in the local education system, ensuring every child has a school place and supporting underperforming schools.

We will operate as a system leader, strengthening partnerships across education, health, and social care. This will focus on:

Safeguarding children.
School effectiveness and educational attainment for all children.
Targeted interventions in specific areas.
Reducing school absences, exclusions, and use of Alternative Provision.
Strong links between schools and post-16 opportunities.

Supporting strategies

There are a number of supporting strategies that will underpin the Warwickshire Education Strategy, which include:

Education Sufficiency Strategy

Warwickshire County Council is committed to ensuring that education places are provided in the right place at the right time. The Education Sufficiency Strategy 2024-29 supports Priority 3 of the Education Strategy, setting out how the Council plans for and anticipates the growth in demand for school places.

This strategy should be read in conjunction with the most recently published Annual Sufficiency Update which outlines the forecast pupil numbers for each area of the county and the proposed solutions or projects needed to ensure sufficiency of education places is maintained.

Outdoor Education and Learning Strategy

Warwickshire County Councils ambition is for all children and young people to have access to and enjoy high quality outdoor education and learning. The Outdoor Education and Learning Strategy identifies how we will work with education settings (0-25) to promote and embed a culture of outdoor activities and challenges that stimulate learning.

Outdoor Education and Learning Strategy 2022 (PDF, 4MB)

Nuneaton Education Strategy

The Nuneaton Education Strategy is the first ‘placed based’ strategy aimed at improving education, prospects and aspirations for the young people of Nuneaton as part of the Transforming Nuneaton programme. If successful, this approach could be applied to other regions in the county.

Nuneaton Education Strategy (PDF, 651KB)

SEND and Inclusion Strategy 2024 - 2029

Currently in development. Please see Warwickshire Education (WE) Strategy, 2018 to 2023 for previous strategy documents.

School Effectiveness Strategy 2025 - 2029

We are reviewing our School Effectiveness Strategy a result of the recent policy announcements regarding the DfE's Schools Causing Concern Guidance and anticipate that we will have further information in early 2025. We are therefore aiming to publish a refreshed School Effectiveness Strategy in 2025-26.

We continue to provide support for schools, in line with our statutory responsibilities.

Please see Warwickshire Education (WE) Strategy, 2018 to 2023 for previous strategy documents.

Early Years Implementation Plan 2024 - 2027