- National Challenge: A toolkit for schools and Local Authorities (1.01 MB)
National Challenge: Raising Standards, Supporting Schools. The National Challenge will support schools with the lowest GCSE results, so that by 2011 in every secondary school at least 30% of students will achieve five GCSEs at A*-C including English and mathematics. The National Challenge will focus greater attention; help and resources on schools that are currently below this benchmark
- Aiming high for young people - three years on (883 KB)
This document outlines the achievements so far against the three main Aiming High principles: Empowerment; Access and inclusion; Capacity and quality. It also reiterates the case for focusing on the development of social and emotional skills through participation in positive activities. It sets out how the Government intends to support local authorities to sustain services for all young people and to make the best use of the funding available and ensure they reach out to more teenagers in need. It also discusses how important changes to services for young people will affect the future delivery of the commitments in Aiming high.
- The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 received Royal Assent on 12 November 2009 (1016 KB)
The Act gives Sure Start Children’s Centres a specific statutory basis, and places new duties on LAs to establish and maintain sufficient numbers to meet local needs. This reflects current good practice, rather than creating any new requirements on local authorities or other service providers. It also provides for inspection by OFSTED.
Changes will be made so that private, voluntary and independent (PVI) Early Years providers as well as maintained providers will be funded from the individual schools budget and be subject to the school funding regulations. It is also important to note that the Act strengthens Children’s Trusts by putting Children’s trust boards on a statutory footing. The Act will extend the existing duty to cooperate to promote children’s well-being to include all maintained schools, academies, SFCs, FE colleges and Jobcentre Plus. It is anticipated that there will be representation by Sure Start Children’s Centres on the trust board.
Note: statutory guidance for Children’s trust boards and Sure Start Children’s Centres will be issued early in 2010.
- Autism Spectrum Disorders : Good Practice Guidance 01 Guidance on Autistic Spectrum Disorders (277 KB)
This booklet was publishedin 2002 following the work of the Autism Working Group set up by the then DFES (now DCSF). It is part of a series of guidance publications and is intended to give practical help to those who make provision for children on the autism spectrum.
Its aims are to share good practice and to encourage reflection by professionals working in this area on their practice with a view to securing improvements.
The guidance is organised in two parts. The first part – sections 1-3 – offers an introduction for teachers and others on the nature of autistic spectrum disorders and the range of educational interventions used to support children with ASDs. It is intended to be read as a whole.
The second part of the guidance offers a set of pointers to good practice
covering aspects of educational provision for children with ASDs. It can be used
by service providers as an audit tool to review and evaluate their practice and select particular aspects for development.
- Autism Spectrum Disorders : Good Practice Guidance 02 Pointers to Good Practice (377 KB)
Published in 2002 by the DfES following the work of the Government convened Autism Working Group, and building on the reference material in Part 1 of this guidance, Part 2 provides pointers to guide service providers as they develop
provision for children on the autism spectrum, learning from effective practice elsewhere.
The pointers are a series of indicators that when considered help the service provider to see what has been achieved so far and what else might need to be developed. They will enable an analytical and structured approach to commissioning (planning, reviewing, delivering and improving) services, at a school, Local Authority of regional level.
In includes text on ASD friendly schools; ASD friendly LAs, training; funding; ICT and many others – a document of significant help to commissioners who may need to develop more understanding of the unique impact of autism on the development of service provision.
- Narrowing the gap in outcomes (818 KB)
The research focuses on the key features of governance necessary to narrow the gap in outcomes for vulnerable groups, and explores whether governance that is effective for narrowing the gap is different from governance that is effective generally. This report will be of interest to directors of children’s services (DCSs), children’s trust board members, policy makers, and senior leaders and managers within local authorities, the National Health Service (NHS), schools, and the voluntary sector.
- Commissioning counselling services for young people- a guide for commissioners (1.02 MB)
The aim of this guide is to assist commissioners charged with the responsibility for services and young people to think about including counselling services
in the range of services they commission. Recognised by the Department of Health as a form of psychological therapy, and accepted as a therapeutic approach in the range of interventions for children and adolescents.
- Commissioning Alternative Provision- Guidance for Local Authorities and Schools (264 KB)
The aim of this guidance is to assist partners responsible for arranging alternative provision for children and young people in commissioning appropriate alternative provision that suitably meets young people’s needs and aspirations, whilst also ensuring good quality and value for money.
- Commissioning Positive Activities for Young People programmes in 2009-10 (642 KB)
PAYP plays a key role in helping our most disadvantaged and at risk young people. This letter shares with you the learning from the work delivered in the local authorities targeted to revieve additional funding in 2008-09.
- Common Assessment Framework for children and young people – Managers Guide (508 KB)
An updated guidance which replaces the CAF Manager's Guide published by the DfES in 2006.This guidance is aimed at strategic and operational managers across all children’s services who have responsibility for implementing the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) for children and young people.
