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The Greater Manchester Challenge aims to develop and secure significant improvements in education for each of the 600,000 children and young people in Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan.
It is a three year programme, developed in partnership with the ten Greater Manchester local authorities and all those working in education in the city region, backed by significant additional investment of around £50 million over the next three years.
It will be led by Beverley Hughes, Minister for Children, Young People and Families and Chair of the Greater Manchester Challenge, and Professor Mel Ainscow, the Greater Manchester Challenge Chief Adviser.
The Challenge will focus on educational standards, side by side with local authority-led drives on integrated children’s services. It aims to crack the cycle of disadvantage and educational underachievement. Building on improvements already underway, by 2011 the main outcomes of the programme will be:
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A sharp drop in underperforming schools, particularly focusing on English and maths;
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More outstanding schools and colleges;
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Significant improvements in educational outcomes for disadvantaged children and young people.
Underpinning the Challenge is a set of values – the 3 As – that are shared by all the Challenge partners. These are to:
Ensure all children and young people in Greater Manchester have ACCESS to high quality educational experiences, i.e.
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There are high quality, safe, diverse and attractive learning contexts in all schools and colleges
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There is a sufficiently flexible curriculum that allows for excellence to be demonstrated in many ways
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All learners attend school, college or their place of work every day, and none drop out of education
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There is high quality learning, teaching and leadership in all schools and colleges
That all have high ASPIRATIONS for their own learning and life chances, i.e.
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All children and young people, their parents and their families understand the value of education
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Information is available to all young people about the educational and career opportunities available to them
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Every learner has effective personal support for their learning
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Many more young people go on to appropriate Further and Higher Education
And that children and young people across the city region ACHIEVE the highest possible standards in learning, i.e.
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all children and young people make good progress in school, regardless of their characteristics or backgrounds
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all pupils achieve high standards in tests and examinations
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there are many more outstanding schools and colleges
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there is a significant reduction in the performance gap between traditionally low and high achieving groups
With these values in mind, the Challenge will both seek to improve schools individually, with the most targeted support for schools in the most challenging circumstances, whilst supporting sustainable, system-wide improvements. The Government, local authorities, wider partners schools and colleges will share ownership of this - we want a system which demands excellence, fosters life-long learning, and supports relationships that strengthen family and community. A programme of activities will be developed to achieve this, which will be shaped and guided by the following themes:
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Collaboration: The Challenge is a partnership between the Department for Children, Schools and Families, local authorities, schools and colleges, leaders, teachers and other stakeholders Collaboration is vital in order to share effective practice across local authority boundaries, cultivate a learning community across the city region, maximise skills and expertise, and mobilise resources.
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Analysis: The Challenge will be data-driven, using evidence to develop an approach that reflects the circumstances and challenges of Greater Manchester, encouraging creative and innovative approaches to school improvement and persistent problems. In this way, it will build on effective practice and add value to efforts that are already going on to improve the quality of education.
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Local solutions: The implication is that local analysis will lead to the development of local solutions. Working with local authorities, schools and other partners, we want the Challenge to draw on the energy and creativity that exists across Greater Manchester, bringing stakeholders together to develop shared solutions.
Video footage of the launch is available here.
Further information can be found in Raising the bar and closing the gap: our vision and operational strategy for the Greater Manchester Challenge, available to download here (PDF, 1.8mb).
