Reporting Back: Bury’s School Standards

Just before Christmas Liberal Democrat Group Leader Councillor Tim Pickstone caught up with Bury’s recently appointed Assistant Director of Education and Inclusion, Paul Delbridge-Smith, who took up post with Bury Council in August.

One of Paul’s first priorities was to get an accurate picture how Bury’s schools are doing and how well they are performing in educating children in the Borough, as well as to look at the role of governors in securing good quality schools.

The overall picture is extremely concerning given the recent declines in school performance and standards, in Ofsted judgements, and in the rankings of Bury local authority when compared to other local authorities across GM, the North West and nationally. However, it is important to stress that behind these headline figures are some excellent and successful schools, including many close to me here in Prestwich, and also the hard work and commitment of all our teachers, teaching assistants and support staff.

The headlines are: 
– In 2007, Bury was doing OK. It was ranked 45th best out of 148 local authorities in England in headline results (5 A*-C GCSE including English and maths)

– By 2017, Bury was doing badly. I is ranked 141st worst out of 162 local authorities in England in headline results – that is the 21st worst out of 23 local authorities in the North West.

– Bury is the worst local authority in the country for permanently excluding children (ie in 2017 we permanently excluded more children than anywhere else, as a proportion of children).

– Bury is bottom of the table in Greater Manchester for the % of good or better schools (10th out of 10) according to www.watchsted.com

Moving Forwards
The very good news is that the new Assistant Director and his team have a clarity and clear vision for rapidly improving and transforming Bury education and its schools and academies. Some of their aims and priorities include:

– getting Bury back into the top 10% in the country (for education quality and standards, through securing exceptional educational provision and leadership
– ensuring children make continued accelerated progress in their day to day learning, growth and development.
– raising aspirations and ambitions for Bury children, young people and families, particularly the disadvantaged, most able, children from black and ethnic minority communities, and those with special educational needs.
– tackling poor performance through investing in school governance,
– tackling poor behaviours in the education system by ensuring high standards and expectations in school attendance, inclusion, and support services
– tackling inequalities and disadvantage for all children
– ZERO permanent exclusions through providing inclusive settings, inclusive schools and inclusive communities where every child in Bury can stay in a Bury school and be well supported
– ZERO out of borough placements – keeping children safely placed in Bury schools and settings.
– ZERO NEET (not in education, employment or training) – so securing the life chances of all young people as they move successfully into adulthood.

We would fully endorse the plans. As we understand the road to this might not be easy. As Bury’s schools come up for inspection by OFSTED in the coming years some schools that are currently rated as ‘outstanding’ may well (on their current performance) be downgraded.

The ’shape’ of our schools is likely to change with more schools becoming ‘Academies’ (or joining existing schools who are academies), or more working together between schools in different areas, through forming management partnerships, federations or cooperative trusts.

Hope this update is useful and please do not hesitate to ask if you have questions.

Reporting Back: Children and Young People Mental Health Services

Just before Christmas Councillor Tim Pickstone was able to meet with staff from both the Council and NHS Bury Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) for an update on mental health services for children and young people (historically referred to as CAMHS – Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services). This followed on from a written question at the last full meeting of Bury Council about current waiting times for CYP Mental Health services in Bury.

The ‘core’ CYP Mental Health service in Bury is provided by Pennine Care Foundation NHS Trust, under the name ‘Healthy Young Minds’. The good news is that here in Bury we are meeting the national targets for access to CYP Mental Health services, with a current waiting time for assessment and treatment of six weeks, with urgent 7 day priority appointments reserved if a child or young people need to be seen urgently.

There is also a national target for the proportion of the estimated children and young people with a mental health concern who are provided NHS funded care or support. The ‘estimate’ is that one in 10 children and young people will experience some sort of mental health concern, with a target that 32% are able to access timely support. This figure rises to 35% by 2020/21. In Bury we are expected to exceed this target by the end of the year which is good news. This may well be a challenge in the future as there may well be an increased ’estimated’ figure, which could rise higher than 1 in 10. It is also important to note that ‘access’ is defined as a minimum of two appointments for any individual – many campaigners nationally feel that this should be more.

In Bury the Council and the NHS working together also pay for other services that help children and young people with mental health services. This includes services provided locally by two charities – Early Break and First Point Family Support, as well as specific support around eating disorders and the Link Worker service which works with schools to assess children with particular needs and support the school in providing early intervention. The Council is also currently undertaking a major survey of children in the Borough to give us a good indication of children’s health needs including mental health.

I asked about how mental health services worked with schools. There is significant work going on here to make sure that schools will have a named NHS staff member (Link Worker) to work with on mental health issues and the Council has also taken on new staff to work around ‘inclusion’ in schools to help make sure all children are given the best opportunity to learn and progress.

I also asked about the rise in mental health concerns among young people and concerns that have been raised about the internet, social media, ‘over use’ of electronic devises and many other issues that might be contributing to a rise in mental health concerns. We discussed the role in schools (and parents) in helping inform children about these issues and in tackling problems where they arise.

Hope this is a useful summary of this important issues. Any questions please don’t hesitate to ask.

Tim”

Greater Manchester Transport Delivery Plan

Alongside the GMSF, Greater Manchester has also set out a draft ‘Transport Delivery Plan’ – for 2020-25 – which sets out what is planned in terms of transport infrastructure.

This is divided into:
Things that are actually going to happen in the next 5 years
In Bury the only significant thing is some extra double trams (the ones that had already been announced). The biggest thing in the rest of Greater Manchester is the Metrolink line to the Trafford Centre which is currently being built (trams at the northern end will terminate at Crumpsall).

Things that they plan to develop business cases for in the next five years, for early delivery
In Bury the main things are a new tram station and link road at Elton Reservoir (to serve the new houses that the GMSF proposes there) and ‘Improvements at Simister Island (no information at all about what this means at this stage.)

Things that they plan to develop options for the future on
In Bury this is mainly a new motorway junction at Birch services, with roads linking this north and south (presumably to serve the ‘Northern Gateway’ site of new houses and industrial development) and a Bury to Rochdale tram line!

It is right that the plan is ambitious, but without proper funding these are just lines on a map!

Please let us know what you think so we can feed into the discussions on this draft document. The full report is here.

GMSF Housing Proposals – Bury Liberal Democrat Statement

Today Greater Manchester’s Labour leaders are publishing the revised proposals for the ‘Greater Manchester Spatial Framework’ to provide 201,000 new homes in Greater Manchester over the next 20 years.

Councillor Tim Pickstone, Bury’s Liberal Democrat Group Leader said:

For Bury this plan is a disgrace. While other boroughs like Bolton have maintained all future housing growth in the town centre, Bury Council seems determined to bulldoze over whole swathes of countryside.

Across Greater Manchester only 4.1% of green belt land is lost, in Bury it is a shocking 12% and in Prestwich and Whitefield it is more like 40% lost. Village communities like Simister and Bowlee will be changed for ever, as will areas near Elton reservoir and Walshaw, with a ridiculous and unnecessary level of housebuilding in the green belt.

Nobody explains how an extra 9,500 houses worth of people will somehow fit on the Metrolink or down the A56. There are vague plans for a new motorway junction at Birch services, even through everyone knows that area of motorway is already full to capacity.

We do need new houses, almost certainly not 201,000, but we do need more houses that people can afford. But we also need countryside.

Bury Council’s Labour leadership has failed to listen to its own residents and gone back on the Mayor’s pledge for no net loss of green belt.

More information:
GMSF Overview
Transport Strategy Summary