Tension between Whitehall and councils over where power in education sits is nothing new, but the degree of imposition and central decision we have now under the coalition is unprecedented and is beginning to embed fragmentation and conflict into what should otherwise be an integrated system. To set us back on course we need to shape a middle tier which ensures we have a holistic approach across place planning, admissions and securing improvement, as well as raising the ambitions for the many children being left behind in the conflicted system being created. Though there is much talk of introducing school commissioners, all this is properly a role for the elected council.
Indeed, in recent times the pressure on schools to become academies has become a distraction from the real issues of how we provide a framework of cooperation, support and accountability based upon devolved governance and links with related local services such as community health, early years services and family support.
In Bradford where I am portfolio holder for children and young people we have reintegrated our once privatised education services through a detailed process of negotiation with all involved, securing widespread ownership and support for remodelling services. Councils are well placed to exercise such leadership that pulls together all agencies and partners.
A fracturing middle tier does not do away with the need for tough decisions, the ‘where’, ‘how’ and ‘what’, be it new schools sites, admissions, the size of schools, closures or the support and challenge services need to be given in order to tackle underachievement. This, too, requires clear direction and local democratic accountability. Primary education in Bradford is now showing how the integration agenda can reshape the delivery of services around children and families. Our recent Ofsted inspection showed how integrated local early intervention services both protect children and support families while also saving on more costly interventions further down the line. That needed a local authority with a mandate to meet the needs of its communities to use the full range of interventions and powers. It also means real integration of all children’s services across the range of agencies, so that the children’s trust has a mandate make that happen especially with the community health and public health services. No schools commissioner can deliver that, nor could ‘autonomous schools’ run by Whitehall or distant chain providers who take more in topslice than any council ever did .
The middle tier is about ensuring that all the needs of the community are addressed and that schools are part of the range of services that shape the life of local communities. They are, after all, the biggest local public institutions and they reflect the state’s commitment to its future citizens. Returning to school boards or commissioners separated from the wider community agenda would not do the job.
We need powers to set the framework, address standards and to intervene to secure improvement, but not to micromanage. This can be done with collaborative structures working with the council as the lead. We have the ambition and the understanding and we therefore need to rise to the challenge of healing and renewing the local education service and putting it at the heart of renewing the communities we represent.
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Ralph Berry is portfolio holder for children and young people Bradford council. He tweets @CllrRalphBerry
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Read also …
Martin Johnson, deputy general secretary of ATL union, on why the focus on the ‘middle tier’ is a distraction
Josh MacAlister on why we should back school commissioners
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