Introduction from Julie Stones - LCSP Manager
Dear Colleagues Well I have now been in post for a month and what a busy month it has been.
I have thoroughly enjoyed coming to see you all and thank you all for your time – I am aware I still have around 50% of schools to visit and various partners to meet and to those schools and partners I apologise for taking so long but there simply haven’t been enough hours in the day. The familiarisation process is necessary and has giving me a real sense of what works well in the Partnership, what can be improved and where the real Partnership issues exist. I still don’t know what I don’t know so bear with me whilst I find my way!
The Partnership Board and Local Children and Young People’s Plan
We held our first “official” Partnership Board on 10 September where we ratified the Board Membership and discussed the further development of the Local Children and Young People’s Plan (LCYPP). You can see the minutes of this meeting and my PA , Penny Heseltine will e-mail you the link to the working plan when we have uploaded it onto the website. The plan is currently quite sparse but sets out the 5 main priorities you identified collectively in previous planning meetings. Our next steps will be to draw up each of the priority action plans in detail and I do not intend to trivialise this by packing in the deadlines. Instead, each period between Board meetings will be punctuated by one priority planning session followed by a focus on that priority at the next Board meeting to agree the action plan. This will take us up until May to complete but I think it is the right way forward. It is a work in progress but one which I hope you feel will be relevant to the children in your schools and the families you work targeting the needs of vulnerable children and young people but also enhancing our universal provision. Our first priority area will be Family Engagement, Support and Participation. We will be inviting relevant staff from across schools and multi-agency services to join us on 20 October at The Swattenden Centre to look at the local story behind the theme and problem solve ways forward. If you feel there is anyone in your school who could contribute strongly to this theme, please let me know. You can view the minutes of the meeting at this link. http://www.kenttrustweb.org.uk/Clusters2/cl_cranbrookpw_LCSP_membership.cfm I am looking forward to meeting all Headteachers at two imminent events.
Raising Our Voices Together – Cluster Singing Day
On 6 October 2008, there is the Cluster Singing Day “Raising Our Voices Together” being held at East Malling Research Institute from 9.00pm to 3.30pm for cluster schools staff. Ruth Roberts and Kirsty Hook have put a lot of organisation into this event and I hope it will be well supported.
Cluster Headteachers’ Board Meeting
Headteachers will be pleased to note that there will still be opportunities to make collaborative decisions and discuss the more schools focused area of the Partnership agenda in more detail. The first meeting this Academic Year will be taking place on 15 October 2008 at The Queens Hotel, Hawkhurst from 12.30pm (for lunch). An agenda will be issued later this week so please let me know if you would like anything tabled.
Opportunities for Children and Young People
I have been asked to flag up an opportunity for schools and youth groups to get children and students involved in Local Democracy Week on 13-17 October. With the growing support for Pupil Voice within schools and community forums this looks like a good opportunity to raise awareness of local democracy.. If you have an event planned , please let me know . If not and you would like to then there are opportunities to go online to see the County Council meeting on 16 October or if you are able to, to take some students to County Hall to sit in the gallery. Members are keen to meet with young people so I’m sure any visits would be met very positively. Don’t forget too that the Kent County Youth Parliament elections will be taking place again soon in November. The experience a young person gains from electioneering, public speaking and then if successful representing their local area is invaluable. Please see link for more information.
www.kent.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/democracy-and-elections/kycc/
And a note for your Secondary Schools’ Heads of Art. SEGRO (a property development and investment company) are currently working in conjunction with Creative Junction to inspire young people to develop talent and celebrate art. They are looking for 10 secondary schools to work with a professional artist for 5 days during Spring and Summer 2009 with a “World of Work” theme. Applications deadline is 24 October 2009 and application form and further details can be found on www.creativejunction.org.uk/Pages/SEGRO.html
Our Hands on Support Team have been very busy at work preparing for the Weather Watch Poetry day on 9 October. An e-mail will have gone out to school ICT co-ordinators this week explaining the project. I hope you are all able to participate.
Extended Schools Opportunities
Primary Schools will have been informed by Anna Moore of yet another pot of capital funding this year to support extended schools services in primaries. This has to be spent by 31 March next year so your plans will need to be ready to go but I’m hoping that it will stretch to support a few projects across the Partnership area. If you have a plan, please submit it to Anna as soon as possible.
Many of you will already have met Alex Hann who has joined our Partnership Team as the Charlton Athletic Coordinator working with individual children and groups on programmes which support inclusion and self esteem. I’m hoping that Alex will be able to deliver a very accessible service into your schools.
Yesterday, we appointed another new member of the team to the post of Extended Schools Coordinator. His name is Richard Cowell and he should be joining us before Christmas.
Anna and I are working with Partnership with Parents to set up parent forums in three areas in the Partnership to support Partnership consultation and development– Cranbrook, Hawkhurst and Paddock Wood. There will be a launch in each area during November/December and Anna will be contacting each school and partnership organisation soon to ask you to promote the opportunity within your school/organisation.
Cranbrook Children’s Centre
I am thrilled to see that the Cranbrook Children’s Centre is now open for business. It is still in its initial set up phase but under the management of Pam Holmes whom many of you will have known through Safe Schools, I am sure it will soon be a thriving centre of activity. We are hoping too that a second children’s centre site will be identified and be “feasible” by the end of October. I understand the challenge of the rural access to services and will be focussing on this with a rural “think tank” for these and other services in the coming months.
Services in the new centre will include Job Centre Plus, Health Visitors, Community Midwives, new Mums group, a wide range of training opportunities and a creche.
Kent Trust Web
Kent Trust Web site is being further developed to be more accessible to partners and I will be inviting you “into” the various pages by sending you the relevant links over the next few months to help you find your way around as the site develops. Unfortunately it was not “live” for me to post my blog hence the e-mail but next time we will be moving into the 21st Century. The Cranbrook and Paddock Wood “colour” is green which I felt represented a fresh approach, nurturing environment and rural aspect. I hope you agree!
Yours sincerely
Julie StonesPartnership Manager
Cranbrook and Paddock Wood