United front will preserve education amid cutbacks

It is hoped the York Education Partnership, which has seen schools across the city sign up to the initiative, will even improve education standards in York.

Schools are being encouraged to work together instead of directly competing against each other - a move which has been heralded by the politician responsible for overseeing education in the city.

Coun Ruth Potter, Cabinet member for education, children and young people’s services, at York Council, said: “I’m very pleased that all the schools have signed up to this. In a situation where the Government is making cutbacks and encouraging schools to be in competition with one another, it’s a good sign that schools in York are all working together.”

The partnership will seek to ensure that the success of the city’s education system will be judged on the collective outcomes achieved for all children, rather than the performance of any individual school.

The new approach will also see schools support each other in times of financial difficulty as part of a pioneering school improvement scheme.

Coun Potter said: “There is an initiative to pool funds in order to support each other school to school when schools need help as part of a School Improvement Service. Schools support that by putting money into a budget and decide themselves how that money will be spent. Different schools can dip into it when they need extra support.

“It is quite an innovative way of dealing with the national cutbacks by using a partnership approach to keep schools working together.”

Coun Potter said the initiative would ensure the council maintained its solid relationship with schools across the city amid the austerity measures.

She said: “Collaborating and providing support when schools need help and using best practice examples from one school to another will help improve education in the city.”

Cabinet members will be asked to support the move at a meeting next Tuesday. If backing is given, the first formal meeting of the partnership will be held in December.