It seems amazing that the summer holidays are already over, and this week children and young people are going back to school. Some will be going for the first time. Others will be moving from primary school to secondary, and some will be going into the 6th form or will be off to college. And others will have left school behind them, and be moving on, into jobs and apprenticeships or university, or whatever other route they take.
I would like to congratulate all of the Borough’s young people who took their GCSEs and A levels this year. Overall the results were terrific. If the outcome was not quite what you were hoping for, don’t panic, there are lots of options available and lots of support to help you decide what to do next.
We are very fortunate that we have so many excellent schools in the Borough, who work hard to enable our children and young people to get the very best education and achieve the outcomes that they need to progress in their chosen path in life. Not just in terms of exam results but in terms of being well-rounded young people who are equipped with life skills and are ready to play their part in society.
Many of our schools are now academies, independent of the local authority. I am very pleased to be able to say that despite the severing of the formal ties, we have very strong partnership arrangements in the borough, and if anything, the relationships between the council and schools are stronger than they were a few years ago.
So thank you to all our schools, whether they are academies or local authority maintained schools!
And thank you also to all of the parents, carers, families, and friends who support our children and young people, not just with their education but with their well-being.
This is not always easy. For some families, worries weigh heavily on them; worries about whether their children’s educational needs are being met, about the cost of uniforms, about their children’s mental and physical health, about bullying, safety and, not least, their child’s happiness. We are trying hard at the council, working with our partners in schools, health, and the voluntary sector, to try to support families and children. We do not always have a magic wand to wave, but we are beginning to see that the work we have been putting in to improve the services we provide is beginning to make a difference. We hope that these changes will become more and more obvious as time goes on.
By Cllr Prue Bray
