Children and Young peoples Plan - Enjoy and Achieve

Making York the best place where children and young people can grow up.

	Below are the key messages that came out of the consultation around issues affecting Enjoyment and Achievement of Children and Young People. If you want to know more about what people told us you can download a longer summary for the 'enjoy and achieve' section.

Key Messages

Looked after children

Looked after children aim should be achievement of the same educational outcomes as other children - rigorous monitoring system is needed and support for schools struggling with the provision for these pupils. These young people need support for longer in the future – links to housing and adult services.

"Success for All" must retain a high profile - need to prioritise improving the attainment of children from less advantaged backgrounds. And to learn from successful initiatives.

There was a need to promote as fully as possible home-school relationships. These are a partnership not about school improvement but about needs of child.

Affordable high quality childcare pre-school places

Funded places for 3 year old to be available as soon as possible so no child is missing out.

There was a need to ensure early years provision is evenly distributed city wide, with focus on high quality provision that meets the needs of children and is flexible.

Similarly Family Learning provision needs to remain family focussed and relevant to the needs of parents rather than the workforce.

Reduction of exclusions from school

Reducing exclusion is important but there is a balance between the needs of one pupil and their effect on others – need for broad base of provision as different approaches will help different yp. Sharing of information is important, must overcome any data protection issues which set up artificial barriers. Need to target support to those students who need it. Support from home, school/college other agencies.

Activities

It is important that out-of-school activities are accessible to all. Especially important for disabled children. There was a general call for more out of school activities including homework support.

There are many activities, but information about activities can be improved. Actual provision was seen as whole community function with much appreciation of voluntary provisions. But the role of the local authority to support the voluntary sector was emphasised.

Appreciation of beneficial affects on physical and emotional health. Important to link the children’s plan with leisure, sport and the arts as they are integral to health and well-being. Play was seen as an important element in building resilience and learning to cope with assessing and working through difficulties.