Council and Schools Collaborate to Shape Future of Educational Services

27 September 2024

Local schools joined West Northamptonshire Council to join forces to improve educational services and support for early years, children and young people in West Northamptonshire.

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) recently hosted a collaborative education workshop, bringing together headteachers and educators from schools across the area, as well as colleagues from health, the Council and key partners, to help shape the future of early help and SEND educational services. The event, held on Thursday, 26 September, was designed to ensure that services for early years, children and young people are developed with input from those on the front lines of education, who are often the first place where a struggling family or child needing extra help might first be spotted.

The workshop, organised in partnership with the West Northants Education Partnership Board and the SEND and AP Partnership Board, emphasised the importance of co-production in designing early help and SEND services that meet the needs of both educators and students. Discussions focused on the forward plan for educational services, particularly in response to the outcomes of the recent Local Area SEND and AP OFSTED/CQC Inspection. Participants explored ways to enhance and streamline support services for children, ensuring that every young person in the region has access to high-quality education.

Cllr Fiona Baker, Cabinet Member for Children, Families, and Education at WNC, opened the event and highlighted the key role that collaboration plays in shaping effective educational services. 

“By working together with schools and education providers, we can ensure that the services we offer are tailored to the real needs of both teachers and students. Workshops like this are essential for building partnerships that put the best interests of our children and young people at the heart of everything we do."Cllr Fiona Baker, Cabinet Member for Children, Families, and Education at WNC

Anna Earnshaw, Chief Executive of West Northamptonshire Council, stressed the importance of collaboration between schools and the council.

The event served as a real platform for exploring plans and discussing ideas, with the shared goal of enhancing the educational experiences of children across West Northamptonshire through partnership, innovation, and co-design. We hope to do further conferences on a range of themes to be agreed with our Education Partnership Board.