Review of 2010/11 Spending Plans - DE Draft Chapter
The Department’s overall aim is to ensure that every learner fulfils her or his full potential at each stage of development. In working towards this aim, our focus is on the following five priorities:
- raising standards for all;
- closing the gap between the highest and lowest performers, improving access and equity;
- enhancing the quality of teaching by developing the workforce;
- improving the learning environment; and
- transforming education management.
DE contributes mainly to PSA 10 – “Helping our Children and Young People Achieve Through Education” and PSA 19 – “Raising Standards in our Schools”, which encompass a range of indicators for improved educational performance overall, as well as a particular focus on specific groups. Since April 2008 to date, there has been good progress across a range of areas. This includes:
- in support of PSA 10:
- achieving milestones towards the targets to close the gaps in achievement at GCSE level for young people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds; and
- publishing the consultation document, “Every School a Good School: The Way Forward for Special Educational Needs and Inclusion”, following the Review of Special Educational Needs and Inclusion.
- In support of PSA 19:
- achieving or exceeding milestones towards targets to improve A-Level and GCSE performance and reduce the proportion of young people leaving school with no GCSE’s.
In support of PSA 16Investing in a modern fit-for purpose education estate in line with best practice and ensuring value for money
In recognition of the constrained financial context in this period and in line with securing the best value for money from the resources allocated to education services, DE will take forward a range of measures to secure savings agreed by the Executive and at the same time continue the delivery of key priorities for education. Savings will be secured through a programme of convergence under the new Education and Skills Authority, aimed at improving education standards reducing bureaucracy and streamlining provision of services. On the School Improvement Programme and the Entitlement Framework the focus will be on more effective targeting of existing resources including maximising resources delegated directly to schools. The extent of IT provision within schools will remain at current levels and advances in broadband connectivity for schools will be considered at a future stage.
On capital investment, the culmination of the budgetary impact of PPP projects coming on stream in 2010-11 together with the savings agreed by the Executive mean that the level of resources for capital investment will be constrained. In light of this and taking account of the outcome of the major review on capital investment in Education, the key focus of capital investment in 2010-11 will be on financial support on contractually committed schemes, prioritisation of work on a fewer number of new capital works schemes, reducing the scale of the minor works programme and minimising professional services contracts.
The draft revised Budget allocation for 2010-11 will enable DE to continue to take forward the convergence programme under the new Education and Skills Authority, with a key focus on improving education standards and reducing bureaucracy. On capital investment, taking account of the outcome of the review of capital, DE will continue to invest in the schools estate with further investment of almost £170 million in the coming year. This investment will result in 11 new schools being opened in 2010-11. Efforts will continue to be focused on addressing the backlog in school maintenance in the coming year.
The additional savings to be delivered by DE in 2010-11 will be assessed in terms of the Equality, Good Relations and Anti-Poverty implications.
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