Government inspections underway
It has been a very intensive week with the arrival of the
government inspection teams who, collectively, will decide on
whether we retain our "excellent" status. They are putting us
through a thorough MOT.
Initial feedback following their interviews with staff has been
positive. My enormous thanks goes to all our staff who work so hard
to deliver these services.
The pressure continues next week but extraordinarily they won't
be announcing the outcome until June.
Campaign to Protect Rural England
Very constructive meetings have been held with the
Campaign to
Protect Rural England (link opens in a new window) to discuss
Operation Stack; a possible third Thames Crossing; and government
targets for 6,300 new homes every year until 2026.
Building Schools for the Future
I have also been meeting with headteachers to discuss how we
will ensure our schools will be built to prepare students for the
real world in the 21st century.
Building Schools for the Future will see every secondary school
in the county rebuilt or refurbished over the next 10 to 15 years.
A lot of time and thought is going into shaping these schools. We
have one chance to get this right.
We must make sure that we are really building schools fit for
the 21st century, with state-of-the-art buildings, investment in
ICT, and facilities for vocational training and learning that
aren't "one size fits all" but meet the needs of individual
children.
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