Greater access to university education on the Island could come a step nearer if a Motion to be considered at the next meeting of the Isle of Wight Council is passed.
The Motion, put forward by Conservative Councillor for Newport West Ward, Chris Whitehouse, calls for the Council to continue to work closely with the Island’s MP, Ministers and with universities in the South of England, to create more higher education opportunities on the Island.
Councillor Whitehouse says:
“We’ve made really great progress, through the partnership with Hampshire, in driving up school standards across the Island in recent years. Over 80% of our schools are now ‘good’ or better according to Ofsted, but clearly we have much further to go to ensure all our youngsters have access to the widest possible range of further and higher education options, whether that be A-Levels, the new T-Levels, quality apprenticeships, technical training, or university degrees.”
The Motion also congratulates the Isle of Wight’s Director of Children’s Services, Steve Crocker, on the award of the Order of the British Empire in the recent Queen’s Birthday Honours List in recognition of his outstanding contribution to improvements in education and children’s social services on the island.
Commenting on the award, Cllr Whitehouse adds:
“Steve’s personal contribution has rightly been recognised by Her Majesty. His work has been outstanding, but so has that of all his team. I congratulate and thank them all in equal measure on behalf of the Council and on behalf of a generation of Island children; and I will be saying so in the speech I make to move the Motion.”
The Isle of Wight Council will meet on 18th July to consider the Motion.
Full text of the Motion:
Delivering Educational Excellence on the Isle of Wight – Cllr Chris Whitehouse
To move that:
this Council congratulates its Director of Children’s Services, Steve Crocker, on the Order of the British Empire in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List; welcomes the improvements to education and children’s social services that the partnership with Hampshire has delivered and will continue to deliver through its school improvement strategy, Delivering Educational Excellence; notes that the Secretary of State has now lifted the requirement that such a relationship remains in place; observes that instead of compulsion, both partners to that relationship have expressed their mutual appreciation of the value it delivers for the Island’s children; welcomes the Administration’s determination to deliver the widest range of high-quality educational opportunities to Island children, with 80% of the Island’s schools now “good”, or better, according to Ofsted; looks forward to further investment in and nurturing of opportunities for young people to benefit from an improved sixth form education, from high quality apprenticeships, vocational and T-Level courses, as well as the more traditional academic educational routes; welcomes the Administration’s commitment to attract inward investment to create higher skilled and better paid jobs; believes these objectives would be further advanced by securing a greater presence on the island of enhanced higher education opportunities; and encourages the Administration to continue to work closely with the Island’s Member of Parliament, Bob Seely, with Ministers and with mainland universities, especially those in the South of England, so that the Island offers its young people university and higher education choices of the highest quality, with courses in which, in time, the Island can be a national and international leader.
