Portsmouth education leaders talk of '˜massive opportunity' to change lives of school children

Mary Rose Academy and Cliffdale Primary Academy
executive headteacher Alison Beane, the city council's deputy director of children's services Mike Stoneman, cabinet member for education Cllr Neill Young, chairwoman of Portsmouth Education Partnership Hilary Loder, Salterns Academy Trust headteacher and chairman of Secondary School Heads Steve Labedz, deputy regional schools commission
Maria Dawes and the new director of children's services at Portsmouth City Council
Alison Jeffery — Mary Rose Academy and Cliffdale Primary Academy executive headteacher Alison Beane, the city council's deputy director of children's services Mike Stoneman, cabinet member for education Cllr Neill Young, chairwoman of Portsmouth Education Partnership Hilary Loder, Salterns Academy Trust headteacher and chairman of Secondary School Heads Steve Labedz, deputy regional schools commission Maria Dawes and the new director of children's services at Portsmouth City Council Alison Jeffery

A new partnership has been formed linking academy and state schools with the aim of improving standards in Portsmouth.

As previously reported, a core part of the strategy is ensuring parents take more responsibility for their child’s welfare by making them breakfast, enforcing stricter sleep patterns and believing they can achieve great things.

Yesterday the initiative was officially launched at Portsmouth Marriott Hotel, giving schools across the city the opportunity to get on board and be a part of the vision.

Education bosses in other parts of the country where similar initiatives have been created attended.

Portsmouth City Council’s director of children’s services Alison Jeffery, who is co-steering the partnership, said: ‘We are at an early stage.

‘So there is a massive opportunity for people to influence how we deliver this partnership. We all have a part to play.

‘Step up and be part of the plan and help us to shape it so it’s in the interests of the children of Portsmouth, because we feel really excited about this.’

Portsmouth Education Partnership independent chairwoman Hilary Loder spoke of the need to be a ‘sphere of influence’.

Camden education boss, Pete Dudley, said the London borough formed a partnership in 2015 and set aspirations to ‘deliver the best schools in the country by 2020’.

Portsmouth school leaders have set up the scheme in part because the government is winding down funds for the council to fund educational improvements.