'Every Child Matters' in Islington
Being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive
contribution and achieving economic well-being are the five aims for children
outlined in Every Child Matters.
Last week, over 200 Islington heads, teachers and education, health and social
services professionals came together to discuss how Islington schools can
contribute to these five outcomes at CEA@Islington’s seventh annual inclusion
conference.
The event on Friday 25 February 2005, entitled ‘Every Child Matters’, was
opened by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector for Schools, David Bell who explained
how OfSTED will be inspecting schools and local authorities in the future.
David Hawker, Director of Children, Families and Schools gave a thoughtful
insight into Brighton and Hove’s experience as a pathfinder Children’s Trust
and of involving schools in implementing Every Child Matters. Paul Curran,
Islington’s Director of Children’s Services gave a local perspective on how
Islington is developing its work on integrating Children’s Services.
In the afternoon, Islington’s young journalists from Children’s Express took
centre stage as they explained to delegates how children and young people are
involved in developing Islington’s visions and services.
Thanos Morphitis, Assistant Director of Pupil Services, CEA@Islington said:
‘Inclusion is at the heart of our work. ‘Every Child Matters’ was a fantastic
opportunity for key people within schools, CEA@Islington and other agencies to
look at the best ways to deliver services to children in Islington.’
Councillor James Kempton, executive member for children said: ‘We want to give
every child the best possible start in life and by providing a quality
education we can do this. This year our schools were the most improved in the
country and Asian and black pupils made the greatest rate of improvement in
GCSEs in England, outperforming the national averages. With our ambitious
vision for the future of Islington’s children’s service we can look forward to
the continued rise in achievement of Islington’s young people.’
For further information, please contact:
Caroline Rowe, Communications & Training Officer, CEA@Islington
t: 020 7527 5545
e:
caroline.rowe.cea@islington.gov.uk
Notes
‘Every Child Matters’ was organised by CEA@Islington.
Every Child Matters: Change for Children is a shared programme of change to
improve outcomes for all children and young people. It takes forward the
Government’s vision of radical reform for children, young people and families.
It is based on children and young people’s views that five outcomes are key to
well-being in childhood and later life: being healthy, staying safe, enjoying
and achieving, making a positive contribution and achieving economic
well-being. The programme aims to improve those outcomes for all children and
to close the gap in outcomes between the disadvantaged and their peers.
The Every Child Matters Green Paper was published for consultation in
September 2003. In March 2004, the Government published Every child matters:
next steps. The new Children Act 2004 provides the legal framework for the
programme of reform. Every Child Matters: Change for Children published in
December 2004, brings together all the ways we are working towards improved
outcomes for children, young people and families into a national framework for
150 local-authority-led change programmes.
For more information please visit:
www.everychildmatters.gov.uk
Children's Express is a UK-wide news agency producing news, features and
comment by young people for everyone. Through a unique learning through
journalism programme, young people aged 8 to 18 research and write stories on
issues that are important to them for publication in national and local
newspapers, magazines, television and radio. For more information please
visit: www.childrens-express.org
For more information, please contact CEA@Islington's Communications Department: