New strategy launched to boost education in Stoke-on-Trent
Ambitious targets set to improve schools and student outcomes
Stoke-on-Trent City Council has unveiled a new strategy aimed at improving educational outcomes for children across the city.
The Improving Education Strategy 2025-2030 outlines ambitious objectives to raise school standards, enhance attendance, and provide all children with a better start in life.
One of the key focuses is closing the attainment gap, which often starts early due to speech and language delays.
The strategy includes goals like increasing the percentage of children reaching development milestones by reception age from 65 to 75 per cent by 2028.
Efforts to enhance early years development will include maternal health, speech and language support, and positive parenting initiatives.
Additional targets address primary school outcomes and aim to increase the proportion of secondary school students earning a standard pass in English and Maths by 10 per cent.
For A Level students, the goal is to boost the percentage achieving grades AAB to 15 per cent, up from the current 10 per cent.
A new attendance strategy will be developed to reduce absenteeism and exclusions, while ensuring more students with special educational needs can stay in mainstream schools.
Though local authorities have limited direct improvement power due to the prevalence of academy trusts, the strategy encourages collaboration among educational institutions and stakeholders.
Councillor Sarah Jane Colclough emphasized the importance of collective effort to improve student achievement, saying, “We can’t achieve these ambitions alone. Real and lasting improvement will only come from bringing together organisations across the city and sharing best practice."
The strategy aims to tackle inequality and offer opportunities for every child to succeed academically.