Policy Statements and Initiatives

DCSF: Schools Minister Andrew Adonis has launched a prospectus encouraging successful private schools to get involved in Academies, on the same day that the Girls' Day School Trust announced that it is applying for Birkenhead High School to become the latest successful independent day school to convert to an academy.
 
Woodard Schools, the education trust whose private schools include Lancing, Ardingly and Hurstpierpoint Colleges in West Sussex, has also announced its plans to sponsor three academies in West Sussex in partnership with West Sussex County Council.
 
The prospectus clarifies that private schools - alongside universities - will be able to sponsor Academies without needing to provide the usual £2 million sponsorship contribution.  It sets out four ways that independent schools can get involved in the management of state-funded schools, by:
* Setting up, sponsoring & managing their own Academies
* Supporting an Academy as a co-sponsor, bringing educational expertise
* Sponsoring a Trust school maintained by the local authority to help it expand or enhance its provision
* Becoming an Academy in areas where there is a demand for high quality secondary school places - stopping charging fees and extending their intake to cover a wider social mix
Press release ~ Prospectus for Academies and Independent Schools ~ Girls' Day School Trust ~ Woodard Schools ~ Birkenhead High School
 
Defra: A 20-year vision - Fisheries 2027 - to help fishing communities & businesses prosper, safeguard fish stocks and protect the marine environment has been unveiled. It envisages more joined-up, flexible & responsive management of fisheries to address the effects of climate change and predicts that better-informed consumers will demand more variety and more local, environmentally-caught seafood in future.
 
Defra will be discussing a draft implementation plan on how to achieve the vision with people throughout the sector with the aim of publishing a shared plan next year.
Press release ~ Fisheries 2007 – A long-term vision for sustainable fisheries ~ Delivering Fisheries 2027 - towards an implementation plan ~ Defra - Sea Fisheries ~ MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) ~ Scottish Fishermen's Federation ~ World Wildlife Fund ~ Scottish Whitefish Producers Association ~ Marine protected areas for management of temperate North Atlantic fisheries Lessons learned in MPA use for sustainable fisheries exploitation and stock recovery ~ The UK Government Response to the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's Twenty-fifth report Turning the tide addressing the impact of fisheries on the marine environment ~ Fishing, climate change and North East Atlantic cod stocks ~ DFID - Combating illegal fishing in the developing world ~ eFishBusiness ~ National Federation of Fish Friers ~ WWF: The changing nature of High Seas fishing ~ European Commission - Fight against illegal fishing (IUU)
 
Defra: A strategy for improving animal welfare in England by building new relationships between Government and its key partners has been published. The Animal Welfare Delivery Strategy applies to all vertebrate animals under the care or control of humans and it sets five key goals:
* Improving the skills & knowledge of animal keepers
* Developing more robust systems for monitoring welfare standards
* Providing clear & simple information to consumers on the welfare history of animal products
* Enforcing welfare rules effectively whilst minimising burdens on animal keepers
* Working towards internationally-agreed standards for animal welfare
 
Defra will be working in partnership with stakeholders over the next few months to agree an Implementation Action Plan.  Delivery will be monitored by a new Sub-Group of the England Implementation Group.
Press release ~ Animal Welfare Delivery Strategy ~ England Implementation Group ~ 2004 Great Britain Animal Health and Welfare Strategy and related documents ~ Animal Welfare Act
 
DCSF: The Government has pledged to stamp out the poor practice of asking children to leave care at the age of 16, before they are ready to live independently. Eleven pilot projects across the country, costing an estimated £6m over three years, will explore how best to plan care around the needs of young people and give them a greater say over whether they stay in care until they are 18, or move out into independent flats or hostels.
 
The Right2bCared4 pilot programme was first proposed in Care Matters, the Government's Green Paper for children in care and then, after receiving overwhelming support, the pilot was confirmed in the White Paper, Care Matters: Time for Change.  The programme will start in October 2007 and run for three years.
Press release ~ Looked-after children - Every Child Matters ~ Children leaving care - Every Child Matters ~ Care Matters: Transforming the Lives of Children and Young People in Care Green Paper ~ Care Matters: Time for Change ~ Educational achievement of looked-after children - ECM ~ DfES: Looked-after children – the struggle for stability ~ Prince's Trust - Care ~ Carelaw : A guide for young people in care ~ Looked After Children and Young People: We Can and Must Do Better ~ Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) ~ Outcome Indicators for Looked after Children ~ Children’s Commissioner ~ Your Voice, Your Choice ~ Education Protects - Collecting & Using Data to Improve Education Outcomes for Children in Public Care ~ Childline information sheet ~ JRF: Barriers to change in the social care of children
 
DIUS: The Government will invest £1bn over the next three years to boost business innovation & technology development and will create a new science & innovation strategy, to help position Britain as a key knowledge economy at the forefront of 21st century innovation. The review of science & innovation by Lord Sainsbury of Turville will be used as a blueprint to drive success.
 
The review finds Britain has significantly improved its innovation performance in recent years, but still needs to do more to produce the best possible conditions to stimulate innovation in industry.
Press release ~ Sainsbury Review of Science and Innovation ~ Technology Strategy Board ~ Research Councils ~ Regional Development Agencies (RDA) ~ Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) ~ STEM Support Centres ~ Higher Education Innovation Fund ~ Lambert Review
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