Walsall Children's Services

Walsall Children’s Services – Serco is structured around three directorates – Management and Development, Participation, and Improvement and Effectiveness Services – each with its own Assistant Managing Director.  Each of these comprises individual service areas led by Heads of Service.  Below is a brief description of each service to enable you to understand the structure of our organisation.  

Management and Development covers the following service areas: 

Planning and Development including:

• Asset Management responsible for the effective management of the Walsall school buildings portfolio and the Education Capital Programme
• Planning, Admissions and Transport responsible for planning school places, operating the co-ordinated admissions scheme in Walsall and arranging and managing the provision of home to school transport
• Choice Advice Service

Organisational Development Services including:

• People Strategy supporting schools in all people-facing services such as Human Resources and Workforce Development
• Safety, Health and Wellbeingo    Higher Education Student Finance, an advisory service regarding Higher Education student financial support
• Operations managing the Education Development Centre

Integrated Services for Early Years and Disability Services (shared with Participation) including:

• Early Years providing advice and support for those providing and using early education, childcare and family support services in Walsall
• Children’s Information Service providing information and advice to parents and carers to support them in accessing high quality children’s services including childcare, early years education, family support and health
• Children’s Centres co-ordinating services for pre-school children and their parents/carers
• Sure Start Centres aiming to improve the health and well-being of families and children before and from birth as part of the Government's drive to tackle child poverty and social exclusion

School Finance and Policy and Performance including:

• Finance Resource Advisory Service providing schools with a comprehensive range of professional financial services
• Policy and Performance and Next Practice Network
• Contract Finance including:
• Finance and Payroll  

Participation covers the following service areas: 

Early Intervention and Inclusion Services including:

• Consultation and Inclusion Support Services (CISS) supporting children, families and schools by providing consultation and advice on all aspects of special educational need, inclusion and children’s development  
• Special Needs Assessment Policy and Planning Service (SNAPPS) managing the statutory assessment process for children and young people with severe and complex special educational needs on behalf of Walsall Children’s Services – Serco in relation to the SEN Code of Practice (2001)

Access and Entitlement Services including:

• Behaviour, Attendance and Complementary Education covering:
• attendance, alternative curriculum and exclusion services responsible for attendance through the Education Welfare Service, alternative curriculum through the New Leaf Centre (Key stage 4 pupil referral unit) and exclusions advice and support to schools and parents;
• behaviour support and reintegration service providing support for behavioural change
• special circumstances and complementary educationo    Traveller Education Support Service Team (TESST)
• Pupil Referral Units (PRUs)

Integrated Services for Early Years and Disability Services (shared with Management and Development – see above) including:

• Disability services developing and delivering Aiming High for Disabled Children
• Social work team providing social care assessments and creating service plans for children and young people with a disability and their families  

Improvement and Effectiveness Services covers the following service areas: 

Learning Support and Innovation Services including:

• Primary Strategy aiming to ensure that every Primary school combines excellence in teaching with enjoyment in learning
• Foundation Stage Team offering support and advice to all settings with children of Foundation Stage age, including maintained, private, voluntary and independent
• Healthy Schools Team co-ordinating support to schools to achieve and maintain the National Healthy School status
• Walsall Raising Ethnic Minority Achievement Partnership (WREMAP) providing support and guidance to schools and service areas on ethnic minority achievement and attainment

Economic Well-being Services including:

• Secondary Partnership and School Support Team aiming to raise standards by strengthening teaching and learning for all pupils aged 11-16
• Walsall Education Business Partnership providing the opportunity for employers and schools to raise the quality and relevance of skills for the world of work through a range of activities for young people and teachers

Quality and Effectiveness Services including:

• School Improvement providing a wide ranging service which includes advice and development, key functions of monitoring school performance, challenging school targets and intervening on behalf of the Local Authority where improvement is not satisfactory, curriculum monitoring and evaluation and leadership development
• School Improvement Partners (SIPs)
• Governor Support and Development Team supporting governors through advice and training and information

Information Communications and Technologies Services including:

• ICT Services providing a range of ICT services both for Walsall schools and Walsall Children’s Services – Serco staff
• Communications supporting Walsall Children’s Services – Serco staff plus providing communication support, in liaison with Walsall Council, to schools