Education
help children and young
people get the most out
of their lives.
Welcome to Education
Hi, I am Clare Kershaw, Director of Education at Essex County Council.
I have worked for ECC now for 14 years and have been Director for 6 years.
There are many functions within the Education Directorate that fall under my remit including school improvement, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) , youth services, early years, pupils excluded from school, school safeguarding, NEET tracking, education data and communications, music and school meal services, school attendance and early years.
Much of our work is undertaken in partnership with schools and settings and with over 500 schools and 2000 settings across the county they keep us very busy and whilst almost 50% of schools in Essex are academies, one of the things I am very proud of is that ECC continues to work with all schools across Essex, whether they are maintained by us or are academies, which is not the case in many other local authorities.
We are supported by a number of innovative strategies including our work around Trauma Perceptive Practice, Disadvantage, SEND Improvement, Early Years and the Inclusion Framework, so it really is an exciting time to be joining the Education Directorate.
I’m very proud of the work that our Education function does and look forward to receiving your application.
Clare Kershaw, Director of Education at Essex County Council
Roles within Education
Within Education, we are transforming the way we work with and support schools and are continuing to develop a countywide school-led improvement model that will enable them to access the support and challenge needed to continuously improve. We are firmly committed to ensuring all Essex pupils receive the best possible education and have ambitions for every school in the county to be rated at least good by Ofsted. We also aspire for educational outcomes to be among the best in the country and for the achievement gap between disadvantaged children and their peers to be reduced.
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Education
We are passionate about ensuring all young people in Essex receive the best possible education and their individual needs are met, enabling them to achieve their ambitions by supporting world-class education and skills in the county.
We’re accountable for investing resources effectively and creatively to secure better outcomes and value-for-money. We work closely with schools, children, families, partners and other colleagues from across the organisation.
Despite operating in a challenging and changing environment, we take an innovative and proactive approach to raising educational standards in the county. Much of our work is undertaken in partnership with schools and settings. And with over 500 schools and 2,000 settings across the county, they keep us very busy.
We are committed to collaboration and continue to encourage all schools to work more closely together as part of a sustainable school-led improvement model that will allow them to access the support and challenge needed to continuously improve.
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Educational Psychologists
Essex Educational Psychologists (EPs) work with children and young people and provide independent professional advice to families to support the learning, development and wellbeing of children and young people. They work with children and young people up to 25 years of age.
We work in partnerships with families, schools and other professionals to achieve positive outcomes.
Many Essex EPs have specialist skills in areas such as autism, behaviour and mental health.
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Essex Youth Service
“Be who you want to be…”
The Essex Youth Service helps young people in Essex to get the most out of school, work and life.
Young people aged 13-25 can get involved in our Online Activities, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, National Citizen Service and Plan B.
We offer work experience, one-to-one youth work and support for young carers.
We have youth strategy groups, mobile youth delivery and community group funding.
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SEND
Essex County Council has embarked upon a programme of change for provision and services with the ambition to profoundly improve the outcomes and life experience of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Our vision is for a SEND system which identifies and assesses need at an earlier stage and which provides appropriate and impactful support without such high dependence on Essex County Council’s statutory services. We have a responsibility to deliver effective services and support in the most cost-effective and impactful way.
Teaching in Tendring
“Enriching young lives with magical stories. It doesn’t get any better than this.”
Children’s mental health and wellbeing
Join Steve Wittfield as he talks about the concerns from parents around children’s mental health & wellbeing
Please visit our Education Candidate Pack below, where you will find out more about topics such as our Education Services, Leadership Team and Ways of working:
