Opportunities for Young People

We will provide the best possible start for young people in Wiltshire to build successful lives.

1. We will ensure that every student has access to post-16 education, training and skills by:

• Championing further investment in Wiltshire College through new funding, so they expand their range of courses and facilities, including degree-level courses.
• Delivering more modern apprenticeships by working with both Wiltshire College and employers.
• Put in place early intervention to reduce the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) by working with schools to provide pathways into post-16 education, training and employment, and using Risk of NEET Indicators to target intervention and support
• Setting up a Young Person’s bus pass, offering discounted travel at all hours.
• Extending support for travel costs for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Lobbying national government to abolish VAT charges for post-16 colleges and sixth forms: under existing rules, colleges, unlike schools and academies, are required to pay VAT on purchases.

2. We will rebuild youth services in Wiltshire by:

• Rebuilding the network of youth clubs in the County in partnership with the Government and voluntary sector through the Young Futures Hubs programme and providing spaces for young people with youth workers, health support and careers advice.
• Maintaining existing support for youth projects through Area Board Grants.
• Supporting new or extended projects, such as mentoring projects, with seed funding, use of buildings and facilities and assistance in applying for grant-funding.

3. We will ensure all children get the best out of school by:

• Delivering the free breakfast clubs in every primary school, funded by the Government’s programme.
• Providing every secondary school pupil on free school meals with a laptop to address inequalities in access to ICT (Information & Communications Technology). We’ll achieve this by refurbishing redundant laptops from local businesses and organisations and funding laptops to make up any shortfall.
• Opposing the further academisation of schools in Wiltshire, maintaining accountability to local communities.
• Supporting the future of Pencelli Outdoor Education Centre as an invaluable resource for Wiltshire Schools.
• Extending the Affordable Schools Programme, to make schools an affordable place for all pupils.
• Extending the provision of mental health support in schools, in partnership with the Government.
• Promoting the provision of healthy food in school canteens to combat child obesity.

4. We will provide access to high quality early education and childcare by:

• Delivering additional preschool nurseries in primary schools with Government support, to extend the government-funded hours families are entitled to.
• Delivering more wraparound childcare places, such as afterschool clubs, in primary schools.
• Recruiting more childminders and supporting them through the registration process, helping people to return to work.

5. We will support children with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) by:

• Improving SEND provision in Wiltshire by using the County’s share of the £1B of additional funding from the Budget. SEND children will be supported with the most appropriate environment for their needs, within mainstream schools or through local specialist schools.
• Speeding up Wiltshire’s process for setting up EHCPs (Educational Health and Care Plans), at present significantly behind the national average.
• Encouraging schools to share special facilities such as Forest Schools.