About the Education Strategy

Torbay Context

Torbay is a place of significant strengths, opportunity and community spirit. However, too many children and young people continue to face barriers associated with deprivation, vulnerability, special educational needs, poor health outcomes and unequal life chances.

The most commonly used measure is the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), which ranks areas relative to one another rather than producing a percentage rate. The latest English Indices of Deprivation show that the South West is generally one of the less deprived regions of England, with most neighbourhoods falling in the middle to less deprived deciles rather than the most deprived deciles. However, Torbay remains one of the more deprived local authorities in the South West, ranking among the most deprived authorities in the region.

Educational outcomes remain strongly linked to where a child lives, their level of disadvantage and whether they have identified additional needs. This strategy represents a collective commitment from education leaders to work together to reduce those inequalities and ensure that every child can thrive, regardless of circumstance.

Torbay Together – Purpose Statement

Torbay Education leaders will work together on shared priorities, in an inclusive, place-based way from early years to further education, so that every child and young person in Torbay can achieve, thrive, belong and improve life chances, with no one left behind.

Torbay Together Principles:

• We will act as one Torbay system
• We will put children and families first, especially those who need us most
• We will build trust and act with integrity
• We will listen to understand and communicate clearly and openly
• We will build an inclusive system where every voice matters
• We will act with urgency on what matters most
• We will challenge each other respectfully and honestly
• We will take shared responsibility for every child

Our promise for every child Together, we will work to ensure that every child born and raised in Torbay grows up:

• safe and well supported
• healthy
• able to achieve their full academic potential
• able to build strong and trusting relationships

Working with partners

Education has the greatest impact when the full network around a child works towards a common goal. This strategy cannot succeed in isolation, so we will align our work with partners across Torbay, including health, social care, and the voluntary and community sector. Inclusion is our ‘Golden Thread’ Across Torbay there is a strong relationship between deprivation, SEND, attendance, exclusions and educational outcomes. We will therefore focus collective effort on children and communities facing the greatest disadvantage. This will become a golden thread through all five priorities.

Inclusion is our ‘Golden Thread’

Across Torbay there is a strong relationship between deprivation, SEND, attendance, exclusions and educational outcomes. We will therefore focus collective effort on children and communities facing the greatest disadvantage. This will become a golden thread through all five priorities.

Our Young People’s Voices

Listening to children and young people is essential. Their views should shape our priorities and inform the actions we take on the issues that matter most to them.

Young people tell us they want to be listened to, believed in and prepared for the future. We know these aspirations are not experienced equally across Torbay. This strategy commits us to ensuring that children's opportunities are not determined by their postcode, their level of need or their family circumstances.

Children and young people say…..

• “I really want to learn even if it’s hard because education is important to me.”
• “I want teachers to listen to me when I have something to say”
• “We want more chances to try different things so we can discover what we are good at and what we might want to do when we are older.”
• “We want greater exposure to jobs and opportunities so we can see how learning in school connects to real life.”
• “We want more high-quality jobs and opportunities in Torbay, so that those of us who want to stay can build a successful future here.”
• “I want to feel prepared for the future.”
• “I want teachers who believe that I will be a success”