Southampton Education Forum (SEF)

• Fostering Unified Strategic Collaboration: By analytical common challenges and shared themes across institutions, the forum cultivates a high-level collaborative culture. This approach enables strategic leaders to leverage collective insights, driving consistency and best practices that amplify educational outcomes
• Alignment with City-Wide Priorities: The forum aligns its mission with the broader educational and socio-economic needs of the city. By strategically addressing resource distribution, enhancing pupils’ engagement, and fostering community partnerships, the forum ensures that its initiatives resonate with and support the city's development goals
• Focused, Strategic Themed Sessions: Each session is designed to concentrate on critical learning areas that directly impact the city’s educational objectives. By delving into essential topics like Enterprise, Alternative Education and Inclusion, leaders can prioritise key areas for targeted actions, ensuring these initiatives drive substantial improvements
• Integration of Curriculum and Pastoral Operations meetings for Holistic Impact: The forum strategically links academic objectives with pastoral support, aligning educational goals with pupils' well-being. This holistic approach supports a comprehensive strategy that addresses both intellectual growth and personal development, promoting a well-rounded educational environment
• Commitment to Tangible Outcomes and Accountability: Through clearly defined action plans and measurable targets, the forum establishes accountability frameworks for assessing the impact of its initiatives. By continuously monitoring and refining strategies, leaders will ensure that the forum not only meets its objectives but also adapts to changing needs and delivers sustained, measurable impact

Theme 1: Mental health/learning anxiety/resilience

Strategic objective: Create and implement a city-wide mental health and resilience framework that aligns with national mental health initiatives, prioritising systemic changes to address learning anxiety and emotional well-being. Ensure that school leaders, local authorities, and external partners collaborate to embed mental health policies into all levels of education.

Strategic impact: By embedding mental health and resilience into education systems, we will reduce learning anxiety, foster emotional stability, and create an environment where all pupils can fully engage in education. This will lead to sustainable improvements in attendance, academic outcomes, and long-term well-being, supporting a resilient future workforce.

• Linked priorities - attendance; attainment and post-16 progression (NEET)
• Partners - Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare - NHS Foundation Trust

Theme 2: Employer engagement and vocational learning

Strategic objective: Form strategic partnerships with key employers, industry leaders, and vocational institutions to create a cohesive vocational learning pathway, aligned with regional economic needs. Establish a city-wide vocational education strategy that is integrated into the local education authority’s long-term planning.

Strategic impact: A robust employer engagement strategy will provide pupils with the skills and experiences needed to thrive in the evolving job market. Through enhanced partnerships, schools will build stronger career pipelines, resulting in improved pupil readiness for employment, and higher post-education success rates. This will contribute to long-term regional economic growth and workforce sustainability

• Linked priorities - attendance; attainment and post-16 progression (NEET)

Theme 3: Alternative provision and inclusion

Strategic objective: Develop an integrated approach to alternative provision that ensures equity, personalisation, and high-quality outcomes for all pupils. Engage local authorities, school leaders, and external agencies in a collective strategy to ensure pupils at risk of exclusion receive the necessary resources and pathways to succeed.

Strategic impact: This strategy will increase the inclusivity and effectiveness of alternative provision, leading to higher levels of attendance and academic achievement for vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils. The approach will reduce exclusions, close educational gaps, and ensure all pupils have equitable access to future opportunities in education and employment.

• Focus for the Pastoral Ops group in partnership the Strategic Lead for Education Provision
• Action: Scope of available provision; joining commissioning opportunities
• Linked priorities - attendance; attainment and post-16 progression (NEET)

City leaders sharing strength and collective responsibility

The Southampton Education Forum is made up of the principals and headteachers of 15 Southampton secondary schools (two with sixth forms), three post-16 colleges and both Southampton universities, together with representatives from the local authority.

The Forum meets seven times during the academic year to conduct its business and holds an annual conference, to promote and enact collaborative engagement with key strategic initiatives.

Members of the Forum include:

• Bitterne Park School and Sixth Form
• Cantell School
• The Compass School
• Itchen Sixth Form College
• Oasis Academy Lord's Hill
• Oasis Academy Mayfield
• The Polygon School
• Redbridge Community School
• Regents Park Community College
• Richard Taunton Sixth Form College
• St Anne's School and Sixth Form
• St George Catholic College
• St Mark's C of E School
• Oasis Academy Sholing
• Southampton College (SHCG)
• Upper Shirley High School
• Weston Secondary School
• Woodlands Community College
• Solent University
• University of Southampton
• Southampton City Council
• A representative from the Primary Heads Forum

Values: The Southampton Education Forum drives deep collaboration and trust among leaders, grounded in integrity, openness, and a collective commitment to excellence. By championing diversity and inclusion, the Forum empowers institutions to deliver impactful, transparent solutions that address a broad range of needs.

Core Purpose: Our strategic purpose is to improve attendance, elevate attainment, and prepare young people for future success in life and work, equipping them with the skills needed to thrive in an evolving world.

Ambition: SEF is focused on transforming educational outcomes for all, especially for the most disadvantaged students. Over the next three years, we aim to ensure all schools and colleges achieve good feedback from Ofsted fostering strategic partnerships and delivering inclusive, sustainable progress.