EduAction delivers on London Borough of Waltham Forest Council

EduAction, a joint venture formed by Amey plc and Nord Anglia Education PLC, is pleased to announce that its work has significantly contributed towards Waltham Forest Council LEAs recent OfSTED rating of ‘highly satisfactory’.

EduAction was awarded the £200 million Waltham Forest Council contract in September 2001 with a mandate to provide a comprehensive range of services to schools within the Borough and deliver major improvements in educational standards over a period of five years. EduAction has the responsibility for developing strategies and delivering services covering school improvement, management support, social inclusion and special educational needs.

Under the terms of the contract, EduAction was mandated to improve the Borough’s OfSTED rating from ‘poor’ to ‘highly satisfactory’ during the contract’s lifecycle. Significant progress was recognised by OfSTED within the first year of the contract. That progress has been maintained, and OfSTED’s recent inspection, conducted during January 2005, led to the LEA’s performance being rated as ‘highly satisfactory.’

EduAction is responsible for 28, and shares responsibility for a further 14, of the 47 LEA functions inspected by OfSTED. The report’s findings highlight the commitment made by both the Council and the contractor to work together to raise standards. Good collaboration had “created a productive partnership between the Council and the contractor; resulting in support for schools and young people that is consistently of much better quality across a wide range of school functions”. OfSTED also commented that “the contractor’s influence had greatly increased” since the last inspection and that “the relations between the contractor and the borough’s schools have also improved since the last inspection.”

Mel Ewell, Chief Executive of Amey, commented: “We are delighted with the findings of the recent OfSTED report. Amey and Nord Anglia Education, our joint venture partner, have worked hard in partnership with Waltham Forest Council to deliver improved educational standards for the pupils, staff and schools of Waltham Forest. We have delivered on our promise to help radically improve educational standards within the Borough. Waltham Forest in now rightly regarded as one of the fastest improving LEAs in the country. We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Council and building on our achievements.”

Andrew Fitzmaurice, Chief Executive of Nord Anglia Education, said: “The strategic partnership between EduAction and Waltham Forest Council is an excellent example of what can be achieved when you harness the resources of the private sector and the commitment of the public sector. We are extremely proud of what we have achieved and excited about the future of learning in the Borough.”

Cllr Chris Robbins Cabinet Member for Learning, Leisure and Culture said “We are absolutely delighted with this report, which recognises two years of hard work, by the Council and our partner EduAction, as well as schools, parents and pupils, since the last inspection.”

Notes to editors:

1. Amey is a provider of integrated business support services to the public and private sector and is working closely with central and local government to deliver strategic education, health, transport and defence projects. Services range from the management of large-scale transportation infrastructure to the delivery of professional and back office services.
2. Nord Anglia Education PLC is the only company quoted on the Lo

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