Breaking through the language barrier

The quality of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) training is getting better, but a lot more needs to be done to ensure standards are lifted beyond ''satisfactory'' levels. According to a report published today by the Office for Standards in Education, Children''s Services and Skills (Ofsted), inadequate ESOL in colleges is now rare. The number of colleges providing ESOL that is less than satisfactory has fallen to one in sixteen, down from one in five in the period from 2001-2005. The report included findings from colleges in Derby and Leicester The report, ESOL in the post-compulsory learning and skills sector: an evaluation, examines the quality of English training for speakers of other languages, including miworkers, refugees and asylum seekers who reside in England. Despite marked improvements with the quality of ESOL training and overall success rates, only around half the ESOL provided by colleges and a fifth by adult and community learning providers is found to be good or outstanding.

Council praised for its commitment to staff

Daventry District Council has been praised by assessors after successfully retaining its Investor in People (IIP) status. The accreditation acknowledges that good practice is in place to ensure people in the district get the best possible service from the council, employees are properly trained and developed and everyone is aware of the local authority’s aims and objectives. Inspectors visited the council over three days in September. Daventry District Council has held IIP status since 1998 and will be reassessed in three years. “The essence of IIP is to make sure that everyone who works for the organisation is aware of its aims and objectives, how their job helps them to achieve these aims and objectives, and ensuring that they get the training and development necessary to do that,” said Simon Bovey, Managing Director at Daventry District Council. “More than 60 employees were interviewed during the rigorous three-day inspection and I am delighted that we have successfully retained our IIP status. It is testament to the hard work of people here at the Council that we have again been adjudged to be providing such a high-quality service. “The IIP inspector said that during her time here and from the interviews that had taken place, she felt that Daventry District Council ‘is a friendly, supportive and exciting place to work’. In fact those words came from one of the staff interviewed – and are spot on!” He added that the Council would continue to monitor its performance in all areas to ensure its service levels remained high.

Maternity services for £6m boost

Almost £6m could be invested in the next few years to help improve services for mums and their children. In a draft of its five year strategic plan the board of Northamptonshire''s Teaching PCT has outlined investments it plans to make to improve maternity services across the county. Based on the existing birth rates, £1.75m could be invested to help ADVERTISEMENTincrease the availability of midwifery staff in 2009/10, £1.5m in 2010/11 and £750,000 in 2011/12. Services could also see an increase in health visitors and nursery nurses over the next two years costing about £1.1m and an investment of£793,000 for 2009/10 for improved quality of care for disabled children. Nick Edwards, head of commissioning for children and maternity services for the Northamptonshire PCT thinks using the money to invest more in certain areas of maternity will help provide better care for mothers. He said: "If we can get some further investments in the next couple of years it will make a big difference to the services we are able to provide." The aim of the trust is to improve and personalise care so it is more mid-wife led and so women have more choice about the care they receive. Mr Edwards added: "We are working to try to make the birthing process as normal and as positive as possible for women. "We want to start to make it a more personal service so that mothers can enjoy the birthing experience." Midwife Simon King, who is based at the Weavers Medical Centre in Kettering, thinks more midwives would definitely help to improve care for mothers. He said: "This would have an immediate impact on the health and wellbeing of women. The more time we are able to spend with women the better. It would be absolutely brilliant. We are always asked if we are delivering quality care and this would go a long way to achieving that." Mother of four Rachel Swannell, 31, of Orchard Crescent, Kettering agreed. She said: "It is a really good idea to invest more money into maternity care. All my births were really good, but I don''t think the midwives have enough time. "It would be good if they had more time to spend with you and help with breast feeding."

Prize Giving For Young Detectives At Eastfield Primary School

50 pupils from Eastfield Primary School have been praised for being honorary young detectives after taking part in the Northamptonshire Police Young Detective Scheme (NPYDS) over the past four weeks. Inspector Chris Hillery and Police Community Support Officer Becky Pollard will be presenting a prize giving assembly on Tuesday 7 October at 1.15pm where at least two pupils will be presented with special prizes for completing the highest number of missions. PCSO Becky Pollard from the Eastfield Safer Community Team said: "The year 5 and 6 pupils have completed a different mission each week, including tasks such as designing posters on anti-bullying, talking about where they don’t feel safe, and deciding on the slogan – ‘Bust crime in your spare time’. "The 9-11 year olds that took part in the scheme have proved that they are all good young detectives. "We are really pleased with the overall effort from all of those involved and the prizes are very well deserved."

Seventh annual Volunteers Fair coming soon

The University of Northampton''s Centre for Community Volunteering will be holding the seventh annual Volunteers Fair for University staff and students at Park Campus on Tuesday 14 October 2008. The Mayor of Northampton, Councillor Brian Markham, will open the Volunteers Fair at 11am. The event runs until 3pm, featuring over 30 community organisations including The Probation Service, Live at Home, Northamptonshire Sport, St Andrews Healthcare and The LowDown. In total, over 100 volunteering opportunities will be showcased - a great chance to give as much time as you can spare to a good cause. Linda Davis, Manager, The University of Northampton''s Centre for Community Volunteering, commented: ''''Volunteering is very rewarding - whether staff or students can spend a few hours a week or want to do a one-off event, this Fair will offer them lots of opportunities to find a cathey are interested in supporting. Volunteering is also increasingly looked for on CVs and can improve career prospects.'''' The Fair will take place in the Library Foyer, Rockingham, Park Campus. For further information, please contact The University of Northampton''s Centre for Community Volunteering team on 01604 892280, email: volunteers@northampton.ac.uk or visit volunteers.northampton.ac.uk

Successful start to new disability sports club

There was a successful start to the South Northants Disability Sports Club as the club was officially opened on Sunday, 21 September at Towcester Centre for Leisure. Tony Reddish, representing East Midlands English Federation of Disability Sport, gave a small talk about his experiences of being a disabled athlete before the Vice-Chairman of South Northamptonshire Council, Councillor David Aaronson, officially declared the club open. Councillor David Aaronson, the Vice-Chairman of South Northamptonshire Council, said: “I am extremely pleased to be part of the launch of such a worthwhile enterprise. “The club will provide increased opportunities for disabled children and adults to access a wide range of sporting activities and facilities. I look forward to watching its growth and development in the coming months.” Maxine Chatterton, Chairman of the Club, said: “The launch has been a great success and we are delighted with the turnout. The activities today have been fantastic. A big thanks to all involved and the club looks forward to the future with confidence.” Nineteen disabled people of all ages were able to participate in martial arts, speed and agility games, swimming and Goal Ball, a version of football for visually impaired people, delivered by Tony Reddish. The Club welcomes adults and children with disabilities and meets on the first and third Sunday of each month at Towcester Centre for Leisure. Times are normally 3pm to 4pm in the sports hall and 4pm to 5pm in the swimming pool. More information can be obtained from Colin Hull, Sports Development Officer, on 01327 322337 or colin.hull@southnorthants.gov.uk.

East Kettering - New Public Consultation

The Borough Council would like to gain the public''s views on the East Kettering Strategic Design Supplementary Planning Document. This draft document will form a key part of the Local Development Framework for the Borough, a suite of documents that contain planning policies and will guide future development. The Supplementary Planning Document aims to proactively promote high quality design within the Urban Extension.

East Northamptonshire Council In Times'''' Best Council To Work For'' list

A national survey, run by The Times newspaper has ranked East Northamptonshire Council as the 18th best Council to Work For out of 95 councils nationwide who took part. The aim of the award is to identify the best working practices in local authorities across the country and follows the same format as well known The Times'' ''Best Companies To Work For'' survey, David Oliver, Chief Executive, said: “We are very proud of this achievement which shows that our staff are committed to their work and really enjoy working here. This shows in our performance and the level of service we provide to the community. We are continually improving in terms of our customers’ perceptions and this will now help to improve our reputation as an employer.” Over 70% of staff completed the survey from the Times containing questions on issues such as leadership, day-to-day management, personal growth opportunities, wellbeing, team colleagues and pay and benefits. If you are interested in working for East Northamptonshire Council, visit www.east-northamptonshire.gov.uk for details of job vacancies.