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Surrey has some of the most successful state schools in the country, but good will not be good enough in future. The question is, how do we move from good schools to great schools? The radical answer proposed is to move to a campus-based system, modelled on aspects of those in place at our most successful universities. In Surrey's schools last year, around 63% of candidates achieved five or more A*-C grades at GCSE. When maths and English are included, that figure falls to about 55%. Nor does the current system deliver all the skills to take the local or national economy forward. Bombarded by directives from the Government, staff can find themselves distracted from helping young people. Schools are generally successful at recruiting newly-qualified staff at the start of their careers, but retaining them is more difficult. The high cost of living, and housing in particular, in Surrey, together with national pay scales mean it is often more attractive to develop a career in somewhere such as Devon, Dorset or Norfolk. Nationally, attitudes to education are also changing. Schools have, over the past 20 years, become increasingly independent in their operations. With the new Education and Inspections Act the process of separation has accelerated. Any new system must be universal and available for all children. It should aim to increase pass rates in traditional academic subjects as well as positioning vocational studies and qualifications as vital to the success of the economy. And it must also provide greater cultural and sporting opportunities. Schools could become community hubs for health, welfare, business, sport and cultural. Links with business need to be grown, ensuring skills training is of the highest standard. A new system must also deliver wider choice. Collaboration between schools can deliver a broader academic, vocational, cultural and sporting offer, providing parents and children with a degree of choice not currently available. Choice also means being able to meet individual requirements. Recently, there has been a focus on providing staff with an improved working environment in schools, with time out of the classroom to better develop skills. Taking this agenda further makes sense. A new system must make the most of existing resources. Surrey's schools currently have a backlog of repairs and refurbishments estimated at £130m. Building Schools for the Future money may arrive in 2011 and while it will make a difference, it won't secure a sustainable future. So what does the future look like? Campus Woking. Campus Woking seeks to do away with the traditional constraints of our education system to allow a more personal approach to learning. Schools which are part of campus woking will retain their freedom of operation, their own ethos and management structures, but will benefit from being part of a larger body. There is already growing collaboration between many schools in Surrey, operating as loosely arranged federations. Campus Woking provides a destination for those federations that want to move further, faster. Schools would remain firmly in the state sector, but the central body that provides a range of support might be a charitable trust or social enterprise, able to raise funds from sources not available to the local authority. Collaboration would also extend beyond schools bringing to bear the expertise and talent of the youth development service, Connexions, the voluntary sector, higher education and others. Part of any new investment could be directed at providing laptops for all children, making personalisation of learning a reality. With joint timetabling, children will also be able to access specialist staff, resources and courses at a school other than that where they are registered. Investment might also provide a central hub for education and learning in Woking, delivering education and learning opportunities for the whole community. As a parent, I have no doubt that transforming the prospects of children and young people and taking schools from good to great must be a priority for all our futures. Andrew Crisp is executive member for education and deputy leader at Surrey CC

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We're all 'Woking' it out

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