Wednesday, 12 June 2013

Hampshire County Council is highlighting safer sex and screening advice to help reduce further the rate of sexually transmitted infections.

Data released by Public Health England indicates a small decrease in the number of new cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) diagnosed in local sexual health clinics across the Wessex area which includes Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight.

However rates of STIs remain high and Public Health England says this suggests that too many people are continuing to put themselves at risk through unsafe sex especially young adults and men who have sex with men.

Chlamydia is the most commonly diagnosed in Hampshire followed by genital warts and herpes. Those aged under 25 experience the highest STI rates contributing to almost 74 per cent of Chlamydia diagnoses in the area.

Councillor Liz Fairhurst, Hampshire County Council's Executive Lead Member for Health and Wellbeing said: "Left untreated, sexually transmitted infections can lead to a range of complications including ectopic pregnancy, infertility, disability, cancer and premature death. As part of our new public health responsibilities, Hampshire County Council already commissions a range of programmes and services delivered in a variety of community settings that support people to develop and maintain good sexual health.

"Getting screened for HIV and STIs can lead to early diagnosis and treatment, as often these infections have no symptoms. In addition, reducing the number of sexual partners and avoiding overlapping sexual relationships can reduce the risk of being infected with an STI."

Individuals can also significantly reduce their risk of catching or passing on an STI by:

• Always using a condom when having sex with casual and new partners.
• Getting tested regularly if in one of the highest risk groups:
• Sexually active under 25 year olds should be screened for chlamydia every year, and on change of sexual partner
• Men who have sex with men having unprotected sex with casual or new partners should have an HIV/STI screen at least annually, and every three months if changing partners regularly.

• Further information on local sexual health services in Hampshire

Thursday, 16 May 2013

Hampshire County Council is encouraging parents to swap their car for a ticket to stride on the school run instead, with their children, during Walk to School Week (20- 24 May).

Over ninety thousand Hampshire-based school children have signed up to take part in Walk to School Week 2013, encouraging parents and children to take the opportunity to try walking to school and putting into practice good pedestrian road safety behaviour. All children taking part in Walk to School Week will receive a log book, certificate and stickers.

Walk to School Week is the initiative of national charity 'Living Streets'. According to the charity, by walking to school, parents say they find the journey to school less stressful, their petrol bill goes down, their children perform better at school and both they and their children feel healthier and fitter.

The aim of the initiative is to encourage as many school children and their families across the county to give walking a go during Walk to School Week. It is a more active way to start the day and can help improve concentration in the classroom. It can also be beneficial in helping children develop life long road safety skills and their sense of independence, as well as being fun.

Number of children participating by district.

East Hants 7,860
Basingstoke 13,170
Eastleigh 9,060
Fareham 8,435
Gosport 5,995
Hart 6,860
Havant 7,705
New Forest 9,980
Rushmoor 6,835
Test Valley 8,265
Winchester 6,455

Total 90,620

• Walk to School Week

Tuesday, 16 April 2013

John Coughlan, Hampshire County Council's Director of Children's Services, said: "The County Council's admission team has handled more than 14,000 applications for children starting primary school in September and parents have been notified of places offered to their children today, April 16. 97.76% of children have been given a place at one of their preferred schools, slightly higher than last year, including a small increase in the number getting their first choice.

"If parents applied by the deadline of midnight, on the 15 January, via our online application system, they will have been notified online accordingly, via email. In the cases where email addresses appeared to be incorrect, or where paper applications were received, hard copies of the offer letter will be sent instead, by first class post today. If parents are happy with the place offered to their child, there is no need for them to confirm acceptance but they are expected to contact the school with evidence of address and their child's date of birth over the coming weeks.

"Parents can appeal in respect of any school for which they have received a refusal. If parents have been allocated a place at a school other than one they hoped for, we advise that they hold onto that place for the time being, pending the outcome of offers being made to children on waiting lists or any appeal process. Their child's name will automatically be added to the waiting list of any higher preference Hampshire school named.

"If parents no longer need the school place secured for their child, they are asked to notify us, as soon as possible, so that the place can be re-allocated."

• Further information about what happens next

Wednesday, 20 March 2013

Friends of the Hampshire County Youth Orchestra have received a boost to help them to replace a full set of concert dresses for their public performances.

At his Decision Day on 14 March, Hampshire County Council Leader, Councillor Ken Thornber awarded the organisation £5,265 towards the total cost of £10,000 to replace the 20 year old garments. The funding will contribute towards purchasing fabric and dressmaking.

Council Leader, Councillor Ken Thornber said: "This organisation provides an opportunity for young people to develop and present their talent across the County, providing musical pleasure to large audiences. I am happy to be able to assist them in updating their concert wardrobe."

The Friends of the Hampshire County Youth Orchestra aims to assist in the musical education of students at schools and colleges in Hampshire by providing financial support to the Hampshire County Youth Orchestra, Hampshire County Youth Chamber Orchestra, and Hampshire County Youth String Orchestra.

In particular, the Friends contribute to the cost of residential training courses and orchestra overseas tours to reduce parental contributions and ensure that opportunities are open to all. The Friends also help by giving grants to the orchestras for instruments, commissioning of new works, soloists and workshops.

• Friends of the Hampshire County Youth Orchestra

Monday, 18 March 2013

Lively and innovative geology sessions are coming to Hampshire museums, with activities including a collector's box of geological curiosities, story-telling activities, a geochemical kit, a beginners guide to fossils and a stunning textile geological map of the area.

The activities have been made possible with funding provided by the Heritage Lottery Fund, which awarded £48,000 to a partnership of museums across several counties in the South East region, collectively known as Rockband.

Hampshire's interactive map, which has lots of intriguing pockets with fossils to explore and discover, was produced by textile artist Jenny Langley and shows many local geological features, including St Catherine's Hill, Selborne Hanger and the 'Sand Boils' at Bishops Waltham.

The new activities will be suitable for audiences of all ages and backgrounds, including audiences with learning disabilities and those who are partially sighted. Schools will soon be getting stuck in at special educational sessions, and members of the public will have a number of opportunities to try out the materials.

Check out the Hantsweb What's on listings to see further sessions as they are arranged, or contact the Museums and Arts Service.

• Willis Museum, Basingstoke, 10 April

Friday, 01 March 2013

Hampshire County Council's schools admissions service has been able to offer 99.5% of parents a place for their child at a school of their choice - with 96.2% getting their first preferred school, around 10% higher than the national averages released by the Department for Education last year.

The numbers getting a school of their choice is a record high. In total the service handled just over 13,000 on-time applications for Hampshire secondary schools and has notified parents of the outcome today.

Commenting Councillor Roy Perry, Hampshire County Council's Executive Lead Member for Children's Services, said: "I am delighted to see that an overwhelming majority of Hampshire children have been able to get into a secondary school of their choice this year - 99.5% is a very high success rate indeed when compared with rates elsewhere and is an improvement on last year's figure.

"I know that for the small number of children, some 60 out of more than 12,000 who applied, there will be disappointment not to have secured a place at one of their choices but that is because they applied to schools with exceptionally high demand. It is a mark of the high quality teaching in Hampshire schools that some have attracted more applicants than there are places but it really is only a very small proportion of the total number of applicants who have been unable to get a place at one of their preferred schools. The vast majority will be attending a school of their choice , and for over ninety six percent of families that is their first choice.

"No Hampshire child is without a place and those who did not secure a place at one of their chosen schools will be allocated a place at the nearest school with places available. Parents who have been unable to secure a place at their chosen school do of course have the right of appeal and they can put their child's name down on the school's waiting list. Places do become available as some parents change their mind or families move home and no longer need the place they had applied for.

The admissions team is now handling the primary school applications with offers due to go out on 16 April. In total the department will have dealt with 33,000 applications this year for children who are either starting primary or secondary school or transferring from infant to junior school.

In common with many areas around the country Hampshire has experienced heavy demand for primary school places. This is due to rising numbers births and more crucially increased numbers of families choosing to move into the county, in part attracted by the high quality schools, with more than 75% of children attending a primary school ranked good or outstanding by Ofsted.

In response to the increased demand for primary school places the County Council has committed more than £160m to providing an additional 8,000 primary school places in Hampshire.

• Schools in Hampshire - information and support services

Friday, 07 December 2012

Hampshire County Council has published its overarching framework and analysis for school places for the next four years.

At his decision day on 6 December Councillor Perry approved a framework and process for the planning of, and the consultation on, the provision of school places in Hampshire.

Hampshire in keeping with the national picture has experienced a significant rise in births over recent years which, together with housing development and in-migration to parts of the county, has increased the pressure on primary school places.

The framework, which has been developed following consultation with district and borough councils, national park authorities, diocesan authorities, head teachers and Governing bodies, forecasts future trends in predicted pupil numbers based on past and present uptake of places and birth and housing data. It also gives an indication of the need for additional future places and how these may be provided.

The document is intended to be a dynamic, living document which will be updated and developed according to information from Hampshire's thirteen planning authorities, all of which are at various stages in producing their Local Plans. It will be used to inform the development of more detailed district level plans as and when the need arises. This detailed planning for specific areas of the county will then be the subject of specific local consultations.

Commenting Councillor Perry said: "The County Council has a duty to ensure the provision of sufficient school places in such a way that raises standards, manages rising and declining pupil numbers and creates a high quality, diverse community of schools.

"I do appreciate how important it is to parents to be able to secure a place for their child at their local schools. The County Council has a planned investment programme of £161m over the next three years, subject to the receipt of future government grants and developers' contributions. A range of factors impacts upon the demand for school places such as birth rates, housing development, movement of families in and out of the county and parental preference.

"We seek to meet parental preferences wherever possible, and we have a very good record of success in this respect, much better than most authorities, but it must be remembered pupil forecasts are primarily concerned with the total number of school places available in an area. While over subscription of certain schools can give the impression that there is a shortage of school places that is not necessarily the case. It is the number of spare places in an area that we have to balance against the number of children seeking to start school that is the principal factor which we seek to predict and respond to. This is a continual process enabling us to develop detailed local plans for provision as and when needed."

• School Places : framework and analysis 2012-16

Wednesday, 31 October 2012

Hampshire County Council, in partnership with the Big Lottery funded Learning at the Centre Project at Basingstoke Discovery Centre, have been working with people who have communication difficulties to create a training film to help staff and others to communicate more confidently with people who find speech challenging.

This small group, supported by staff from the Learning at the Centre Project, Hampshire Learning Centre and Adult Services, wrote and made a short film whose key message is to "have patience and listen".

The film is sometimes challenging to watch as there are no sub-titles, but people do not speak in subtitles - patience and listening carefully with respect will provide the answers.

The film will be used as a training aid by Hampshire County Council, but with the agreement of the group who made the film it is freely available to all organisations and individuals, particularly those who come into everyday contact with people who sometimes struggle to be heard and get their point across.

The film was supported by the Learning at the Centre Project as a development opportunity for Project participants.

• Play 'How to talk with me' film

Tuesday, 30 October 2012

If your child attends Year 6 in a primary or junior school, you have just two days left to make an application for admission to Year 7 in a secondary school, to start in September 2013.

The deadline for receipt of online applications is midnight on Wednesday, 31 October.

If your child will be 4 years old between 1 September 2012 and 31 August 2013 they are due to start school in September 2013. You can apply from 1 November 2012 or any time before the closing date of midnight on 15 January 2013. This is also the closing date for applications for children transferring from infant to junior school.

Hampshire residents can apply for a school place online where there is also useful information about the application process and details of Hampshire schools. Applying online at www.hants.gov.uk/admissions

is easy, secure and allows you to make changes to your application right up to the closing date. You will also receive the outcome of your application by email.

If you do not wish to apply online, paper application forms are available from all Hampshire maintained schools and academies. Alternatively you can call 0845 603 5623 for an application form together with an admissions brochure.

Councillor Roy Perry, Hampshire County Council's Executive Lead Member for Children's Services, said: "Starting school for the first time is an important step for all children. I urge Hampshire parents to ensure they have completed applications by the respective deadlines: midnight on 31 October 2012 for secondary school places and midnight on 15 January 2013 for primary school places. Missing the deadline could mean missing out on a place at your local school.

"It is important for Hampshire residents to note that even when applying for a school which is outside of the Hampshire local authority area this needs to be done through the County Council's admissions process."

• Hampshire School Admissions - Apply Online

Thursday, 18 October 2012

Hampshire County Council is working with the national charity, Living Streets, to encourage more school pupils to walk part, or all of the way, to and from school.

Working with primary and secondary schools over three years

Based on the countrywide 'Walk to School' campaigns, two specialists from the charity will be working, over three years, with primary and secondary schools in Hampshire to encourage them to revisit and update their School Travel Plans, and to take up Living Streets' initiatives aimed at motivating more parents and pupils to walk to school. The package of measures they can offer include their successful 'WoW' (Walk Once A Week) campaign for primary schools, and 'Free your Feet' or 'Campaign in a Box' interventions for secondary schools. A number of schools will also benefit from intensive support to identify and tackle barriers to walking, as well as to promote walking to school and its benefits.

Schools with greatest potential to increase walking selected

On behalf of the County Council, the Living Streets officers will work with 122 primary schools and 26 secondary schools over the next three years. These schools have been selected because they have been identified as having the greatest potential to increase walking: these are schools where a high proportion of pupils are driven to school despite even though many of them live within walking distance.

The Hampshire Hands Up School Survey (2010) indicated that more than 60,000 cars in Hampshire either drive a longer route or travel during peak periods to take children to school, which increases congestion. Walking, scooting or even cycling to school can go a long way towards reducing the number of cars on the road, as well as achieving the Department of Health's recommended target of 60 minutes of exercise a day for children. More active ways of getting to school can also help to build confidence and contribute to the development of children's independence. An added bonus is that parents can save on increasing fuel costs.

Councillor Mel Kendal, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Environment and Transport, commented:

"In the UK, over half of primary school children do not walk to school regularly. Although this is unavoidable in some cases, being driven to school every day can mean that children miss out on learning valuable lessons about road safety and how to keep themselves safe.

"This project is part of the 'My Journey' campaign, to encourage people to consider their travel options for everyday journeys and to try alternative ways of travelling instead of in their car. Leaving the car at home can save people money, increase their level of physical activity and help to reduce congestion and carbon emissions, particularly on roads in the vicinity of our schools.

"It also complements the County Council's existing, long term road safety work with young people in primary and secondary schools such as: the Streets Ahead pedestrian training for children age six and seven years, Bikeability cycle training for young people and the recently launched StreetSense campaign focused on secondary school age pupils."

Living Streets' Chief Executive, Tony Armstrong, said:

"We help 1.9 million children a year walk to school by tackling the barriers to walking and we're delighted to be working with the County Council to help deliver the benefits in Hampshire. Parents tell us that the journey to school is less stressful, their petrol bill goes down, their children perform better at school and that they, and their children, feel healthier and fitter. Reducing gridlock on roads near the school gates not only improves road safety for pupils and local residents, but has benefits for everyone in the local community."

A partnership of eleven local authorities across the country made a successful bid for £4.8 million from the Department for Transport's Local Sustainable Transport Fund and it is this that will fund the three year project. The objectives of the Government's fund are to reduce congestion at peak times, and to reduce carbon and greenhouse gas emissions

• October is International Walk to School Month

Tuesday, 16 October 2012

More children will be able to enjoy gorge walking, caving, rock climbing and kayaking, thanks to a partnership between Hampshire County Council and one of London's oldest educational charities; Sir John Cass's Foundation.

At his Decision Day (27 September 2012) the County Council's Executive Member for Culture and Recreation, Councillor Keith Chapman approved a joint venture with Sir John Cass's Foundation to provide funding for Hampshire's Mountain Centre in the Brecon Beacons, Wales.

Sir John Cass's Foundation has awarded a grant of £250,000 over a five year period, to what will now be called Hampshire County Council Cass Foundation Mountain Centre, in order to provide opportunities for children in London, as well as to students that were already catered for from across Hampshire and the rest of the country.

This annual grant of £50,000 is the equivalent to about 50% of the running costs of the centre, which will in turn reduce the subsidy required from the County Council. Students from Sir John Cass's Foundation Secondary School and other secondary schools in London as well as trainee teachers from the Sir John Cass School of Education and Communities at the University of East London have already visited the Centre and will benefit from this new funding.

The Hampshire Mountain Centre occupies two sites, situated in the heart of the Brecon Beacons National Park among mountains, waterfalls and caves. It offers children the chance to enjoy a range of outdoor activities, which they wouldn't have access to in more built-up areas. Groups can take advantage of the many curriculum based, learning activities and also participate in outdoor sports which include walking expeditions, canoeing, climbing, gorge walking and mountain biking. Educational trips feature field study projects as well as historic buildings, museums and nature reserves to visit.

Every year an average of four and a half thousand children travel from Hampshire to stay at the two sites, which together can accommodate 64 young people at a time.

Councillor Chapman said:

"This is a wonderful opportunity to bring Hampshire's Mountain Centre and its excellent facilities to a wider audience. This partnership with Sir John Cass's Foundation means that more young people in London will have the opportunity to experience a variety of outdoor activities in the beautiful setting of the Welsh mountains."

Kevin Everett, the Treasurer and Chairman of Sir John Cass's Foundation said

"The Foundation is delighted to have entered into this strategic partnership with Hampshire County Council and to be providing opportunities for students from London, many of whom who have never left the Capital let alone experienced and benefited from high quality outdoor education.

"The Foundation welcomes the chance to work with a Council which values the importance of outdoor education and looks forward to strengthening this strategic partnership in the years to come."

• Partnership with the Sir John Cass's Foundation - Outdoor Activities