Our Strategic Board and Strategy

Background

The Pathways for All (PfA) Strategic Board was established following Kent County Council’s (KCC) 16 to 19 Review to provide system leadership for post‑16 education and training across Kent.

The council has two main statutory duties related to post-16 education:

• To secure enough suitable education and training provision to meet the reasonable needs of all young people in their area who are over compulsory school age but under 19 or aged 19 or over and for whom an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan is maintained. This is a duty under section 15ZA of the Education Act 19963. To fulfil this, local authorities should have a strategic overview of the provision available in their area and identify and resolve gaps in provision.
• To make available to all young people aged 13 to 19, and to those between 20 and 25 with special educational needs (SEN), support it considers appropriate to encourage, enable or assist them to effectively participate in education or training.

Paragraph 19 of the statutory guidance on participation states: “Local authorities should provide strategic leadership in their areas to support participation in education, training and employment - working with and influencing partners.” (Participation of young people in education, employment or training Statutory guidance for local authorities, April 2024)

Pathways for All is KCC’s innovative approach to delivering these duties in partnership with the sector and the Strategic Board is a key part of this.

The Board provides strategic direction and collective influence rather than operating as a formal decision‑making body.

PfA’s impact derives from the value it adds to partners: credible data and insight, senior buy‑in, trusted relationships and a shared mandate to improve outcomes for young people. An independent evaluation in 2025 confirmed stronger collaboration while recommending clearer expectations, sharper transition practice, greater focus on provision change, and more explicit shared accountability.

Purpose

The Strategic Board exists to provide strategic leadership and shared stewardship for the Pathways for All Strategy, focusing on system outcomes rather than operational delivery.

It will ensure  that the recommendations of the Review, as they may evolve, are implemented and will lobby appropriate national and regional bodies for change when issues are identified.

The Board shall focus its work on the strategic aims as set out in the current Pathways for All Strategy (PDF, 576.9 KB). This year (2025/26) they are:

• The Post‑16 Offer – ensuring a coherent, sufficient and inclusive post‑16 area offer across Kent, supporting models of good practice to develop industry-relevant level 2 provision based on local context
• Transition – ensuring clear, well‑supported and resilient transitions into education, training or employment, including increasing ‘plan B’ options for all young people, and particularly those at risk of becoming NEET, including acting as advocates for those not in the education system
• Collaboration – sustaining partnership with Kent schools and other partners, working with shared ownership of outcomes, including NEET

The Board will champion the collective commitment that ‘No Young Person Left Behind’, including shared responsibility for participation, NEET reduction and sustained destinations.

Guiding principles

All Board activity will align with the PfA Strategy’s guiding principles:

• Accessible – prioritising inclusivity and the learner experience
• Ambitious – promoting high expectations and progression
• Appropriate – grounded in research, data and local labour market intelligence, focusing on the 2026 LSIP

In line with the PfA Strategy, the Board will not mandate pedagogy, provider entry criteria or higher education pathways.

Strategic objectives

In delivering the PfA Strategy, the Board shall:

• Provide system leadership to improve and grow provision, particularly at Level 2 and below and for learners at higher risk of becoming NEET
• Ensure that there is a clear understanding of the issues that face the post-16 sector in Kent and this is jointly understood by KCC and the sector.
• Strengthen transitions, including a clear system expectation that every young person has a primary destination and a viable contingency (‘Plan B’) with more effective CEIAG
• Oversee delivery of PfA priorities across all Local Collaborative Partnership Areas (LCPAs), including annual provision improvement
• Use shared data on participation, NEET and sustained destinations to support collective learning and peer challenge

Scope

The Board’s remit extends across all post‑16 education and training provision in Kent and includes strategic oversight of the Local Collaborative Partnership Areas (LCPAs), which act as the primary mechanism for local collaboration and delivery.

Authority and role

The Board does not hold statutory powers. Its authority, driven by our mission that ‘No Young Person is Left Behind’. is exercised through:

• Senior ownership and buy‑in from partners
• Clear expectations of participation, attendance and contribution
• Collective ownership of shared outcomes
• Transparent, data‑led challenge and alignment with Kent County Council’s statutory duties

Strategic Board membership

Membership will comprise senior leaders with authority to influence organisational strategy and delivery, including:

• FE College Principals
• MAT and secondary leaders with post‑16 provision
• Specialist post‑16 and SEND providers
• Apprenticeship, training and employer representatives
• Business representative groups (Chambers etc)
• HE (representing the widening participation agenda)
• Kent County Council (senior officer level)
• DfE / ESFA (observer or advisory)

Members are expected to act as system leaders, attend regularly (or delegate appropriately), champion PfA priorities and contribute to delivery and peer challenge.

If you wish to become involved in the work of the Strategic Board, please reach out to your relevant association or organisation or email pathwaysforall@kent.gov.uk.

Please find the Strategic Board biographies (PDF, 1015.0 KB) and updated Strategic Board ToR (PDF, 167.8 KB).

PfA strategy

Due to the worsening situation for young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) we have produced an updated strategy which focuses on:

• Increasing provision for vulnerable learners
• Supporting transition into Post-16 Education
• Strengthening collaboration between education providers, key partners and employers.

Please find the Post-16 Education and Skills strategy for Kent 2025/26 (PDF, 576.9 KB).