JOHN Gilbert is heading the re- invention of Swindon’s education service.

It is a tall order but after just seven months in the job he is already making changes.

Finding an alternative to expelling disruptive children and adjusting to schools’ escalating independence are just a tiny fraction of his vast activities.

The group director of Swindon Council’s Children’s Services department leads a team of 900 officers, and supports about 4,000 staff in schools.

His role will expand even more in 2010 with the abolition of the Learning & Skills Council, a move which will see the council take over its work of supporting older teenagers.

“I’m the headteacher of Swindon Council schools,” he explains.

“And my job is to look after the 45,500 children and young people.

“They are all as important as each other.”

Mr Gilbert, who previously worked at Telford and Wrekin Council in Shropshire, was not put off by Swindon’s historically poor track record in children’s services.

Four children and teenagers have died in Swindon after being failed by the system since 2004.

“I am conscious of the history of Swindon,” said Mr Gilbert.

“I would not have come into the job if it was too daunting.

“The authority is very different now. It is easy to point fingers at others.

“‘Judge me by the future – not the past,’ I keep telling headteachers.

“One of my ambitions is to place children services central to the authority's thinking.

“One of the criticisms has been it is has not happened in the past. It is now starting to happen.”

He has a vision of young people studying for degrees in the town and eagerly wants a university to lift their horizons.

He believes if the council can intervene to help broaden horizons at an earlier age, a potentially troubled child could be saved from a life of crime.

“If you don’t look after young people when they are young they put more pressure on the system as adults,” he said.

Sixty six per cent of his budget is spent on only three per cent of youngsters – those with high-end needs, which includes those with behavioural problems.

And when teenagers do go over the edge, he is not sure exclusion is always the best answer. An Alternative Provision Review is taking place to look at other options.

A justification for a different approach is that is that two thirds of children who are permanently excluded enter the youth justice system, he points out.

Switching to another school is suggested as one possible solution instead of sending them to the Stratton Education Centre pupil referral unit.

“The danger is it could possibly be seen as a dumping ground,” he said.

“We are saying to schools: ‘we all need to have a share in this.’ It is about looking after very vulnerable young people, as we are dealing with extreme behaviour.”

Moving multi-agency teams out to work in communities instead of being based in a town centre office is also a priority.

“Families want to have facilities available as close as possible to the home.

“I want staff to be placed in different areas of Swindon so they know what is going on. I am keen for multi-agency teams to branch out.”

Mr Gilbert is also keen to promote a culture of shared ownership among different agencies with – with less of the ‘my’ school attitude and more reference to ‘our’ schools.

But more schools in Swindon are heading towards greater autonomy – becoming trust and foundation schools – in line with Government strategy.

Churchfields became the fourth foundation school in the borough in October. It now employs its staff and owns the land and the buildings.

“My relationship with heads in those schools is more about working in collaboration,” he said.

He also believes collaboration between schools offering different courses is vital to the success of the 14-19 Diplomas and rising above deprivation.

“The good schools work in collaboration,” he said.

“I have yet to meet a school that is stronger by working in isolation.

“Some of the best schools in the country are in our most deprived areas.

“If they can do it we can do it.”