Norfolk’s seven-year-olds have posted record results in reading – with the County moving ahead of the national average for the first time.
Key Stage 1 results, published this week, show that 91% of pupils achieved the expected level two or above in reading – up from 89% in 2014 and above the national average of 90%.
In writing and maths, Norfolk was in line with the national average with 88% achieving at least level two in writing and 93% in maths.
Meanwhile reading performance for younger children in the county also showed improvement, with Norfolk narrowing the gap on the national average.
Seventy-three percent of six-year-olds passed the phonics check this year, a four percentage point improvement on last year’s 69%. Nationally, 77% passed the check, up from 74% last year.
The results follow significant improvements in the achievements of the county’s five-year-olds this summer, with a record proportion of children (65%) achieving “a good level of development” at the end of the reception year. The improvement of seven percentage points was greater than the six percentage points recorded nationally.
James Joyce, Chairman of the Children’s Services Committee at Norfolk County Council, said:
“Excellence in education is our priority and today’s results show that Norfolk’s infant aged children are beginning to make gains on their peers nationally – surpassing them in reading in Key Stage 1.”
“Getting early education right is crucial because results at five, six and seven give a good indication of how children will go on to achieve later in their education. Reading is particularly vital because it unlocks the rest of the curriculum for children, as well as providing a huge amount of joy.”
“Whilst it is encouraging to go ahead of the national average on this measure and to be in line with the national average for writing and maths for seven-year-olds, there is still much to do if we are to collectively ensure that all of Norfolk’s children are reaching their potential.”
“We want Norfolk to not simply reach but exceed the national average across every key stage and this is an aspiration shared by the council, headteachers and governors across the County.”
Caroline Williams, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber said:
“We, as a business community, need to work in partnership with the education establishments to capitalise on this success. To bridge the gap between education and work we need to inspire these children from an early age and develop them into the workforce of the future.”
While on a five day tour of China, the Chancellor George Osborne announced an important milestone on nuclear new build. Mr Osborne insisted that new nuclear power stations are essential to make sure the lights stay on as he gave the green light to the initial government guarantee for the first such plant in Britain for 20 years.
He announced the new government guarantee, provided by Infrastructure UK, for a new nuclear power station planned for Hinkley Point C in Somerset. The initial deal is set to be worth around £2 billion and will pave the way for a final investment decision by energy company EDF, supported by China General Nuclear Corporation and China National Nuclear Corporation, later this year, and with further amounts potentially available in the longer-term.
The construction and operation of Hinkley Point C will create thousands of jobs in Somerset and more widely in the nuclear industry across the UK, as well as boosting Britain’s energy security. It is also expected to open the door to unprecedented collaboration in the UK and China on the construction of new nuclear power stations.
During the next ten years, Britain is expected to need to replace around quarter of its capacity due to ageing nuclear and coal power plants retiring, which the new Hinkley Point power station will help achieve.
Mr Osborne said: “Britain was the home to the very first civil nuclear power stations in the world and I am determined that we now lead the way again. Nuclear power is cost competitive with other low carbon technology and is a crucial part of our energy mix, along with new sources of power such as shale gas.”
“So I am delighted to announce this guarantee for Hinkley Point today and to be in China to discuss their investments in Britain’s nuclear industry. It is another move forward for the golden relationship between Britain and China – the world’s oldest civil nuclear power and the world’s fastest growing civil nuclear power.”
The timetable for Sizewell C is dependent on the progress being made at Hinkley Point C. The Chancellor’s announcement also opens up opportunities for potential Chinese collaboration in the Sizewell C design and build.
Commenting on the Chancellor’s announcement, Caroline Williams, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber said:
“Norfolk Chamber welcomes the announcement by the Chancellor and hope that this will aid EDF and its partners to reach a final investment decision on Hinkley Point C. Not only will a final decision on Hinkley bring the development of Sizewell C a step closer, but it will help ensure the security of the UK’s energy supply going forwards.”
A new app which allows customers to pay using their mobile phones has been adopted by independent businesses in the Norwich Lanes. About 1,000 people across Norwich are already using the Droplet software, which gives retailers a way of receiving money with being hit by transaction fees.
The concept was created by Norfolk-born entrepreneur Steffan Aquarone, who launched the digital start-up after getting a £1m cash-injection from wealthy backers. Mr Aquarone, said more than 25 businesses in the Norwich Lanes are now accepting payment through the app, despite only launching the software two months ago. As well as paying for goods, the free app also allows people to transfer money between friends, or leave messages for a shop after a purchase has been made.
Norfolk Chamber is also looking at how technology can be put to work for businesses. Following four year’s success, the Chamber is holding an exciting and dynamic Technology Conference on Wednesday 23 September. With Norwich announced as one of the top 10 technology cities in the UK (Tech Nation report 2015), the region has propelled itself into the forefront of the digital age and earmarked itself as a driving business force to be reckoned with.
In an evolving business age that is online 24/7, ‘THE FUTURE IS HERE’ event will provide an interactive insight into how digital technology impacts business today and how it is shaping and influencing the future outlook of business both in the region and on a wider scale.
With over 100 businesses in attendance, and first-rate expert advice from 16 business stands, 10 key note speakers, 4 workshops and networking lunch and exhibition, Chamber is proud to present it’s most superior B2B event to date.
Highlights will include key note speeches from influential local and national sector leaders on important topics such as:
Power of the Cloud – Amazon; Microsoft
Master data management – Zing Insights; Sean Clarke
Mobile ready – Proxama; Naked Element
Connecting with the future – Rainbird; Tech City
Chamber Chief Executive, Caroline Williams said: “Digital technology is one of the fastest growing sectors in the region and we are thrilled to see so many companies choosing to start-up here. The rate of growth and wealth of new talent in this area goes to show what a progressive region Norfolk is and we are delighted to be encouraging such developments and evolution in business.”
Commenting on the US Federal Reserve interest rates decision today, John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said:
“Given the current global uncertainty, the Fed was right to keep rates on hold for now, and avoid exacerbating the problem. We would urge the MPC to follow suit, particularly given the more mixed picture emerging from the UK labour market, and the recent disappointing trade and manufacturing figures.
“The Bank of England should keep UK rates at their current level until well into 2016 at the earliest, and when rates do start to rise – as they must eventually do – it is vital that increases are limited to small incremental rises, in order to maintain business confidence.”
Economic growth has grown solidly in the last year
Demand for commercial property has increased.
Recruitment difficulties continue to increase
The latest Bank of England Agent’s summary of business conditions for Quarter 3, 2015 was released this week.
The summary noted that overall activity has grown solidly in the last year, with increased demand being attributed to rises in real incomes and credit availability. However export driven growth is subdued.
Demand for commercial property has increased in pace with economic activity and investment in this sector had remained strong. In contract housing market activity has not picked up at the pace expected.
Recruitment difficulties continue to increase, with signs of building pressure on labour cost growth in the service sector. Service sector price inflation has remained modest and goods prices are lower than a year ago.
At today’s Bank of England Lunch, Tim Pike, the South East Agent for the Bank of England and Chamber members debated the confidence of the Norfolk business community in the current economic climate and how this is could be impacting on productivity in our region.
Attendees noted that whilst business confidence was dipping slightly, another key concern for many employers was recruiting skilled staff. Although apprenticeships were helping to fill some of the skills shortages, this was a long term solution and did not help firms to recruit the more senior skilled workers which are needed now. This is being particularly felt in the manufacturing, engineering and IT sectors. Also discussed at the lunch was Europe, the EU Referendum and the amount of regulatory burdens being placed businesses.
The future of cross -country rail services from Norwich to Liverpool, via Thetford has been secured. East Midland Trains has now extended its franchise agreement to 2018 and will continue to run the cross-country service.
Concerns had previously been raised that the agreement may cease, which would have resulted in the loss of the service, which links Norfolk to the west of the country.
Elizabeth Truss, MP for South West Norfolk was pleased that a deal had been struck. She said:
“The cross-country services provide a key rail route for residents in south west Norfolk. Not only does it allow for travel to the west of the country but also travelling via Peterborough offers the opportunity to connect to train services heading north and south.”
Also commenting on the Caroline Williams, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber said:
This route is critical rail link for our region and will help ensure that our economy is both accessible and competitive. Norfolk Chamber continues to lobby for improvements to our rail and road networks that will deliver growth for Norfolk and East Anglia.”
BBA Digital Media is a Digital-Out-Of-Home (DOOH) advertising platform, the first of its kind in Norwich: delivering cutting edge media to thousands of people and operating an extensive portfolio of advertising opportunities. We are an innovative and technologically advanced company, providing large and interactive digital signage screens in high footfall locations for customers to advertise on. We invite our partners to engage and inspire consumers through live data feeds, location-based content, mobile interactivity and much more on our digital screens across Norfolk.
Our digital screens open up new and exciting opportunities in digital out-of-home advertising across Norfolk, helping businesses engage with people through stunning, contextual advertising that can be delivered immediately at a touch of a button. Our portfolio of digital screens offers unrivalled flexibility for targeted multiple messages, links to social media, immediate editorial or showcasing dynamic content.
Our advertising provides both national and independent businesses with a fantastic opportunity to promote their businesses in a market leading and technologically advanced way, in order to engage new and existing customers in Norfolk. At BBA Digital Media, we hand pick our locations to capitalise on social circumstances where audiences are both readily abundant and easily captivated.
The Benefits Of Going Digital
Since the first digital displays in the early noughties, DOOH has experienced huge growth. Last year, UK revenues in the sector were almost £1 billion: this is close to the peak revenues experienced in the outdoor advertising sector prior to the recession. As a result, this year investment in digital display is high, with over £75 million expected to be ploughed into new technology and infrastructure.DOOH media has been building momentum in recent years through increased consumer exposure and operator revenues, resulting in digital signage ascending to the world’s 2nd fastest-growing advertising medium as it quickly becomes a vital component of the transitioning media ecosystem.Consumers rate DOOH advertising as the next most trustworthy medium compared with broadcast television (24% against 28%). Traditional print media comes next on 22% with online being ranked as the least trustworthy with just 3% of consumers.
Dynamic content control and cost-effectiveness – Using digital signage enables users to make frequent, rapid changes to the messaging conveyed to an audience.
No paper waste – Because digital signage doesn’t require the use of paper for printing, there is no need to dispose of old messaging when it becomes out-dated.
Audience engagement – Contemporary society has become accustomed to forms of media other than printed material, such as the Internet or television. Because it is a much more dynamic, multimedia-based communications channel, digital signage is very effective in harnessing an audience’s comfort level with multimedia, which helps to create a more engaging experience.
Targeted content – Because digital signage enables messages to be rotated, content can be targeted based on audience demographic.
Convenient accessibility – Digital signage messaging can be controlled locally or remotely, depending on the site layout. As a result, much less footwork is required to manage messaging campaigns, in turn saving time and expense.
This showreel from Grand Visual shows the powers of Digital Out-Of-Home advertising –https://lnkd.in/ejVczZb
Interesting facts and figures
Global Digital Signage market expected to grow to $23.76 Billion in 2020, with the UK leading in Europe
Last year, UK revenues in the DOOH sector were almost £1 billion
27.3% Rise in DOOH ad spend last year and now comprises around a quarter of the Out-Of-Home (OOH) total
15,000 advertising bus shelters are to be transformed from static to digital by 2016 in London
DOOH is an advertising medium which cannot be turned off, closed, missed or minimised. It’s live, data driven & dynamic along with being contextual, relevant and usful to its viewers.
72% of consumers recall advertising on digital screens.
86% of consumers say digital screens are noticeable.
80% of consumers find digital advertising screens to be informative.
Comparisonswith Traditional Media
Movement attracts: displays with motion advertising grabs the attention easier and gets more of a response
DOOH provides superior ad recall and retention than traditional media.
DOOH affords greater flexibility for creative schedules in facilitating a fast route to the target audience.
DOOH is often better targeted, communicating with consumers at a time when they are “ready to act.”
Indeed, the content is adaptable to local variations in demographics, buying patterns and interest.
Impact: dynamic content vs. static content in traditional advertising
Flexibility: an unlimited number of visuals
Adaptability: adapt and change your creations in real time, according to the time of the day or a particular event
The Chamber called for a strong rail franchise that would help support economic growth in our region, including: delivering a faster more reliable service; good quality journeys, with more carriages and seats; high standards of cleanliness and improved rolling stock.
Plans for 90-minute journeys between Norwich and London, state of the art trains and 180 extra services a week in next East Anglia rail franchise.
‘Norwich in 90’ proposals to be taken forward as government publishes its ambitious requirements for the next East Anglia rail franchise
Host of other improvements planned including state of the art trains, 180 extra services a week and free Wi-Fi
Bidders will also be required to hit challenging customer service targets
Passengers will be able to travel between Norwich and London in just 90 minutes as part of a massive boost to East Anglia’s railway that will also bring modern, state of the art trains, 180 extra services a week between the region’s cities and towns, and better journeys.
Bidders for the next franchise will be required to introduce at least two 90-minute services in each direction running between Norwich and London every weekday. Slashing journey times was a key recommendation of the government-backed Great Eastern Mainline Taskforce and will help to boost long-term economic growth in the region and beyond.
The next operator of the franchise will also be required to:
Introduce 180 additional weekly services, running on Mondays to Sundays to stations including Cambridge, Norwich, Stansted Airport, Southend and London Liverpool Street
Dramatically improve the quality of trains running on East Anglia’s network, providing a modern service with state of the art trains – extra points will be awarded to bidders who include plans to trial new technologies in rolling stock
Bring in free Wi-Fi for all passengers across the network
Meet challenging targets to reduce crowding on the busiest services
Put forward proposals for at least one additional 60-minute service per day in each direction between Ipswich and London
In addition, for the first time in a franchise, the Government will directly set challenging customer service targets for the operator and will monitor progress through independent ‘mystery shopper’ exercises and passenger surveys, with the operator expected to show clear year-on-year improvements. A financial penalty will be imposed if targets are not met. Until now, it had been up to the East Anglia operator to set its own targets for customer service and to report back to Government.
Jonathan Cage, Vice President of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce and Managing Director of Create Consulting Engineers said:
“Improvements to rail infrastructure in Norfolk have lagged behind the rest of the UK for many years. To ensure Norfolk businesses remain competitive and create jobs, we need a faster more reliable rail service with a good standard of rolling stock. We are pleased to note that the Government’s plans incorporate many of the improvements that we called for.”
Those businesses who regularly use the East Anglia rail network need to feel confident that their train will arrive on time and that they can spend the travel time working in comfort. An improved rail service will help enable the Norfolk business community to deliver economic growth and jobs into our region.”
Rail Minister Claire Perry said:
“For too long, passengers in East Anglia have not had the high-quality rail services that they deserve. Our ambitious requirements will change that by making journeys significantly better than they are now. These plans will also ensure that East Anglia finally has a rail network that supports its growing economy.”
“We have set out what we want to see bidders deliver as a minimum, but we are looking for bids that exceed our expectations wherever possible. It is now for the industry to step up to the challenge and tell us how they will make this happen.”
“Bidders will also be required to provide plans to end the practice of flushing waste onto the tracks by fitting controlled emission toilets to all trains. They will also be expected to invest heavily in improving stations, as well as creating a £9.5 million ‘Customer and Communities Improvement Fund’ to benefit passengers and the local community.”
More than 135 million journeys are made on East Anglia’s rail network every year, with around 4,300 trains every week serving London commuters, the regional hubs of Cambridge, Ipswich and Norwich, leisure travellers to Stansted Airport and coastal and rural resorts around the region.
Three train operators have been shortlisted to compete to take over the franchise:
a joint venture between Abellio and Stagecoach
First Group
National Express
The government expects to announce the successful bidder in summer next year, with the new nine-year franchise due to start from October 2016.
In Norfolk unemployment continued to fall in the last 3 months from 6,518 to 6,235
In the three months from May to July 2015, UK unemployment rose by 10,000 compared with the previous three months, but employment rose by 42,000 in the same period
UK youth unemployment fell to 15.6% between May and July compared with 16.1% in the previous three months
Total UK pay in the three months from May to July was 2.9% higher than for the same period a year earlier
Commenting on the labour market statistics for August 2015 published today by the ONS, Caroline Williams, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber said:
“Today’s UK job figures paint a mixed picture. It is disappointing that UK unemployment rose again, and there was also a slight increase in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits in August. The fall in the youth unemployment rate is also welcome news, although it remains considerably higher than the national average.”
“Norfolk continued to buck the national trend with the overall number of claimants for Job Seekers Allowance continuing to fall from 6,518 to 6,235 over the last 3 months.”
“Many Norfolk employers are advising that they are more confident about the growth of their businesses, however a large number of them state that they are experiencing difficulties in recruiting skilled workers.”
David Kern, Chief Economist at the British Chambers of Commerce said:
“Overall, the figures confirm our assessment that the UK recovery is progressing at a satisfactory pace, but the rise in unemployment also indicates that our recovery is still fragile and significant risks will persist in view of the uncertain international situation.”
“Though the further increase in average earnings may be of concern to the MPC, the rate of increase remains below 3% and in the short term does not pose a threat to the Bank of England’s inflation target. We restate our view that the MPC should not consider increases in interest rates until well into 2016.”
A new report by the University of Derby outlined that half of businesses have to improve the writing skills of their employees due to low standards.
The research found a ‘perception gap’ between young people’s belief in their skills and the view of the employers. Nine out of ten young people said they felt confident about their letter writing ability, but half of employers said they were spending time and money developing their workers’ skills.
Report author, Vanessa Dodd said: “Our research shows that letter writing continues to be an important skill for many types of work.”
Commenting on the findings of the research, Caroline Williams, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber said:“Soft skills and accessing a future workforce are key issues for the Norfolk business community. Norfolk Chamber is passionate about developing the talent of Norfolk’s young people. Soft skills include being able to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing; showing commitment and flexibility; and being able to be a team player.”
“Many businesses rely on the education system to help equip young people with the soft skills and attitude they need to successfully make the transition to work and we will continue to work with our education and business members to ensure that we work in partnership towards closing this gap and developing our future workforce.”
Hear a quick policy update from Adam Marshall, Executive Director of Policy & External Affairs at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). He outlines the surprise European Court ruling on mobile workers and the extension to the definition of working time, which will impact upon many UK businesses. Adam also looks at the UK economic forecast and the London Mayoral elections.