Agenda and minutes

To approve the record of the meetings held on 14 March 2012 and the Joint Meeting of all Committees held on 16 May 2012.

The record of the meeting held on 14 March 2012 and the record of the Joint Meeting of all Committees held on 16 May 2012 were both agreed and signed by the Chairman as correct. 

Apologies for absence were received from Jane Heyes (Headteacher representative), Lauraine McManus (Teacher representative) and Alex Tear (Church of England representative).

The Chairman explained to the committee that in Jane Heyes’ absence, there was not a named substitute for this position on the committee.  This was being arranged and would need to be agreed at Full Council in July 2012.  In the meantime, Karen White, Headteacher of Delce Junior School was in attendance at the meeting to observe.  He had agreed for Karen to speak at the meeting if she wished.

The Chairman will announce any late items which do not appear on the main agenda but which he/she has agreed should be considered by reason of special circumstances to be specified in the report. 

There were no urgent matters.

The Chairman, on behalf of the committee, wished Councillor Cooper a very happy 65^th birthday.

The Chairman also informed the committee that this would be the last meeting that Richard Odle would attend representing Medway Youth Parliament.  He thanked Richard for his commitment and contribution to the committee over the years he had served on the committee and wished him all the best for his future.

The Chairman also welcomed Robert Cadman, who had recently been appointed as the Conservative Group’s Political Assistant, and was observing the meeting.

(a)                Personal interests under the Medway Code of Conduct.

A Councillor who declares a personal interest in a matter, including the nature of the interest, may stay, speak, and vote on the matter.

(b)               Prejudicial interests under the Medway Code of Conduct.

A Councillor who declares a personal and prejudicial interest in a matter, including the nature of the interest, must withdraw from the room and take no part in the debate or vote on the matter.

Councillors who have declared a personal and prejudicial interest may make representations, answer questions and give evidence before leaving the room but only if members of the public are allowed to attend for the same purpose.

If an interest is not declared at the outset of the meeting, it should be disclosed as soon as the interest becomes apparent.

(c)            Whipping – the Council’s constitution also requires any Member of the Committee who is subject to a party whip (ie agreeing to vote in line with the majority view of a private party group meeting) to declare the existence of the whip

Shirley Griffiths declared a personal interest in any reference to Medway Maritime Hospital as she was a member of the trust.

Councillor Cooper declared a personal interest in any reference to Saxon Way Primary School as she was a Community Governor at the school (soon to become a local government appointed governor).  Councillor Cooper also declared a personal interest in any reference to the NHS as her step-daughter worked for the NHS.

Councillor Purdy declared a personal interest in any reference to Chatham Grammar School for Girls as she was the Chair of Governors at the school.

Councillor Royle declared a personal interest in any reference to Chatham Grammar School for Boys as he was a Governor at the school.

Councillor Turpin declared a personal interest in any reference to Balfour Infant School as he was a Parent Governor at the school.  He also declared a personal interest in Medway Schools generally as he sometimes carried out supply teaching within Medway. 

This report updates Members on some developments following the agreement by Cabinet of the recommendations from the Key Stage 2 report from the Effective Challenge of Underperformance in Schools Task Group. 

Discussion:

The Director of Children and Adults provided the committee with a presentation to update the committee on response to the Overview and Scrutiny task group report on raising attainment at key Stage 2, specifically on support for Governors and School Leaders, in particular the TEN Governor and The Key systems, which were being piloted in Medway for one year.

The following points were then discussed by the committee: -

·        The cost of the systems, why they were chosen and how their effectiveness would be judged;

·        Clarification about the Education Endowment Fund;

·        Concern and confusion with regard to some of the points in the feedback from the Medway Governors’ Association included in the report;

·        That all Governors, not just local authority Governors, should take part in training;

·        How the report had been received by school leaders;

·        Whether outcomes of school reviews could be fed back to the committee;

·        Concern that discretion was needed in relation to targeting pupils for 1:1 tuition to ensure no pupil slipped through a gap;

·        That an interim update on use of TEN Governor and The Key be included in the six month update report.

In response, officers confirmed that funding had been identified through the retained standards fund and having assessed the available resources nationally and discussed with a number of schools, TEN Governor and the Key had been purchased to help address the priority areas highlighted in the task group report published in March 2012.  It had been agreed to pilot the support systems for one year.  The biggest effectiveness test would be, if after the year, schools were finding the systems effective and efficient in supporting their school improvement work and opted to buy into the continued use of the services. Officers would monitor the usage through the nature and number of hits on the site and feedback from users.

The representative of the Medway Governors’ Association explained that some of the statements in the feedback were general statements about governors across all school types enforcing the fact that Governors should be impartial and support schools to improve.

Officers confirmed that schools had welcomed the funding for 1:1 tuition which was known to be beneficial to the children it targeted.  There had also been positive feedback in relation to the Key system.  Additionally, other groups including the Teaching School Alliance and the 21^st century schools group were looking at the recommendations and how to take them forward.  In addition, Karen White, Headteacher of Delce Junior School explained that Headteachers generally accepted the report, welcoming the emphasis on governor training and agreed that 1:1 tuition was very effective.  Officers explained that they could not share the specifics from school reviews but could share the generic outcomes with the committee.

Decision:

1)         The committee noted the report and requested an update report be brought on the progress against the recommendations in approximately six months time.

2)         The committee instructed officers to: -

·        provide a briefing note with further detail regarding the Educational Endowment Fund;  ...  view the full minutes text for item 58.

The report sets out the initial findings of the annual review of the Children and Young People’s Plan, which also updates the Children’s Strategic Needs Assessment. 

The Assistant Director, Commissioning and Strategy provided the committee with a powerpoint presentation which informed members of the outcomes of the review of the Children and Young People Plan (CYPP), which was a strategic plan developed and agreed by the Children’s Trust.

The following issues were then discussed by the committee: -

·        Concerns about Medway’s high rates of domestic violence incidents;

·        Concerns relating to unemployment figures;

·        Concern that the report and presentation did not cover drug and alcohol use and interventions;

·        Common Assessment Frameworks and how they were put in place and managed;

·        Concern that the number of teenage conceptions was still high in Medway after ten years of interventions being put in place;

·        What the impact would be of not doing the CYPP as it was not a statutory document and involved a lot of officer time;

·        Concern relating to pressures in accessing nurseries and how this was being addressed;

·        Support for young people to stop smoking as current support services were focussed at 16 year olds and over;

·        Whether more could be done in terms of helping young people to be better equipped in helping their friends if they have consumed too much alcohol, for example, recognising the signs of alcohol poisoning;

·        The Council, including Ward Councillors, should link with other agencies, such as the Citizens Advice Bureau to attract funding;

·        Concern relating to special educational needs statements not being delivered on time.

In response officers stated: -

·        The Community Safety Partnership had identified reducing domestic violence as a priority, as had the Local Safeguarding Children Board.  More support was needed for children and young people who experienced incidents of domestic violence and then often have emotional issues and struggle when building relationships of their own;

·        In terms of drugs and alcohol, officers confirmed that this areas was covered in the full CYPP but recognised it was an area which needed to be addressed, particularly in relation to alcohol;

·        In relation to teenage conceptions officers explained that there had been a decrease over the last decade, however due to factors such as the recession and overall increases in birth rates, this remained a stubborn statistic and so was a priority area across the partnership;

·        The CYPP enabled work across the partnership to be joined up, not duplicated and equally to avoid missing gaps and was welcomed by partners and officers as continuing to be produced.  Equally there was a duty to co-operate with other agencies in terms of service delivery which was contributed to by producing the CYPP;

·        In relation to nursery provision officers explained the Council was required to assesses this annually, which enabled officers to shape the market and develop a plan to address gaps;

·        Officers suggested that Medway Youth Parliament may want to make representations to the consultation on the new curriculum in schools that space should be kept for personal l, social, health and education (PSHE) lessons to pick up issues such as responsible drinking and dangers of smoking;

·        Officers confirmed that 11.5% of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 59.

This report sets out the framework for careers advice for young people in Medway.  It follows a report from Medway Youth Parliament referred to at the Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 19 January 2012. 

Discussion:

The representative from Medway Youth Parliament (MYP) explained the background to the MYP report into careers advice in Medway and thanked officers for the report which responded to the concerns it had raised.

The Head of 14-19 Planning and Commissioning and the Chief Executive of Medway Youth Trust (MYT) then introduced the report, explaining the duty on schools under the Education Act 2011 to ensure young people in years 9 – 11 had access to independent and impartial careers advice.  It was added that there would soon be an opportunity to redesign the ‘Your Choice in Medway’ (YCIM) website and officers would work with MYP and other young people on this.

It was explained that the MYT provided a two pronged service: -

·        To sell impartial careers advice to schools in Medway;

·        To ensure schools understood their role and responsibilities in relation to providing students with access to independent careers advice.

The committee then made comments and asked questions which included: -

·        What MYT had done to improve relationships with local businesses;

·        Confirmation that when schools do not buy into YCIM, the students of that school still receive the YCIM booklet.

The MTY Chief Executive explained that there had been a lot of work in supporting young people in their readiness for interviews and employment.  Equally the trust had additional plans post September but these were dependent on MYT being successful with its tender bid to continue running the connexions service.

Decision:

The committee noted the report and recommended the Director of Children And Adults, under her delegated authority, to respond to the Government consultation regarding the extension of the age range to which the legal duties apply, in consultation with Medway Youth Parliament.

This is report details the progress of the charity during its first four years. This report is accompanied by a presentation which will be made during the meeting.   

Discussion:

The Chief Executive of Medway Youth Trust (MYT) gave a presentation to the committee which explained the background to MYT, its role, its impact and its future development.

The following points were then raised during the discussion of this item: -

·        MYT’s view around the connexion service brand and making it more localised;

·        How would MYT try to address the high rates of teenage conception?

In response to the connexion brand, the MYT Chief Executive explained that the connexions service nationally was delivered in very different ways across the country so it considered it to be better to lose the connexion brand and develop something locally appropriate for the service in Medway.  The Director of Children and Adults explained that it was difficult to change the procurement description while the process was ongoing but this was something that could be looked at with a successful provider after the tender was agreed.

In relation to teenage conception the MYT Chief Executive explained that there were two elements to supporting young people to avoid teenage conceptions or to help young parents.  One was around the messages relating to safe sex and the other was about encouraging young people/parents to realise their potential and build their self-esteem.  MYT ran a programme called Step4ward to learning, which was a 13 week course to support young parents back into learning, training or employment.  Representatives from MYT also attended 12 week scans to help build a relationship with young parents in order to then help them back in to learning and training at the appropriate time.  Young mothers were considered not to be in education, employment or training (NEET) from three months of the birth of their baby.

The Chief Executive of MYT explained that there needed to be some caution when using Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) claims as an indicator of unemployment as it counted those in received of JSA who were also working, but working less than 16 hours a week and therefore entitled to the benefit.

Decision:

The committee noted the report.

This report sets out the need for additional primary age provision in the Chatham area. The report updates the needs identified in the School Organisation Plan 2011-2016, using the latest school census and health data. 

Discussion:

The Head of School Organisation and Student Services introduced the report, initially explaining that at page 59 of the report the total number of primary places required in Chatham among all year groups should read 3570, instead of 3521 as printed.  He also explained that: -

·        there had been a significant change in forecasts, with 2011 seeing the highest birth rate for Medway along with significant infant age migration and both impacting highly in Chatham in particular;

·        this increase was similar to those being experienced across the South East region and nationally

·        all families that applied for primary places for September 2012 had been allocated a place.

Members then asked a number of questions, which included: -

·        Could ongoing information on numbers of children in Medway be provided to Members to enable them to keep informed outside of the committee;

·        How was the data collated and did the type of data being used need to be reviewed;

·        Concern about managing priorities of general primary age provision and special educational need provision;

·        Consultation relating to the use of the White Road Community Centre;

·        Clarification on costs;

·        What support was there for parents that had to travel across Medway due to lack of local provision;

·        Impact on spaces by looked after children placed in Medway by other local authorities.

In response officers explained that the significant changes in numbers of young children that had occurred over the last 12 months demonstrated the need to regularly review forecasts and keep figures updated.  Reviews of figures were reported to a Cabinet Advisory Group on a regular basis and it was suggested that officers look into including information in a tabular form within the quarterly monitoring reports.  In terms of where data was sought, officers confirmed that registrar office data was used along with monitoring casual admission information for inward migration trends.

Officers confirmed that primary places generally would be a priority as it was a legal obligation to provide sufficient school places for school age children and that providing a range of SEN provision was also a priority for the Council.

In relation to the White Road Community Centre Officers confirmed that this was owned by the Council and that they were communicating with the Ward Councillors regarding the use of the land and consultation with residents.

Officers confirmed that the £9 million quoted in the report did not include costs relating to SEN provision and it was estimated that the renovation of the Chatham South site would be £3.5 - £4.5 million and the cost of the additional temporary accommodation at Greenvale Infant School would be £600,000.

Officers confirmed that some families were travelling some distance to school due to their own preferences and so it was hoped that the number of families who were needing to travel, not through parental choice, would be minimal.  However, priorities would be given to ensure, as much as possible, families who were not able to travel far had access to local provision.

Officers also confirmed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 62.

This report explains the changing role of the Council in relation to increasingly autonomous schools. The report also provides information on academies to date and details the issues associated with academy status. It will be accompanied by a presentation focused on key questions for members of Overview and Scrutiny to enable the committee to assure themselves that a changing educational system is serving the needs of all children in Medway.

Discussion:

The Director of Children and Adults introduced the report and gave a presentation which covered various aspects around schools converting to academies including impacts on school improvement; the differences between sponsors and chains (groups of academies), admission and inclusion implications, governance arrangements and local accountability.

The committee then discussed the report, raising the following points: -

·        Governors of academies were picked by the sponsors on a skills basis;

·        Concern on the impact on the local authority if all schools became academies;

·        Concern that schools consulted parents and carers before going ahead with any process to convert to an academy;

·        Concern on who a deficit budget would fall to if an academy were to fail.

The Director confirmed that more and more maintained school governing bodies were also choosing governors on a resource and skill basis although she acknowledged this was something sponsors of academies were doing.  Additionally, she explained that if all schools in Medway became academies this would result in approximately £4.5 – 5.5 million being reduced from the general fund and Medway local authority would need to change in response to this circumstance if it occurred.  The Director also agreed that parents should be consulted on when a school was considering conversion to academy and this was set out in the report.

In relation to deficit budgets of failing schools, the Director explained that the agency to pick up the deficit budget would depend on a number of circumstances.  In some cases it would be the Education Funding Agency.  If the Council had required a school to become an academy in response to poor performance then the local authority would need to pick up the deficit.

Decision:

The committee noted the report.

This report sets out the proposed work programme previously agreed by the Committee for 2010/11. 

Discussion:

The Democratic Services Officer introduced the report and highlighted to the committee an all member briefing on the Health and Wellbeing Board which was taking place on the evening of Wednesday 6June 2012.

Decision:

The committee noted the report and agreed that: -

1)                 a report on the review of overnight short breaks/closure of Preston Skreens be brought to the December meeting of the committee;

2)                 a report on the draft SEN Transport Policy be brought to the committee at its next meeting on 17 July 2012;

3)                 a report on Swingate Infant and Spinnens Acre Junior School, Lordswood – consultation on the proposed amalgamation, if agreed by Cabinet to consult, be brought to the committee at its meeting in December 2012;

4)                 a meeting between the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Opposition Spokespersons be held to make suggestions for the committee’s 2012/13 work programme.