Agenda item

This report details the areas covered by the Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services and covers the period from September 2014. In the case of education services, it covers the results of the school year 2014-15 and activity during that year and the first half of the current school year.

Discussion:

Members received an overview of progress on the areas covered by the Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services, all of which fall within the remit of this committee.

The Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services then responded to Members’ questions and comments, which included: -

·           Exclusion rates – in response to a question about exclusion rates the Portfolio Holder explained that exclusion rates in Medway were a particular area of concern and that the quality of teachers was key.  He referred to a school which had been in special measures but with a new Headteacher who had raised expectations of staff, pupils and their families, the school had already seen a sharp decrease in exclusions and rapid improvement in attainment of children throughout the school.

·           Attainment at Key Stage 2 – in response to a question about what action the Portfolio Holder had taken in relation to improving attainment at Key Stage 2, he explained that he had visited schools and met with Headteachers and school leaders to discuss how performance and expectations could be raised.  He explained that he has also been working with officers and the Regional Schools Commissioner (RSC) to attract outstanding teachers from areas outside of Medway to work closely with schools that need additional support.  In addition, he referred to the use of the Beanstalk charity to help children and their families with reading, which was having success.

·           Sure Start Children Centres – in response to a question about how the service would run following implementation of the proposed restructure of staff, the Portfolio Holder confirmed that the proposal was an innovative way of streamlining back office and management functions whilst maintaining frontline services at all 19 Medway Sure Start Children Centres.

·           Outsourcing of the Youth Service – in response to a question relating to the outsourcing of the Youth Service and the impact on the Medway Youth Parliament (MYP), the Portfolio Holder confirmed that he would do as much as possible to protect the success of the MYP and encouraged all MYP members to respond to the consultation.

·           Temporary Closure of Aut Even – in response to a question about the temporary closure of Aut Even (a short breaks respite facility for children with disabilities) the Portfolio Holder confirmed that the facility had been closed to enable some urgent repairs needed to maintain health and safety measures and that the closure had provided the opportunity for all staff at the facility (not just Medway Council staff) to update their training following recent changes to roles and responsibilities. It was also confirmed that no funding from NHS partners had been withdrawn from Aut Even.

·           Support for families educating their children at home – in response to a question about what support the local authority offered families who choose to educate their children at home, the Portfolio Holder confirmed that there was no financial support offered but families were given support and challenge and officers were working to ensure that the educational offer for all children was such that families did not choose to home school.

·           Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) – the work that is done in relation to combat CSE in Medway was welcomed and although the Portfolio Holder was unable to confirm the number of cases that had been reported in Medway he did confirm that all partners were working very closely.

·           School places – in response to a question about planning for school places, the Portfolio Holder confirmed that officers within the local authority carefully planned for school places and explored opportunities for increasing capacity at schools where necessary.  Opportunities for free schools were also considered.

Decision:

The Portfolio Holder was thanked for his attendance.