Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 3A - Town Hall. View directions

Contact: Taiwo Adeoye - 01708 433079  Email: taiwo.adeoye@onesource.co.uk.

Items
No. Item

7.

DISCLOSURE OF INTERESTS

Members are invited to disclose any interests in any of the items on the agenda at this point of the meeting.  Members may still declare an interest in an item at any time prior to the consideration of the matter.

 

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

8.

CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Chairman will announce details of the arrangements in case of fire or other events that might require the meeting room or building’s evacuation.

 

Minutes:

The Chairman congratulated Robert South on his recent appointment as Interim Director of Children Services.

 

The Chairman informed the Sub-Committee of a recent visit to the offices of the Youth Offending Services.

 

 

9.

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 220 KB

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Sub-Committee held on 9 July 2019 and authorise the Chairman to sign them.

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 9 July 2019 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

10.

PERFORMANCE REPORT UPDATE - QUARTER ONE pdf icon PDF 339 KB

Report attached

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee received the Quarter One performance indicators (PIs) update. The PIs are the standards by which performance of services are measured within the Council.  

The update provided an overview of performance against the eight performance indicators selected for monitoring by the Sub-Committee in 2019/20. 

The report outlined that seven of the indicators have been given a RAG status; one had a status of Green and six indicators have a Red.

The report provided the following highlights and potential areas for improvement.

      The number of children missing from education had reduced to an average of 3 in the first quarter of the year, which is an improvement on both the previous quarter and the same point last year.

      There was a continued strong performance in the percentage of 16-18 year olds who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), or not known. This was attributed to the services to support ‘at risk of NEET’ learners; and the robust tracking and recording of young Havering residents.

Improvements Required

      There was a decline in the number of apprentices recruited in the borough in line with national and regional trends. There was an increased focus on apprenticeships for 2019/20 through the National Apprenticeship Week activities such as Havering School roadshows, an Apprenticeship Pop-Up Shop in the Town Centre and a parent & learner apprenticeship event.

      The percentage of Initial Child Protection Conferences held within 15 days dipped slightly during the first quarter of the year, having been an area of very strong performance in 2018/19. It was explained that cases were been referred for conference late by the social work teams, these instances were been followed up with group managers to review the reasons and address any issues.

      The percentage of looked-after children who ceased to be looked after as a result of permanency was belowtarget for this point in the year. In light of the number of cases currently in progress, it was anticipated that by year-end there will have been an increase in adoption orders being granted compared to recent years.

      The recruitment of Foster carer across London and nationwide remain a challenge. Although there have not been any new in-house foster carersapproved during the first quarter, Havering continues to outperform neighbouring boroughs in terms of recruitment. A review of Fostering Service had provided a focus on assessment and recruitment from a staffing perspective and web-based content used for recruitment.

      The percentage of care leavers in education, employment or training (EET) dropped during this quarter. There was seasonal variation with the PI linked to the academic year and the implementation of the new recording system in March had a slight impact which made it difficult to track performance during the first few weeks of the year.

 

The Sub-Committee noted the report

 

11.

PRIMARY SCHOOL SATS RESULT - UPDATE REPORT pdf icon PDF 343 KB

Report attached

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee received an update report on the provisional outcomes of the 2019 statutory assessments within the Primary School sector.  The report included headline figures for: 

 

·           Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS);

·           Year 1 Phonics Check;

·           Key Stage 1 results;

·           Key Stage 2 results.

 

The report informed the Sub-Committee that standards in the Early Years Foundation Stagewere broadly at the national average.  The proportion of children achieving a Good Level of Development in Havering remained at 72% in 2019 – exactly the same as the national average.

 

It was noted that the although the percentage of Year 1 pupils assessed for the  Phonics Check standard fell by 2% in 2019, standards in Havering remain just above the national average and are generally in line with our neighbouring London boroughs and statistical neighbours.

 

The Sub-Committee was informed that the overall standards at Key Stage 1 were just above the national average.

 

In Reading, the outcomes remained broadly average, which were 2 percentage points above the national figure. In Writing, the outcomes indicated Havering children were above the national average and likely to be in line other London neighbours and higher than statistical neighbours. The percentage of pupils meeting the Expected Standard or above in Mathematics improved by 1 percentage point to 79%; this was 3% above the national average.

 

It was stated that Havering attainment in Key Stage 2 in all subjects were well above the national average, and better that the outcomes achieved by other London boroughs and the statistical neighbours.

 

The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Mathematics combined increased by 1 percentage point in 2019, Havering was 6% above the national average, which is classified as ‘well above average’ in the Performance Tables.

 

The report indicated that in Havering, progress scores for the whole cohort were as follows:

Reading         -           +0.2    (above average)

Writing           -           +0.5    (significantly above average)

Maths             -           +0.6    (significantly above average)

 

The report also detailed that while progress was lower than in 2018, it was still positive in all three subjects as the rating was significantly above the national average in Writing and Mathematics, and expected to be better than its statistical neighbours.  It was mentioned that Havering was likely to be in the top 40% of all Local Authorities nationally, when results are finally validated.

 

The Sub-Committee noted the report.

12.

SCHOOL ADMISSION PLACES - UPDATE REPORT pdf icon PDF 283 KB

Report attached

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee received a report that informed Members of the School Admissions process and its application in Havering, as well as an overview of performance. 

 

The report detailed that the School Admissions Code was the statutory guidance for Admission Authorities, Governing Bodies, Local Authorities, Schools Adjudicators and Admission Appeals Panels. 

 

The Code has the force of law and imposes mandatory requirements and includes guidelines setting out aims, objectives and other matters in relation to the discharge of functions relating to admissions.

 

The Local Authority, acting as the Admission Authority for Community and Voluntary Controlled Schools in the borough, was required to determine its admission arrangements to these schools for each school year. 

 

The Sub-Committee noted that children in the borough secured 77.11% of first preferences at secondary level for the current academic year 2018/19; (the highest in London based on Department for Education data), and 88.52% of primary first preferences.

 

The report outlined that the trends within the raw data suggested that the reduction over time links to schools improving their Ofsted grade thus becoming more attractive to families, but without always having scope to increase the Published Admission Number.           

 

The Sub-Committee noted the report.

 

13.

SCHOOL EXPANSION - UPDATE REPORT pdf icon PDF 288 KB

Report attached

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee received an update report on the progress of the school expansion programme since the last report in August 2017.  The report stated that the Local Authority had a statutory duty to plan and secure sufficient school places to meet the needs of its children and families.  

 

It was noted that under Phase 3 and Phase 4 of the school expansion programme, a total of 19 schools have been expanded which created an additional 3106 permanent primary and secondary school places in the borough.

 

The report informed the Sub-Committee that many London Boroughs and urban areas were currently experiencing a decrease in demand for primary school places, but Havering was still forecasting significant growth in the coming years. The increase in demand could be attributed to a rise in birth rates, increase in the number of families moving into the borough and continuing growth in housing development. There was likely to be a large increase in the projected reception intake for 2020/21.

 

In March 2019, Cabinet approved the Commissioning Plan for Education Provision 2019-2023 that contained detailed pupil projections across Early Years, Primary, Secondary, Post 16 and SEND phases and also setting out the likely demand for school places as a result of the two housing zones planned for Rainham and Romford.

 

The Sub-Committee noted that subject to Cabinet approval, the School Expansion Programme would be updated for the Phase 4 and Phase 5 expansion programme.

 

The report detailed that there were plans to increase the Early Years provision in key wards, including Elm Park, Harold Wood, Hacton, Hylands, Pettits, Romford Town and South Hornchurch to meet the growing demand for places for 3 and 4year olds.

 

The Sub-Committee noted the following proposal  to deliver primary school  places  subject to consultation and statutory processes where necessary for 2023/24 dependent on whether growth is sustained:

 

Collier Row

1FE bulge class at Oasis Pinewood Primary School for 2021/22

 

Elm Park

1FE bulge class at Suttons Primary School/Scargill Infants School for 2020/21

1FE permanent expansion of RJ Mitchell Primary School for 2021/22

1FE bulge class at Suttons Primary School/Scargill Infants School for 2022/23

 

Harold Hill

3 x 1FE bulge classes at Drapers’ Pyrgo Priory School, Drapers’ Maylands and Mead Primary School for 2020/21

1FE permanent expansion of Drapers’ Pyrgo Priory School and 1FE bulge class Broadford Primary School for 2022/23

1FE permanent expansion of Broadford Primary School for 2023/24

 

Hornchurch

1FE bulge class at Langtons Infants School, 1FE bulge class at Harrow Lodge Primary School  for 2020/21

1FE bulge class at Langtons Infants School for 2021/22

1FE bulge class at Langtons Infants School for 2023/24

 

Rainham and South Hornchurch

A new 3FE school delivered as part of Beam Park development for 2021/22

 

Romford

1FE bulge class at Concordia Primary Academy for 2021/22

1FE bulge class at Concordia Primary Academy for 2022/23

A new 3FE school delivered as part of Bridge Close development for 2023/24

 

Upminster and Cranham

1FE bulge class at James Oglethorpe Primary School for 2020/21  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.