Agenda and minutes

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Contact: Taiwo Adeoye - 01708433079  Email: taiwo.adeoye@onesource.co.uk.

Items
No. Item

33.

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.

34.

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 of the Sub Committee, Councillor Judith Holt made appropriate announcements in respect of evacuation procedures etc.

 

Cllr Holt detailed her recent visits to three schools in the Borough, namely,

·       Olive Alternative Provision Academy

·       Hall Mead School and;

·       Gaynes School.

In addition, Cllr Holt had visited Children’s Social Services Business Support, Anita Stewart the Assistant Head of Havering’s Virtual School and Tendai Dooley, head of care resources.  These visits had been very informative and more visits are planned in the summer.

 

Councillor Holt drew attention to various recent key decisions made in Children’s Services which can be viewed on the Council’s Forward Plan.  All published decisions of the Council can be viewed on the Havering Website.

 

https://www.havering.gov.uk/info/20007/council_and_democracy

 

35.

CHANGE TO MEMBERSHIP

The Sub-Committee to note the addition to its membership of a new Co-opted Primary Governor.

Minutes:

Mrs Kathy Freeman was introduced by the Chair as a new Co-opted Member representing parent Governors of Primary Schools. Mrs Freeman has three children at Nelmes Primary School and has been a Governor there since 2017.  The Sub Committee were delighted to welcome Mrs Freeman to the co-opted membership where she will join other Co-opted Members, Lynne Bennett, Jack How and Julie Lamb.

36.

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 154 KB

To approve as a correct record them minutes of the meeting of the Sub-Committee held on 14 February 2019 and authorise the Chairman to sign them.

Minutes:

A Member of the sub-committee commented that the recommendations made to Cabinet by the Sub-Committee in respect of the Knife Crime and Children item were not incorporated into the minutes.  These were that further consideration should be given to the following:

 

·         Dialogue between young people and the police;

·         Safe houses;

·         Ethnic minorities;

·         Children sitting on Boards/Panels, i.e. giving them a voice.

 

Questions posed by the Sub-Committee at the last meeting had been included in a letter from the Chairman to the Lead Cabinet Member, Cllr Viddy Persaud and a response had been received and circulated to members of the Sub-Committee.

 

Other than the above, the minutes of the meeting held on 14th February, 2019 were agreed and signed by the Chair as a true and accurate record of the same.

 

37.

REVIEW OF PERFORMANCE INDICATORS pdf icon PDF 280 KB

Full list of available indicators attached for information. The Chairman will make some initial comments prior to full consideration by Members of the choice of indicators at the next meeting of the Sub-Committee.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Judith Holt introduced the Review of Performance Indicators to the Sub-Committee for thought and consideration prior to the next meeting in July, 2019.

 

Performance indicators (PI’s) are the standards by which performance of services are measured within the Council.  Full lists of these were circulated to Members as part of the agenda pack.  These are compared over four quarters of the municipal year to monitor performance standards.  Most are given a “rag rating” on the basis of Green (on track), Amber (at risk) and red (off track).

 

There are ratings under two headings relevant to the Sub-Committee: Children’s Social Care and Learning and Achievement.  At page 13 of the agenda a list was presented of current PI’s currently provided to the Children and learning Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee. The Chairman requested that Members consider these and recommend four indicators from each category to the next meeting.

 

A Member indicated that the information was comprehensive but the figures of the last full report would be welcome.  The full report of all performance indicators goes to Cabinet each quarter.  This would be circulated to Members for consideration ahead of the next meeting.

 

38.

ADMISSIONS AND INCLUSIONS pdf icon PDF 116 KB

Report attached

Minutes:

Trevor Cook, Assistant Director for Education Services presented the Admissions and Inclusions report to the Sub-Committee. This detailed an update for Members on the progress being made to improve School Admissions and Inclusions arrangements across Havering’s Schools, Academies and Alternative Provisions.

 

The Admissions and Inclusions Team was restructured in March 2019 and is divided into three areas, Early Years, Admissions and Inclusions.

 

·       Early Years

Coordinates the admissions of children ages 0-5 into early year’s provisions and schools/academies across Havering, and provides support for families accessing the early education entitlement and 30 hours.

·       Admissions

Coordinates the admissions of children ages 5-16 into schools/academies across Havering and provides support for parents during the application process and is responsible for administering and presenting school appeals and school transport for pupils without an Educational, Health and Care Plan.

·       Inclusions

Coordinates the Inclusions of children aged 5-16 into school/academies and alternative provisions to prevent exclusions where possible and offers alternative pathways to support pupils and set them back on track to achieve the best possible outcome from their education.

 

Central data bases are used to ensure children are tracked into a school place.  Reference to Cohort refers to those pupils entering Reception, Junior School or Secondary in September; these applications are part of a co-ordinated admissions round and are administered by the School Admissions & Inclusions Team. Applicant information is co-ordinated amongst all London Admission Authorities prior to the start of September. The law states this is compulsory for all Schools/Academies to participate in.

Outside of Cohort admissions the team also deal with In-Year applications.  These are usually made by parents who have moved into Havering and require a school place for their child and who wish their child to transfer between schools/academies. The team will discourage unnecessary moves but parents do have the right to apply.

 

Schools cannot refuse to admit a child on the basis of previous attendance, behaviour or attitude towards learning, amongst other reasons. Any Havering child who is out of school where there are no vacancies at any of the schools / academies applied for, will be offered an alternative place at the school closest to the child’s home with a vacancy.

 

The Local Authority has a statutory duty to provide pupils who have been Permanently Excluded (PEX) an education from day 6 of the PEX. The Team work with schools/academies to avoid PEX where possible and offer other alternative pathways to support pupils and set them back on track to achieve.

 

In addition, the Local Authority has a Statutory Duty to provide a Fair Access Protocol. This is managed by the Team who will assess the needs of the child in question to ensure the most appropriate available placement is secured as soon as possible. The Team will always seek to find an alternative placement and support to a child who is in danger of PEX and will fairly share the admission of vulnerable students across all schools.  Such admissions are allocated openly through a process which has the trust  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.

39.

ADULT EDUCATION - DEVOLUTION AND OUTCOMES pdf icon PDF 209 KB

Report attached

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed Darren Purdie, Head of Education Provision and Inclusion to the meeting who presented the report to the Sub-Committee for consideration.

 

Presently, the London Borough of Havering delivers adult and community learning (ACL) through its Havering Adult College, The College receives a direct grant from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) that enables the service to deliver a range of courses aimed at learners aged 19+ who can be resident in the Borough, or attend from outside. In the academic year 2017-18, Havering Adult College delivered learning opportunities to 4612 learners. The achievement rate for learners overall was 97.82%, based on the Management Information System data returned to the ESFA for that year. The last three Ofsted inspections have found the provision to be Good, and with some excellent features.

 

The College offers a broad curriculum covering key areas of learning; specifically, Digital & Computer Skills, Languages (including BSL), Creative & Performing Arts, GCSEs (English, Maths, Science, Psychology), English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Floristry & Horticulture, Personal Wellbeing and Fitness, Counselling, Food & Drink, Teacher Training, History & Modern Culture, and Teaching Assistants. In addition, Family Learning, Employability provision and Skills for Life (functional English and maths), are also offered and are free at point of delivery to support groups and individuals with challenges and needs. The College also has a constantly developing ‘Education for Independence’ department, providing around the year learning for learners with learning disabilities and difficulties.

 

For 2018-19, the total Adult Education Budget allocated to Havering Adult College is £1,211,100, which is comprised of:

 

            £612,012 – Adult Skills allocation

            £599,088 – Community Learning allocation

 

In addition, £30,000 is nominally safeguarded as Additional Learner Support funding to provide those on accredited provision with essential support (such as learning support assistants, digital equipment, etc.) to allow them fair access and equality

 

As of 1st August, 2019, funding will come from the GLA which should make it easier to ensure money goes directly in to Education.  The GLA have been very supportive to the College and it is hoped that there will be opportunity to make application for Growth Bids which may allow for expansion and an improved offer. The Mayors strategy focuses on outcomes for Learners. It is anticipated that there will be no negative implications. 

 

A key objective of the Skills for Londoners Strategy is to increase the number and diversity of adult learners in London gaining skills to participate in society, and also progress into further/higher or additional education. City Hall has published eight areas to be reformed under the devolution of the Adult Education Budget in London. They are:

 

1.    Eligibility for full-funding for people in low-paid work

2.    Basic English and maths skills

3.    English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

4.    Basic digital skills

5.    Adult & Community Learning (ACL)

6.    Support for disadvantaged learners

7.    Support for learners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

8.    Addressing London’s sectoral and occupational skills needs

 

There followed discussion and Members were able to place  ...  view the full minutes text for item 39.

40.

FUTURE AGENDAS

Committee Members are invited to indicate to the Chairman, items within this Committee's terms of reference they would like to see discussed at a future meeting. Note: it is not considered appropriate for issues relating to individuals to be discussed under this provision.

Minutes:

As the municipal year draws to an end, the Sub-Committee decided that discussion regarding the Work Programme would commence at the next meeting with the new membership as appointed at the Council AGM in May.