Agenda and minutes
PDF 177 KBVenue: Ashcombe, County Hall, Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 2DN
Contact: Dominic Mackie
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Minutes: Apologies were received from Ben Carasco, Margaret Hicks, Derek Holbird, Robert Evans and David Goodwin.
Karen Persand attended as a substitute for Ben Carasco and Ramon Gray attended as a substitute for Margaret Hicks. |
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MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING
To agree the minutes as a true record of the meeting. Minutes: The minutes of the meeting held on 24 March 2016 were agreed as an accurate record of the meeting. |
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DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
To receive any declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests from Members in respect of any item to be considered at the meeting.
Notes: · In line with the Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations 2012, declarations may relate to the interest of the member, or the member’s spouse or civil partner, or a person with whom the member is living as husband or wife, or a person with whom the member is living as if they were civil partners and the member is aware they have the interest. · Members need only disclose interests not currently listed on the Register of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests. · Members must notify the Monitoring Officer of any interests disclosed at the meeting so they may be added to the Register. · Members are reminded that they must not participate in any item where they have a disclosable pecuniary interest.
Minutes: There were no Declarations of Interest to report. |
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QUESTIONS AND PETITIONS
To receive any questions or petitions.
Notes: 1. The deadline for Member’s questions is 12.00pm four working days before the meeting (Wednesday 13 April 2016). 2. The deadline for public questions is seven days before the meeting (Tuesday 12 April 2016). 3. The deadline for petitions was 14 days before the meeting, and no petitions have been received. Minutes: There were no questions or petitions. |
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RESPONSES FROM THE CABINET TO ISSUES REFERRED BY THE SCRUTINY BOARD
There are no responses to report. Minutes: There were no responses to report. |
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RECOMMENDATION TRACKER AND FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME
The Board is asked to monitor progress on the implementation of recommendations from previous meetings, and to review its Forward Work Programme. Additional documents: Minutes: The Board noted and agreed the Recommendations Tracker and Forward Work Programme. |
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EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT OF CHILDREN IN CARE
To inform the Board of ongoing work aimed at improving the educational achievement of children in care in Surrey.
Additional documents: Minutes: Witnesses:
Maria O’Shaughnessy, Head of Surrey Virtual School
Key points raised during the discussion: 1. The Head of Surrey Virtual School (SVS) introduced the report and informed the Board that the joint policy paper was positive and unique; with the right organisations communicating and focussed together on the best interests of children in care. The importance of supporting Looked After Children (LAC) achievement at school as a corporate parent was highlighted. The Board was informed that some LAC have had school interrupted while others have not; the key to educational achievement was stability. 2. The recommendations in the report were noted and the Board were informed that the Department of Education (DfE) and Ofsted had established a workshop with Virtual School Services to begin supporting and implementing them. 3. The Board was informed that the SVS agreed that it was necessary to be able to compare information on LAC achievement in a way that is fair over all abilities and ages. It was added that LAC in Surrey were achieving better results at Key Stage 4 when compared nationally and against other local authority neighbours. 4. The Cabinet Member for Schools and Learning supported what the Head of SVS had said and added that the profile of SVS had risen and major improvements had been made to logistics and communication. 5. A Member commented that the report was positive and suggested that Members could find value in regional updates to help identify areas in Surrey that could use specific support. It was expressed that communication was vital; the service had improved on this considerably. The Board noted to officers that Local Members can be used to support work in individual areas. 6. There was a discussion around Academies, officers informed the Board that if needed it can be made a requirement for an academy to enrol a LAC. Each academy must have a designated teacher to communicate progress back to SVS. 7. Members questioned the repetition in the recommendations, it was responded that three different authorities had input into the recommendations and repetition emphasised the importance of targeting certain areas of work. 8. Members were informed that the service had a statutory requirement to support LAC until the end of year 13, officers noted that SVS would always provide support for a LAC of any age; in the past this has included supporting young people getting into university. 9. The Board was informed that Electronic Personal Education Plan’s was a cost effective measure to look at the history and future aims of a LAC; they would identify more specific support requirements for individual cases. 10. Officers noted that work had been started on the national LAC database and that the different categories of information were currently being compiled. 11. Members of the Board emphasised that they could be used to support the service by writing to the DfE, in particular to raise the issue of academies accepting LAC. 12. Learning Mentors were discussed and it was noted that these were ... view the full minutes text for item 32/16 |
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HENRIETTA PARKER TRUST UPDATE
To further update the Education and Skills Board on the progress of the recommendations made from its meeting of 22 October 2015 in response to the Henrietta Parker Trust internal audit report.
Additional documents: Minutes: Witnesses:
Paul Hoffman, Principal Community Learning and Skills
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. The Principal Community Learning and Skills introduced the report and informed the Board that the item was a result of the ‘significant improvement required’ outcome from an internal audit report in 2015. He noted that the Henrietta Parker Trust Management Board had been re-established, with the first meeting held in March 2016. This would begin regular bi-annual management meetings, ensuring that money was managed effectively. He noted that there was a shared enthusiasm at the first meeting to improve the management of the Trust. 2. A Member expressed that the new Management Board should include Surrey Local Members, it was responded that the first meetings of the Board were to discuss constitutional set up, and that Local Members may be invited to future meetings of the Management Board.
Liz Bowes left the room at 10.53am and returned at 10.59am.
3. The Cabinet Associate for Children, Schools and Families noted that the Education and Skills Board would monitor the Trust and agree the annual plan but would not duplicate the Services’ Management Board. 4. It was agreed that the item would be considered at the Board again in November 2016 to look at what has been completed and early stage results.
Recommendations;
It was agreed that the Board would receive a progress report covering:
• Further detail of the constitutional makeup of the HPT Management Board, including any management structures created, and • Results and activities of the Trust to date. |
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SEND TRANSPORT CONSULTATION REVIEW
To update the Education and Skills Board on the outcome of the consultation in regard to Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) transport policies and provide recommendations Additional documents: Minutes: Witnesses:
Liz Mills, SEND Strategic Programme Lead Sue Roch, South East Area Education Officer
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. The Area Education Officer introduced the report and informed the Board that the item was a summary of the update on consultation surrounding pre 16 and post 16 SEND travel and that a report would be taken to Cabinet in May 2016. 2. Members questioned the reason for service users not being targeted for feedback during the consultation. Officers informed the Board that service partners were targeted for responses to the consultation, but that consultation with service users would be undertaken in the future. 3. Officers informed Members that the transport charge was reviewed annually and confirmed that further information on the flat rate contribution would be brought to the next Board meeting. Under the policies in place there was some disparity around parental contribution to transport costs; therefore the service wanted to make this fairer for all parents, depending on ability to afford costs. 4. There was a discussion around the survey results which found that 40% of parents thought the service had a fair way of charging. There were mixed views among Members as to whether this was a successful result. 5. The Board was informed that the proposed travel allowance payments to parents would be within tax guidelines, and would not put parents into a compromised position with HMRC. The proposal was also found to be less expensive than other authorities on comparison. It was added that the final policy document would contain the exact financial commitment for families. 6. The document had been co-produced with parental representatives to help ensure transparency. The Board was informed that any changes made would only apply to new service users or existing service users that request the change. It was expressed that the service would continue to improve and identify more effective solutions while ensuring that statutory responsibilities are adhered to. 7. Officers noted that the service had started to run co-design workshops for the Parent Guide with families and would implement work with individuals to address challenges and solutions through co-design. It was added that parents were critical in deciding the content of the document along with different agencies involved. 8. Members were informed that the charging of existing families was considered but this proposal was reject as the policy would not support how the service wanted to work with parents. Evidence showed that it would be more effective to implement the changes for post 16 travel. 9. The Board was informed that the service allowed a full range of consultees to contribute to the policy, this included SOS SEN which is a national organisation. They raised points predominately on residential transport. 10. Officers concluded by agreeing with the Board that the item would come back to the Education and Skills Board in September 2016 once further work with families had been completed.
Recommendations:
The Board requested:
· To review the Parent Guide at the Board meeting in September ... view the full minutes text for item 34/16 |
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DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting of the Board will be held at County Hall on Wednesday 11 May 2016 at 10.00am.
Minutes: The next meeting of the Education and Skills Board would be held at 10.00am on 11 May 2016. |