Agenda and minutes

Report RES13184

The Committee considered a report outlining a Co-opted Membership appointment to the Education PDS Committee for 2013/14.

RESOLVED that Mrs Jo Brinkley be appointed as Head Teacher Representative to the Education PDS Committee for 2013/14 without voting rights.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Peter Fortune.  Apologies for absence were also received from Dolores Bray-Ash and Darren Jenkins.

Apologies for lateness were received from Janet Latinwo.

The Chairman was pleased to welcome Jo Brinkley, Head Teacher Representative and Jane Bailey, the new Interim Assistant Director: Education to the Education PDS Committee. 

The Chairman thanked Dee Simpson who was acting as Sign Language Interpreter for the meeting.

The Chairman reminded the Committee that the Declarations of Interest made at the meeting on 2^nd July 2013 and 17^th September 2013 were taken as read.

The minutes were agreed subject to the third sentence of the first paragraph of Item 22c: Bromley Academy Programme and Free School Update being amended to read:

“Four free school applications had received approval from the Secretary of State to open in the Borough in the academic year 2013/14 or 2014/15 comprising Harris Primary Free School Beckenham, Harris Aspire, Harris Primary Free School Bromleyand the Bromley Bilingual Primary School.”

In considering matters outstanding from previous meetings, a Member requested that a list of external market providers contacted as part of soft market testing undertaken within the commissioning review of Education Services be provided to Members.

The Portfolio Holder for Education was pleased to confirm that a School Improvement Advisor had now been recruited to fill the 0.5 FTE vacancy for primary mathematics support and would start in post before the end of the Autumn term.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 17^th September 2013 be agreed and that matters outstanding be noted.

To hear questions to the Committee received in writing by the Democratic Services Team by 5.00pm on Wednesday 6^th November 2013 and to respond.  Questions must relate to the work of the scrutiny committee.

No questions had been received.

To hear questions to the Portfolio Holder received in writing by the Democratic Services Team by 5.00pm on Wednesday 6^th November 2013 and to respond.  Questions must relate to the work of the Portfolio.

Nine oral questions were received from Ms Sam Aldridge, Campaigns Assistant, the National Deaf Children’s Society,Mrs Nicola Ward, Regional Director – London, the National Deaf Children’s Society and Rosalind Luff, Chair – Parent Bromley Voice and are attached at Appendix A.

The Portfolio Holder for Education gave an update to Members on work being undertaken across the Education Portfolio.

The need to create additional primary school places in the Borough had been identified as a priority.  The Bromley Bilingual Primary School now had full approval and the Education Funding Agency would support the conversion of the existing building at 1 Westmoreland Road, Bromley for the use of the 3 form of entry bilingual primary school which would open in September 2014.  The Department for Education had approved the conversion of seven of the eight Catholic Primary Schools in the Borough to academy status in Spring 2014 as part of a multi academy trust.  Work to identify primary schools suitable for expansion in the Borough was ongoing, and the Chairman highlighted recent media coverage on moves to better manage traffic and parking around schools which could support future school expansions.

Additional secondary school places would also be needed in the Borough from 2015/16 and the School Place Planning Working Group would be meeting shortly to consider this.  A number of secondary schools were considering whether to develop a primary phase with the potential to become ‘all through’ academies, and work with the Archdiocese of Southwark continued around the feasibility of establishing a new Catholic secondary school in the Borough. 

An interim Executive Board had been put in place to support the Grovelands and Kingswood Pupil Referral Units.  Work was being undertaken with the Department for Education and Local Authority to support the conversion of the units to academy status, with Bromley College of Further and Higher Education as the sponsor.  The potential to develop a primary provision for pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties separate to the Grovelands Pupil Referral Unit was also being considered as a priority issue.

Burwood School had recently been inspected by Ofsted and had been judged as ‘requires improvement’, however the Ofsted Inspector had also written to the Head Teacher to commend him on his leadership of the school, and an action plan had been put in place to respond to the areas identified for improvement as part of the inspection.

A Co-opted Member was concerned at a recent reduction in staffing of the Early Years Team and underlined the importance of ensuring that this team was able to continue to provide excellent levels of support to early years providers, particularly around recent changes such as funding for two year olds.

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder update be noted.

Report ED13118

The Portfolio Holder introduced a report that outlined the draft Education Portfolio Plan for 2014.  The draft priority outcomes within the Education Portfolio Plan for 2014 focused on seven key activities in support of the Education Covenant and Education Commitments, and were underpinned by supporting aims for 2014.

In considering the Education Portfolio Plan for 2014, a Co-opted Member requested that a greater emphasis be placed on Early Years provision.  Aim 1c sought to undertake a programme of support and challenge for Early Years providers (including child minders), in line with revised statutory requirements.  A Member noted that planned courses on how to establish a home-based child care service for prospective child minders should be held at convenient times, such as at weekends.  A Co-opted Member also highlighted the need for additional actions around developing a programme of support and challenge for Early Years Providers who were not child minders under this aim.  It was important to support Early Years providers in maintaining an appropriate level of continuous professional development. 

In considering Aim 1d, the Portfolio Holder for Education confirmed that a proposed advertising campaign on public transport formed part of the strategy to increase the proportion of online school admissions to 85% and reduce the costs associated with paper school admissions.  The cost of advertising on 30 buses for a five week period was approximately £3.5k.  A Co-opted Member suggested that Bromley schools were well placed to promote the use of online school admissions as part of their open days for prospective pupils.

A Co-opted Member queried the proposal to undertake a process of market testing for Governor and Early Years Services under Aim 2a, and underlined the need to ensure that any consultation on this process was undertaken during term time to allow Early Years providers to respond fully.  In considering Aim 6a which sought to undertake a process of market testing for SEN Inclusion Support, the Co-opted Member was concerned at the level of support provided to children with special educational needs in Early Years settings.  The Head of SEN and Disability confirmed that the support being given to Early Years Settings for children with special educational needs was currently being reviewed to ensure both value for money and that children with special educational needs were receiving the levels of support they needed.  This would include consideration of how Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) were deployed, and Early Years Providers would be consulted as part of the review.

A Member requested that the general support and awareness provided to children and young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder who were attending mainstream schools be built into the Education Portfolio Plan.  The Portfolio Holder for Education highlighted the excellent unit at Langley Park Boys School which supported pupils with Autism Spectrum Disorder and queried whether this success could be replicated in other schools across the Borough. 

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder be recommended to agree the draft Education Portfolio Plan for 2014.

Report ED13115

The Portfolio Holder introduced a report that provided an update of recent Ofsted and school improvement activity across the Borough.  Since the meeting of Education PDS Committee on 17^th September 2013, there had been three Ofsted Inspections and one Ofsted monitoring visit.  Burnt Ash Primary School and Oak Lodge Primary School had been judged as ‘Good’ in their Ofsted Inspections, as had Unicorn Primary School following an Ofsted Inspection in July 2013.  The reports of the Ofsted Inspection of Holy Innocents Catholic Primary School and the first monitoring visit of St Mary Cray Primary School had not yet been published. 

In considering the first monitoring visit of St Mary Cray Primary School, a Member noted that the need for more support from the Local Authority had been identified.  The Interim Assistant Director: Education confirmed that there had been a number of organisational changes to the School Improvement Team in recent months, however the Head of Schools and Early Years Quality Assurance and Commissioning was now in post and the Team was working to strengthen support for schools.  A conference had been arranged for mid-November 2013 for Head Teachers and Chairs of Governing Bodies of Local Authority Maintained Schools to identify areas of concern and to look at a range of key areas of school leadership such as Human Resources and Finance.  Future events would also include academy schools.  A Co-opted Member underlined the potential for ‘Good’ and ‘Outstanding’ schools and academies to support improving schools and emphasised the importance of developing best practice processes in governance.  The Interim Assistant Director: Education confirmed that there was a National Leader of Governance at Hayes Secondary School who was able to offer support to Governing Bodies.

St John’s C.E. Primary School had received its third Ofsted monitoring visit on 9^th October 2013.  An Executive Head from the Pioneer Academy was currently supporting the school, which now had a new Head of School, and the school was felt to be making good progress.  A Member was pleased to announce that the results of Charles Darwin School’s recent Ofsted Inspection had just been published and the school continued to be rated as ‘Good’.

It was important to act proactively where there were concerns about a school.  The Portfolio Holder for Education confirmed that the role of Local Authority Governor helped to build good communications between the Local Authority and schools and academies, and that academy schools had recently been contacted to promote the value that Local Authority Governors could bring to their Governing Bodies.

The Chairman requested that a report on support for underperforming schools, which included data on risk, be provided to the next meeting of the Education PDS Committee, and that more detailed information be provided on any school where concerns had been identified to outline areas for improvement.  The Chairman also requested that a further report be provided which outlined the Local Authority’s role with academy schools and that an updated structure chart for the Education, Health and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 37b

Report ED13119

The Portfolio Holder introduced a report that provided an update on plans to commission market testing for the Adult Education service in Bromley. 

A report exploring the broader role of adult education and outlining the various options available to the Local Authority to fulfil its duty to secure reasonable provision of adult education in the Borough into the future had been considered at the meeting of Education PDS Committee on 2^nd July 2013.  Following this meeting, the Portfolio Holder for Education had resolved that market testing of the existing adult education service be undertaken.  Following an initial piece of work, which considered a range of direct and associated issues linked to the market testing of the adult education service, it had become apparent that further detailed work was required before a preferred model of delivery could be presented for Members consideration. 

A report on the outcomes of the options appraisal exercise would be considered by the Education PDS Committee in March 2014.  The Gateway Review would then be presented to the Council’s Executive for decision in April 2014.  Should it be agreed to go forward with market testing, the market testing process would be carried out from May 2014 to January 2015, which adhered to the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules and EU Procurement Regulations.  A further report on the outcome of the full market testing exercise, together with best value analysis, would then be provided to Education PDS Committee in March 2015 and presented to the Council’s Executive for decision. 

In response to a question from a Member around the level of charges or recharges to the Bromley Adult Education Service, the Chairman noted that a working group had recently been established by the Executive and Resources PDS Committee to examine whether the cost of services for which the Council made a charge or recharge covered the full cost of the provision of services and confirmed that this review could include the Bromley Adult Education Service.

RESOLVED that the update be noted.

The Education Portfolio Holder to present scheduled reports for pre-decision scrutiny on matters where he is minded to make decisions.

Report ED13082

The Portfolio Holder introduced an updated report providing details of the outcomes and recommendations of the School Governance Working Group which had met on 12^th March 2013.  The objective of the Working Group had been agreed as ensuring that the Local Authority had a pool of well-trained governors able to play an effective role in ensuring that schools were well governed, that they were aware of their role and responsibilities and that they worked closely with the Local Authority with the support they needed to undertake their role.

Following consideration, the Working Group had developed a number of proposals to support the role of Local Authority Governor into the future, including recruitment, selection and training processes for Local Authority Governors, the development of best practice, and work to promote the benefits of Local Authority Governors to Academy Schools.

In considering the proposals, a Member noted that the Working Party had recommended that each school agree a constitution for their governing body.  This was different to an Instrument of Governance and the Lead Officer for School Governance confirmed that a model constitution and Terms of Reference document had recently been circulated to schools and were available via Fronter. 

The Chairman was concerned at the proposed cost to fund a Local Authority Governor open day at intu Bromley and the Walnuts Shopping Centres and highlighted a number of alternate ways to promote the opportunity.  A Member stated that there was not currently a shortfall in Local Authority Governors and queried whether there was a need to attract more volunteers at this time.  The Chairman confirmed that it was important to ensure there was a wide-range of people with different skills sets available for the Local Authority and schools to consider for nomination when a Local Authority Governor vacancy arose. 

Work was also underway to encourage Local Authority Officers to apply to become Local Authority Governors and a Member noted that Officers should be supported in accessing their entitlement for public sector leave to fulfil their role as Governors.  Another Member suggested that the role of Community Governor might be useful in place of the Local Authority Governor role.  Community Governors were typically appointed by Governing Bodies to represent community interests, which could include developing good communication processes between the Local Authority and the Governing Body. 

A Member requested that information be provided to the Education PDS Committee confirming if Local Authority Governor posts on academy governing bodies were filled or if there were a number of current vacancies.

The Chairman requested that a further report be provided on progress in implementing the School Governance Working Party recommendations to the next meeting of the Education PDS Committee.

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder be recommended to request that a review is undertaken on how school governors, and in particular Local Authority Governors, are recruited and appointed.

Report ED13120

The Portfolio Holder introduced a report providing an update on a Gateway Review undertaken of Speech and Language Therapy for Children with Special Educational Needs. 

The Local Authority had, for a number of years, commissioned Bromley Healthcare to provide an element of the speech and language therapy and occupational therapy provision for pupils in special schools and schools with unit provision.  The main contract for this therapy was held by Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group with the Local Authority holding a separate, smaller value contract.  The existing Local Authority contract with Bromley Healthcare would expire on 31^st August 2014, having previously been awarded by contract extension and exemption.  Work had been undertaken to attempt to align the contracts held by Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group and the Local Authority, but as this had not been possible, it was proposed to pass the Local Authority funding directly to the relevant schools to enable them to commission services directly.

In response to a question from a Member, the Service Manager (Joint Commissioning) confirmed that it was proposed to contract with relevant schools to ensure that delegated funding was utilised for Speech and Language Therapy provision.  A Member was concerned that schools would not benefit from economies of scale realised through a larger contract and underlined the need to ensure that schools received value for money in commissioning Speech and Language Therapy provision.  Another Member also noted that schools should be provided with an appropriate level of support in commissioning Speech and Language Therapy services for their schools. 

A Member queried how the funding would be apportioned between schools and how this would be reviewed as the number of children receiving Speech and Language Therapy provision at each school varied over time.  The Service Manager (Joint Commissioning) advised Members that work was being undertaken with Finance Officers around how to apportion funding fairly and how the amount of funding per school could be varied over time to ensure that the therapy needs of children continued to be met.  It was intended to review the level of funding apportioned to each school on an annual basis.

RESOLVED that:

1)  A further report giving an update to Members on provision of Speech and Language Therapy be provided to Education PDS Committee in November 2014; and,

2)  The Portfolio Holder be recommended to agree that funding for the commissioning of speech and language therapy and occupational therapy provision for pupils in special schools and schools with unit provision be provided directly to relevant schools with effect from 1st September 2014.

The items comprise:

• Minutes of the Education Budget Sub-Committee held on 2^nd October 2013
• Literacy in the Early Years
• Changes to Requirements for Secretary of State Consent for Development of School Land
• SALT Information Briefing
• Follow Up Actions from Joint Education and Care Services PDS Committee meeting
• ECHS Contract Reports - Education Contracts
• Academies’ Update

Members and Co-opted Members have been provided with advance copies of the briefing via e-mail.  The briefing is also available on the Council's Website at the following link: http://cds.bromley.gov.uk/ieListMeetings.aspx?XXR=0&Year=2013&CId=559

The Information Briefing comprised seven reports:

• Minutes of the Education Budget Sub-Committee held on 2^nd October 2013
• Literacy in the Early Years
• Changes to Requirements for Secretary of State Consent for Development of School Land
• SALT Information Briefing
• Follow Up Actions from Joint Education and Care Services PDS Committee meeting
• ECHS Contract Reports - Education Contracts
• Academies’ Update

In considering the report on ‘Follow Up Actions from Joint Education and Care Services PDS Committee meeting’, the Chairman emphasised the importance of the Local Authority’s role in safeguarding children, and noted that additional joint meetings with Care Services PDS Committee would be held where appropriate to consider further aspects of Child Safeguarding

RESOLVED that the Information Briefing be noted.

Report ED13126

The Committee considered a report outlining education outcomes for London Borough of Bromley children in care in the 2012/13 academic year.  283 children and young people were in care in the Borough as at 12^th November 2013 and their progress in school was closely monitored by the Local Authority, however the reporting cohort for education outcomes for London Borough of Bromley children in care was limited to those who had been looked after continuously for a period of one year between April 2012 and March 2013. 

At Key Stage 1, 5 children had been continuously looked after for at least 12 months and formed the reporting cohort.  Of these children, 3 had achieved Level 2 in Reading, Writing and Maths and the remaining 2 children both had Statement of Special Educational Needs and were working below the level of assessment.  At Key Stage 2, 9 children formed the reporting cohort, and all but one of these children had made two or more levels of progress in English and Maths.  The child who had not made this progress was a severely disabled child who was making progress below national curriculum levels.  At Key Stage 4, 19 children formed the reporting cohort.  Of these, 16% of pupils had achieved 5 GCSEs at A*-C including English and Maths.  78% of pupils in the reporting cohort had identified Special Educational Needs, 3 had Statements of Special Educational Needs and 6 were at School Action Plus.

Overall children in care education performance at Key Stages 1 and 2 were as expected, given the very small reporting cohort.  Performance at Key Stage 4 was slightly lower than predicted because as well as the relatively small number of children and young people within the reporting cohort, a higher than average proportion of this year’s cohort had been moderately or completely disengaged during Year 11, the range and quality of alternative provision had been limited and the removal of GCSE Equivalence had meant that other qualifications were not recognised.

In considering the report, a Member queried the use of percentages on such a small cohort and suggested that progress be reported by number of children in future.  A Co-opted Member also suggested that anonymised case studies would be useful in assisting Members in recognising the progress made by each child in future.

The Chairman requested that a further report on attainment of looked after children with anonymised case studies be provided to the next meeting of the Education PDS Committee.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

Report ED13123

The Committee considered the forward rolling work programme for the year ahead, based on items scheduled for decision by the Education Portfolio Holder and items for consideration by the Education PDS Committee.

In considering the work programme for 2012/13, the Chairman requested that a number of additional reports be considered at the next meeting of the Education PDS Committee to be held on 30^th January 2014.

• Support for underperforming schools, including data on risk
• The Local Authority’s role with academy schools.
• Progress in implementing the School Governance Working Party recommendations
• Attainment of looked after children with anonymised case studies

The Chairman also requested that a further report giving an update to Members on provision of Speech and Language Therapy be provided to Education PDS Committee in November 2014.

The Chairman reminded all Members of the Council and Co-opted Members of the Education PDS Committee that they were all invited to attend the Education Seminar on 27^th November 2013.  This seminar would explore a range of themes and issues that were key to the Education Portfolio including a young person’s perception of education opportunities in Bromley, Ofsted accountabilities and new opportunities in Bromley.

The Portfolio Holder noted that Worsley Bridge Primary School had now expanded and encouraged Members and Co-opted Members to join a forthcoming visit to the school to view the new modular buildings.  A visit to the Glebe School would also be held in mid-November 2013 and Members and Co-opted Members were invited to attend.

RESOLVED that the Education Programme 2013/14 be noted.

The Chairman to move that the Press and public be excluded during consideration of the items of business listed below as it is likely in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings that if members of the Press and public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information.

RESOLVED that the press and public be excluded during consideration of the items of business listed below as it was likely in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the press and public were present, there would be disclosure to them of exempt information.

RESOLVED that the exempt minutes of the Education PDS meeting held on 17^th September 2013 be agreed.