Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Darren Jenkins and Tony Wright-Jones.

Apologies for lateness were received from Councillor Keith Onslow. 

The Chairman noted that Nina Newell would shortly be leaving the Local Authority and led the Members of the Education PDS Committee in thanking her for the excellent contribution she had made to the London Borough of Bromley during her time with the Local Authority.

The Chairman reminded the Committee that the Declarations of Interest made at the meeting on 2^nd July 2014 were taken as read.

Councillor Teresa Ball and Councillor Alexa Michael declared that they were Governors of Bromley Adult Education College.

Mrs Mary Capon, Church representative, declared that she was an employee of the Aquinas Trust.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 5^th November 2014 be agreed and matters outstanding be noted.

No questions had been received.

Three written questions were received from Julia Wheeler and Michael Wheeler and are attached at Appendix A.

Report ED15054

The Portfolio Holder introduced a report that outlined the draft Education Portfolio Plan for 2015.  The draft priority outcomes within the Education Portfolio Plan for 2015 focused on seven key activities in support of the Education Covenant and Education Commitments, and were underpinned by supporting aims for 2015.

In considering the Education Portfolio Plan for 2015, a Member noted that 98.6% of Year 11 students attending Bromley schools and 88.5% of young people in Year 12 and resident in the Borough secured the offer of a place in education, employment or training in 2013/14 and underlined the need to continue to increase levels of participation. 

In response to a query from a Member, the Portfolio Holder for Education confirmed that the Education Commitment to support schools in ensuring that all teachers and other staff were competent in their role was delivered by the Local Authority through support provided to Governors.  The Assistant Director: Education advised Members that the School Improvement service also worked with Local Authority Maintained schools to support and develop the quality of teaching and governance where performance issues were identified, and had developed a ‘health check’ tool for schools.

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder be recommended to agree the draft Education Portfolio Plan for 2015.

Report ED15045

The Portfolio Holder introduced a report that provided an update of recent Ofsted and school improvement activity across the Borough.  Since October 2014, there had been Ofsted Inspections of Blenheim Primary School, The Glebe School and Riverside School.  In their Ofsted Inspections, Blenheim Primary had been rated as ‘Good’ and The Glebe School had been rated as ‘Outstanding’.  The result of the Ofsted Inspection of Riverside School had not yet been published.  There had been an Ofsted monitoring visit of Burwood School on 23^rd October 2014.

A meeting had recently been held with the Regional Schools Inspector who had responsibility for academies across South East region.  The initial priority of the Regional Schools Inspector would be to drive school improvement in those open academies whose performance was in the bottom 10% of the region.  Following discussion around academies in the Borough, the Regional Schools Inspector and the Local Authority would work closely to ensure that any concerns with academies in the Borough were highlighted and that action taken to address any issues was reported.

In response to a question from a Member, the Head of Schools, Early Years Commissioning and Quality Assurance confirmed that Ravens Wood School, which had been rated as ‘Requires Improvement’ in June 2013, had recently received an Ofsted monitoring visit and that the Regional Schools Inspector had responsibility to ensure that issues identified at the school continued to be addressed.

RESOLVED that recent Ofsted and school improvement activity in the Borough be noted.

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

Report ED13089

The Portfolio Holder introduced a report providing details of the outcomes and recommendations of the School Places Working Group which had met on 13^th November 2014 to consider the strategic planning of primary and secondary school places and school organisation in the Borough for future years. 

For the 2014/15 academic year, applicants for reception class places exceeded previous forecasts and it had been necessary to supplement the agreed changes by 225 places to ensure that every on-time applicant received a valid offer.  The total number of places originally available for 2014/15 had been 4023.  This was subsequently increased to 4204 places by the addition of eight bulge classes, with 76% of on-time applicants securing their first preference of school in Bromley, which was unchanged from the previous year. 

Increased demand for primary places was expected to continue in the long term, with the Greater London Authority forecast projecting a rise of the total number of places in the Borough to 4041 by 2018, and remaining at that level to 2031.  This was due to a higher level of birth rate than expected, as well as through migration to the Borough and increased occupancy levels of existing homes.  In response to this, it was recommended that a margin of 5% be agreed above the Greater London Authority projection for primary place planning to provide for local variations in need and to meet parental preferences.  To support the expected increase in demand for pupil places, the overall strategy was to meet forecast growth through a combination of existing surplus capacity, permanent expansion of existing provision, new schools and bulge classes.  Work would also be undertaken around secondary place planning to ensure that there were sufficient secondary places across the Borough as the increasing number of pupils at Bromley primary schools moved towards Key Stage 3. 

In considering the report, a Member noted that legal advice was being sought to clarify the position with regard to conditions being placed on the number of classes or pupils at a school for any future school planning applications, and this advice would be provided to Members when it was available.

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder be recommended to endorse the recommendations of the School Places Working Group, taking into account the views of the Education PDS Committee, that:

1)  The projections for primary need be noted;

2)  A margin of 5% be agreed above the Greater London Authority projection for primary place planning to provide for local variations in need and to meet parental preferences;

3)  Discussions be undertaken with primary schools identified for expansion with a view to reporting the outcome to a future meeting of Education PDS Committee;

4)  Where primary school expansion is agreed, implementation be funded through the Education Capital Programme, subject to availability of funds;

5)  The Secondary School Place Planning report be recommended to the Education PDS Committee as the basis for secondary school place planning to 2031;

6)  The proposals for the expansion of existing secondary  ...  view the full minutes text for item 50a

Report ED15038

The Portfolio Holder introduced a report providing an update on progress in delivering the Basic Need Programme, which supported the provision of sufficient school places through improvements to and the expansion of Bromley schools, and to set out the forward programme for the period 2014-18. 

The updated list of schemes within the Basic Needs Programme had been developed to meet the estimated increase in the number of reception age pupils in the Borough.  ‘Bulge years’ and permanent expansions were planned at a number of existing local schools to provide the required pupil places, which would be delivered through a combination of modular build and internal refurbishment.

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder be recommended to:

1)  Approve the updated list of schemes within the Basic Need Capital Programme;

2)  Agree the procurement and award of contract of schemes within the Basic Need Programme through traditional procurement, the Lewisham Modular Buildings Framework or through devolution of the Basic Need Capital Grant to schools;

3)  Authorise the Executive Director: Education, Care and Health Services to submit planning applications at the appropriate time in respect of the list of scheme.

Report ED15044

The Portfolio Holder introduced a report setting out the proposed allocation of £300,000 that was available through the Bromley Seed Challenge Programme to support school-led capital projects at Local Authority maintained schools in the Borough.  In line with local and national policy, in-year Seed Challenge allocations would be honoured at schools that subsequently converted to academy status.  The Seed Challenge Programme was fully funded by the Department for Education Capital Maintenance Grant.

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder be recommended to:

1)  Approve the list of schemes set out in Appendix 1 to Report ED15044;

2)  Note the historical bidding patterns and allocations of Seed Challenge Grant set out in Appendix 2 to Report ED15044; and,

3)  Authorise the Executive Director: Education, Care and Health Services to submit planning applications at the appropriate time in respect of the schemes set out in Report ED15044 where required.

Report ED15037

The Portfolio Holder introduced a report detailing the allocation for the Dedicated Schools Grant 2015/16 for the Schools Block and the Early Years Block, with the final allocation for the High Needs Block to be released in January 2015.  It was projected that the Dedicated Schools Grant 2015/16 would total approximately £251,733,734, which included estimated figures for the High Needs Block adjustment and funding for two year olds. 

The proposed allocation had been considered at the meeting of the Schools’ Forum on 15^th January 2015, and had been agreed.

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder be recommended to approve the Dedicated Schools Grant allocation and the changes to the funding formula for 2015/16.

Report ED15055

The Portfolio Holder introduced a report providing an update on feasibility work undertaken at Beacon House to identify the range of works required to deliver the proposed Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 alternative provision, and outlining the timetable for refurbishment.

Burwood School was a school for male pupils aged 11-16 years who had been identified as having social, emotional and mental health difficulties.  The Local Authority had purchased Beacon House, a light office and manufacturing facility in central Bromley that had previously been used to deliver an alternative education provision in July 2014.  It was proposed to relocate part of Burwood School’s offer to a new high quality in-Borough alternative provision at Beacon House which would deliver a wide variety of vocational courses at Key Stage 4 and 5 to both male and female pupils identified as having social, emotional and mental health difficulties.  In Autumn 2014, the Local Authority had commissioned consultants to review the facilities at Beacon House.  This review had identified a range of works needed to deliver the proposed alternative provision to the required standard, and set out a draft timetable for the refurbishment, which was expected be completed for the start of the 2016/17 academic year.

A report outlining proposals for the use of unspent Dedicated Schools Grant had been considered at the meeting of the Schools’ Forum on 15^th January 2015, and the Schools’ Forum had supported proposals to utilise a proportion of unspent Dedicated Schools Grant towards the purchase and refurbishment of Beacon House. 

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder be recommended to:

1)  Agree the outline scheme proposals and cost estimate and recommend  the scheme to the Council’s Executive and Full Council for admission to the Local Authority’s Capital Programme;

2)  Agree the continuation of design development to the stage where a planning application can be submitted for approval whilst the Council’s Executive and Full Council approval is obtained; and,

3)  Authorise the Executive Director: Education, Care and Health Services to submit a planning application for the scheme at the appropriate time.

The Education Briefing comprised four reports:

• Minutes of the Education Budget Sub-Committee meeting held on 6^th January 2015
• Minutes of the Effectiveness of Children’s Centres Working Group meeting held on 1^st December 2014
• Update from Executive Working Group for Special Educational Needs
• Bromley Academy Programme Update

RESOLVED that the Information Briefing be noted.

This item was withdrawn.

Report ED15039

The Committee considered a report outlining proposed future commissioning arrangements for Speech and Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy for children and young people in the Borough.

Speech and Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy for children and young people was currently commissioned from Bromley Healthcare CIC through two separate contracts with the Local Authority and Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group.  Under the Children and Families Act 2014, the Local Authority and Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group were required to develop robust joint commissioning arrangements where services were provided to the same cohort of children and young people to support a more consistent and collaborating approach to service delivery.  It was proposed that the funding for commissioning of Speech and Language and Occupational Therapy provision historically commissioned by the Local Authority be included in the current Section 75 agreement with Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group and for the Local Authority to pass lead commission responsibility to Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group.

In considering the future commissioning arrangements for Speech and Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy for children and young people in the Borough, a Member underlined the value of training teaching staff in the provision of speech and language support and requested that this be included in any future commissioning of Speech and Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy.

RESOLVED that:

1)  Members’ comments on the report be noted; and,

2)  The Council’s Executive be recommended to agree that the funding for commissioning of Speech and Language and Occupational Therapy provision historically commissioned by the Local Authority be included in the current Section 75 agreement with Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group and for the Local Authority to pass lead commission responsibility to Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group.

Report ED15043

The Committee considered a report outlining the legal framework and the Local Authority’s processes regarding truancy and children missing education.

The Education Welfare Service discharged the Local Authority’s statutory duties in relation to children missing education and holding parents to account for ensuring the regular attendance of their children at school.  Children missing education was defined as all children of compulsory school age who were not on a school roll, nor being educated otherwise, and who had been out of any educational provision for a substantial period of time.  When undertaking inspection of local authorities, Ofsted had broadened this definition to include those young people who were attending alternative provision, been permanently excluded, in receipt of home tuition due to medical needs, receiving elective home education or were looked after by the Local Authority.  In Bromley there were currently 74 children and young people accessing alternative provision, 40 permanently excluded, 59 receiving home tuition, 111 receiving elective home education, and 197 looked after children.

To support the identification and monitoring of this cohort on a regular basis, the Local Authority had developed a Children Missing Education Policy which had been provided to all schools and partner agencies.  As part of this policy, schools were expected to notify the Local Authority of any pupil that they intended to remove from their school roll prior to removal, as well as notifying the Local Authority of any pupil that had failed to attend school for 10 days and that they had been unable to trace.  Partner agencies, health and voluntary organisations were also able to refer any child they believed to be out of education to an Officer within the Education Welfare Service who was dedicated to receiving Children Missing Education referrals.  On receipt of a referral, this Officer would undertake all relevant enquires, including making contact with the family in order to support the child to re-engage with education, liaising with supporting agencies as necessary.  Families and children who could not be traced were placed on a national database which was used by other local authorities to confirm if children reported missing had been identified within their authority. 

In response to a question from a Member, the Assistant Director: Education advised that children and young people in receipt of elective home education or who had been receiving home tuition due to medical needs were included in the definition of those at risk of being children missing education as these children and young people were considered to be at a higher risk of becoming children missing education.

The Chairman noted that a further report on Children Missing Education would be provided to the joint meeting of Care Services and Education PDS Committees on 25^th February 2015. 

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

Report ED15117

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

The Chairman requested that a report on home education be provided to the meeting of Education PDS Committee on 10^th March 2015. 

The schedule of Member visits to care homes and schools and colleges across the Borough for Spring 2015 would be provided to Members and Co-opted Members following the meeting.

RESOLVED that the Education Programme 2014/15 be noted.