Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Mary Cooke, Councillor Judi Ellis, and Alison Regester.

There were no additional declarations of interest.

In advance of the meeting the Chairman had circulated a skeleton draft report for the Committees consideration.  At the start of the meeting the Chairman explained that the vast majority of the draft report was descriptive, reflecting the statistical, written and verbal evidence that had been gathered at the meeting on 17^th January 2017.

The Education Select Committee considered the recommendations that it would like to put forward following its enquiry into Underperforming Pupils.

In considering paragraph 5.12, Members noted that at the meeting they had requested more information on all the assessments carried out in pre-school settings before the end of the Foundation Stage, including the number of referrals for SEN.  It was agreed that this should be a formal recommendation arising from the enquiry.

Recommendation 1: That further information be provided to the Education Select Committee concerning all the assessments carried out in pre-school settings before the end of the Foundation Stage, including the number of referrals for SEN as this is the group of children identified as not making the progress expected in the earliest stage of education.

In relation to paragraph 5.13, a Co-opted Member stated that she was “astonished” that there continued to be issues surrounding the sharing of information between pre-school and early years settings.  The Co-opted Member noted that this had been an ongoing issue for a number of years and a solution should have been identified by now.  Members of the Committee suggested that consideration should be given to liaising with colleagues in other Local Authorities in order to facilitate the development of a standard pro forma for the transition.

Recommendation 2: That more action be taken to facilitate and improve information sharing between pre-school and early years settings in order to smooth the transition process.

Recommendation 3: That more work be undertaken to help all parents understand the importance of giving consent for professionals to contact pre-school settings.

Again, in considering paragraph 5.15, Members expressed concern that there was no uniform process for sharing information as children and young people moved through the education system.  Members agreed that more work should be done to develop a standard protocol and pro forma for information sharing.

Recommendation 4:  That more work should be done to develop a standard protocol and pro forma for information sharing as children and young people progress through the education system.

Reflecting on paragraph 5.16, the Committee again discussed the importance of establishing robust systems to support pupils as they transferred from primary to secondary school.  It was essential that accurate and correct information was shared between primary and secondary schools in order to provide a seamless transition for pupils and support their ongoing progress and achievement.

Recommendation 5: That robust systems be established to support pupils as they transfer from primary to secondary school ensuring that accurate and correct information is shared between the schools in order to provide a seamless transition for pupils and support their progress and achievement.

In relation to paragraph 5.17, Members suggested  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.