Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

Councillor Judith Cooper declared a Personal Interest in Agenda Item 8 – School Places Update as she was a Governor of Charville Foundation Primary School and St Andrews C of E Primary School. She remained in the room during the item and took part in the discussion.

Councillor Peter Curling declared a Personal Interest in Agenda Item 8 – School Places Update as he was a Governor of Mellow Lane School and Harefield Academy. He remained in the room during the item and took part in the discussion.

Councillor Catherine Dann declared a Personal Interest in Agenda Item 8 – School Places Update as she was a Governor of Newham Junior School and Bishop Ramsay C of E School. She remained in the room during the item and took part in the discussion.

Councillor John Hensley declared a Personal Interest in Agenda Item 8 – School Places Update as he was a Governor at Breakspear Junior School and Abbotsfield School. He remained in the room during the item and took part in the discussion.

Councillor Kuldeep Lakhmana declared a Personal Interest in Agenda Item 8 – School Places Update as she was a Governor of Cranford Park Primary School, Wood End Park Primary School and Harlington Community School. She remained in the room during the item and took part in the discussion.

It was confirmed that all items would be considered in Public.

There had been no matters notified as urgent.

Members raised a number of issues in relation to the minutes of the last meeting and asked for this to be clarified before they were agreed as a correct record.

There had been two witnesses invited to this meeting, Tom Murphy from connexions and Alison Moore 14 – 19 Manager.  The witnesses provided the committee with the following information on the review.

Tom Murphy – Connexions

A brief summary of the service provided by Connexions was provided to members.  The committee was informed that connexions provided a strategic approach to information, advice, guidance and support to all 13-19 year olds.  It also provided a One Stop Shop designed to offer young people in the borough a single point where they could access a wide range of services. 

To ensure quality information was provided there were two key areas, this was to provide careers advice and information and guidance. Careers education in schools gave young people the knowledge to understand what was available and provided support to help them make the choices most suitable for the career they wanted to follow.

In regard to Information, advice and guidance this was provided by a specialist provider CfBT Education Trust, who provided a range of Education Services.  CfBT have 36 full time advisers that work with teenagers through the schools to provide bespoke information.  This service was delivered via a formula providing different levels of service to different schools.  

Personal Advisers and Link Advisers worked with the young people and their parents to support the choices they make.   The advisers were fully up to speed on the current trends and changes providing up to date impartial information as to what was available.  

When Diplomas were first rolled out connexions worked with all its partners to develop how the information on Diplomas would be communicated to young people.  The work provided by Connexions was to national standards, which were clear and measured.  Benchmarking was also carried out to ensure that what was being provided was both accurate and impartial.  This enabled young people to make informed choices and reduced the number of young people outside of education/training. 

The current number of NEETs (Neither in Education/Employment or Training) was low in Hillingdon and it was hoped these levels would be sustained.  If it was identified that young people had made the wrong choices they would be monitored and support provided to help them back onto the right track.

Following the introduction members then asked a number of questions as follows:-

Do all young people get balanced information on the opportunities available to them?  As some schools may try and retain the young people in their own 6^th Form thereby not giving impartial advice.

Members were informed that it was the ambition of connexions to make sure that all young people did receive impartial advice.   Connexions ensured as far as possible that the advisers in schools were given access to young people to provide them with impartial guidance.  If advisers became aware of any issues in regards to impartiality of information they would alert connexions to the potential problems.

In answer to an issue raised in relation to whether the department monitored the information being  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

Members received a short update on the position in relation to the Electronic Social Care Record System.  

Members asked to be advised of the timescale for the scanning of the paper files to be undertaken in Children & Families. 

It was also suggested that rather than go to the expense of scanning the files that a speedier system would be for the electronic file to have a tag  flagging up that a paper file existed and providing the file reference number.

Resolved – That the Members be advised of the timescale for the scanning of Children & Families Files and consideration be given to the suggestion of having a tag on the electronic file.

Officers gave a brief introduction to the report advising that this was the latest position as the figures changed on a weekly basis.  

Members thanked the officer for the report and suggested that it would be useful to receive a periodic update.  This would be useful for both officers and members to be kept up to date.

The officer introduced the report and advised the committee that there were currently 75 available primary school places in Hillingdon. 

The committee thanked officers for the report and suggested that it would be useful for a quarterly report to be produced to enable members to be kept up to date with the current data.  Members also asked for school places information at first year secondary school to see whether the pressures in primary schools were being carried through to Secondary Schools.

Officers suggested that it would be more pertinent to receive reports on in year and causal admissions to monitor how this progressed through the academic year.  

In response to an issue raised in relation to the small number of children not yet offered places and the number of net migrators into the borough, officers advised that letters were currently being sent to parents offering places over the half term to 8 children in south of the borough.  Officers did not have the information of the breakdown of families moving into the borough.  The admissions Team had received information on children not previously known to the Council, so this suggested that a majority of families were moving into the borough.  The figures on required places varied from week to week with a natural tail off at the beginning of the school year.   Next year would be difficult to estimate the number of primary places required as there had not been many families moving out of the borough. 

 A member referred to the school expansion programme and asked whether  the resentment of some schools had been overcome.

Officers advised the committee that consultations on expansion had now closed, officers had visited Whitehall School where concerns had been expressed.  It was unlikely that objections would be received from other schools.   Consideration was currently being given to whether to move forward with all the school expansions together or whether to take those forward where no objections had been received.

It was asked whether officers were confident that the expansion programme would meet the needs for 2011 or whether further expansion would be required.   There would be pressures on school places from housing developments within the borough and adjoining authorities.

Members were informed that 8 additional forms of entry would be required for September 2011.  Discussions were currently being undertaken with those school being considered for expansion for 2011.  That information was not available to enable an additional form of entry on top of those required to be considered.   Officers through the Admissions Forum received information on the needs of the service from families in the borough. 

Resolved – That officers report back at an appropriate time  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

Officers gave a brief introduction to the report and advised the committee that the recommendations from the review in 2008 had been taken forward.  There was an issue in relation to the parents/carers website, which was not being used as much as officers would like.  Ways of promoting the website were currently being looked at.  The work undertaken in providing the short breaks had been monitored ‘Together for Disabled Children’, although it was expected that this group would be deleted by the new Government. 

The monitoring of the spending had been demanding at the beginning but was now being used as a model for others.  Members were taken through the appendix to the report, which set out  the short breaks programme for 2010/2011.  The funding for the scheme ended in March and the same level of delivery would not be able to be achieved after that.   Schools will have expectations to deliver and currently alternative means of funding are being sought.

The recommendations which had been agreed by this Policy Overview Committee had so far been very positive but there were still things to do.

Members thanked the officer for the update report and suggested that this was a good news story that should be considered as an article in Hillingdon People to raise awareness of the scheme.

Resolved – That consideration be given to an article being included in Hillingdon People to raise awareness of the Short Breaks Scheme.

FORWARD PLAN

Members noted the item on the Forward Plan in relation to the expansion of primary schools for admissions for the next academic year and asked to see the report when available.

Resolved – That the information contained on the Forward Plan be noted.

Resolved – That the work programme be updated to reflect the items added.